Two years ago about this time, I was looking forward to Spring Training, the start of the 2020 baseball season, and going to a few Braves Games. During weekdays I would hop on a bus at 5:15 in the morning and ride into the office in Atlanta. I was even planning a trip to Las Vegas (where I went to high school) in the summer to celebrate my 41st birthday with some old friends. That all changed March 11, 2020 when the Department Head told us all that we should be prepared to work from home indefinitely. Things have not been the same since then and I am sure the whole world feels the same way.
Fortunate would be an understatement in describing how I was able to work from home, stayed employed, and even received a raise during the pandemic. Sincere guilt would be an understatement in describing how I feel about the overworked hospital staffs and the laid off restaurant workers in this country. Although I am finally returning back to the office in a few weeks, I am petrified. The pandemic was actually blessing in disguise to introverts with mild social anxiety disorder.
Although I have been solidly employed for over 20 years with this company, I constantly worry about my career. My biggest flaws are shying away from difficult discussions and tasks while taking things personally when criticized by other employees. They say the first step towards success is out of your comfort zone. In an effort to "come out of my shell" and change my anti-social ways, I joined a book club sponsored by the company and they highly suggested Living Forward.
I am not ashamed in admitting that I dread reading books that are non-fiction. I will go through a James Patterson or Lee Child paperback novel faster than a chain smoker through a pack of menthols. I started this 10 chapter book over six months ago and I just finished chapter 8 last week. Although what I have read so far has been insightful and somewhat motivating, I felt weird reading a self-help book written by two wealthy businessmen. But when you think about it, that is the whole point; wealth does not always mean success.
Growing up, I always thought success was completing the "Trifecta" which was doing good in school, getting a good job, and being a good husband/father. I completed the trifecta but was still miserable and drinking myself to sleep every night just to put the day behind me. This book has made me realize I needed time organization and self discipline. So far, the most useful item I have taken from this book is a tool called "Ideal Week."
Example of an Ideal Week
Time is money. This is a spreadsheet that helps you budget your time as if it was money. Just like a budget is plan for money as if you had 100% of it, and Ideal Week is what you would (or should) do with your time while you have it. In a perfect world, all of my workdays would be very productive with plenty of time left over to bond with my wife and children. There are not enough hours in the day to complete these tasks, but I can do what I can with what I have.
For example: I have budgeted four hours every Sunday for reading books and (surprise!) writing. Perhaps I'll blog on here more than just two times a year.
The plan is to knock out these last two chapters within the next couple of weeks, drop some of my bad habits, and get back into Corporate Mode. The days of hiding in my house and only socializing through laptop monitors are coming to an end. Basically, I want to look back at this pandemic lockdown as a time I used for self reflection and improvement...as well as the time the Braves won the World Series!
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