Taking Time Out
Posted: Mon 25 June, 2007 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 1BEM, Domestic, Getting Organised, Own Business, Work-related | 1 Comment »Last week, in a post I’d written where I kind-of-incidentally mentioned my current workload, Gordon commented that I really need to take some time out at some point. And you know what? He’s right, I do need to. It’s more about try to find the time to do so.
Last week, the average day went something like this :
- 5.30/5.45 – Wake up
- 6.30 – Leave house
- 6.50 – Train to Cambridge. Work on train, doing website for Client #2
- 7.50 – Get to Cambridge. Walk to Office (Client #1)
- 8.05 – Start working. Always for Client #1, but possibly with some work for Client #2 thrown in as well
- 13.45 – Remember that I really should have some lunch at some point
- 14.00 – Grab a sandwich from the local place. (In fairness, going at 2pm means it’s at least quiet)
- 14.30 – Back to work
- 15.45 – Leave Office, head back to train
- 16.10 – Train leaves Cambridge. Work on train, doing website for Client #2
- 17.10 – Get back to Attleborough
- 17.45/18.00 – Get back to work – either for Client #2 , or doing stuff on the house using a bloody great tile-cutter
- 21.00 – Eat something
- 21.30 or so – Take Hound out for a walk
- 22.30 or so – Get sent to bed by Hound
- Sleep badly
- Repeat as required
Admittedly, this month is a bit more manic than most – Client #2 is working on a tight schedule, which is extra ressure I really could’ve done without. But it won’t be for long, and then (hopefully) it’ll calm down a bit. (Mind you, I’m not holding my breath on that one)
And yes, some of it is self-inflicted, in that I’ve taken on a lot of work at the same time. (And there’s still Client #3 waiting in the wings, although thankfully they’ve gone quiet over the last couple of weeks while they get other stuff sorted) But also it’s necessary, while Herself is between jobs – although we’ve now got confirmation that she starts her new job on 9th July, which will take some of the pressure off. As it is, I’m currently getting paid for 5 days a week with Client #1, and 2.5 days a week for Client #2. Which works out as – ah – 7.5 working days per week. Oops. (Yes, I know that technically it only works out as 60 hours a week, which gives me another 108 to do other stuff in)
And when you couple the workload I’ve got with the additional fun of the domestic bits, that’s when it gets stressy. Mind you, if Herself were still working for The Bunch Of Twunts, we’d be doing a lot more house stuff in the evenings and weekends, and I’d be (even more) dead on my feet than I currently am.
Badly Organised
Posted: Wed 20 June, 2007 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Travel, Work-related | 1 Comment »One of the things that particularly annoys me is when I’ve decided to have a ‘lazy’ day on the train, and rather than work during my commute, read a book instead. OK, that’s not the annoying part.
The annoying part is when I finish the book on the outward journey, and then have nothing to read on the way home. Which means I end up working. (or at least doing something on the laptop that vaguely resembles work)
Guess what happened today? Yup.
@Media Day Two – thoughts
Posted: Wed 20 June, 2007 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: @Media2007, Geeky, Own Business, Reviews(ish), Thoughts, Web Development, Work-related | Leave a comment »I never did get round to finishing this, did I? Doh!
- Jon Hicks : How to be a creative sponge“
- Jeremy Keith : Bulletproof Ajax“
- Shawn Lawton Henry : Advancing Web Accessibility“
- Andy Clark: “Royale with Cheese“
For the thoughts (such as they are) clicky on the ‘more’ link…
Read the rest of this entry »
Productive
Posted: Sun 17 June, 2007 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, House Work, Own Business, Work-related | 1 Comment »On the subject of ‘Doing not Talking’, it’s probably worth also pointing out that I’ve written a complete site this weekend for one client. They’d set a ridiculous deadline, due to business needs, and I’ve managed to fulfil it.
Yes, it still needs some work, but the basics are all done, and it’s looking good. Which is bloody marvellous.
Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without a major dose of tolerance and understanding from Herself, who’s been busy with house stuff. And things would’ve been more fraught than they were if the tossers at HSS had actually supplied a working tile-cutter.
Still, the tile cutting is now next weekend’s job. Joy. But at least I won’t have a website to be writing at the same time. (I hope)
Talkers and Doers
Posted: Sun 17 June, 2007 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Introspective, Thoughts, Work-related | Leave a comment » Recently, I’ve been talking to some colleagues and so on about personality types, and the like. (And yes, this is – to some degree or other- also linked in to the stuff a while back about Belbin, personality profiles, and so on) In some ways it’s related to current work situations, which I may or may not blether on about at some other point.
Anyway, I’ve always figured that there were really only two types of people around, when it comes to work. Actually, it’s probably a Venn diagram, where there’s some people who fall into a nice intersection of the two – although I’ve only met a couple of those, and I’m certainly not one of them. But so far as I see it, most people fall into one of two groups- Talkers and Doers. (Or, in Geek, Doer and !Doer)
Me, I’m a Doer. I’ve never been in doubt about it – while it might take me some time (for reasons previously discussed at length) to get interested, or to build up the impetus, when I get going on something, I get it done. That’s something that’s obvious to anyone who works with me- set me a task, and it’ll get done.
Talkers, on the other hand, plan things out, talk about project plans, put in policies and procedures everywhere, constantly complain about how busy they are, yet they never seem to really get anywhere, or produce anything – well, except for whole rainforests of paperwork.
In fairness, I don’t think there are actually many Pure Talkers or Doers. In my own work, yes, I put in a rough plan of what I intend to do in a certain timescale, and will talk to people about how their idea will come into reality. But that’s all I need.
Currently, I’m working in a team where the split is probably 2:1 between Talkers and Doers. Not ideal. And the Talkers are currently wanting to replace even more Doers with Talkers. No-one seems to have yet thought ‘well, if we get two project managers at the cost of two developers, who’s actually going to make the site?’ In some ways it’s actually quite amusing to see this process happen, where the Talkers always assume someone else will be doing the actual site, but without taking into account who that will be.
Early
Posted: Fri 15 June, 2007 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Animals, Domestic, Work-related | 5 Comments »Because of yesterday’s meeting (of which it’s best to not ask anything, thanks) I’m making up a couple of hours at work today.
Not that I technically need to, as I’m on a day-rate rather than an hourly rate. This means that I could probably get away with just doing the four hours I did yesterday at work, without having to ‘make up’ the hours.
But in fairness, that would take the piss rather. So I’m going to make up a couple of hours today. It keeps everyone happy, and all that stuff. But it means that my alarm was set for 5.45 this morning, so I could be on the 6.55 train, and in work by 8am.
Psycho Cat, however, decided this wasn’t early enough, as he was Hungry. Which meant unremitting yowls, scratching on the chairs in the bedroom, and generally being a pain in the arse. So I’ve been awake since 5.15, and had fed him by the time my alarm was supposed to go off.
Poxy little furry fucker.
Meeting
Posted: Thu 14 June, 2007 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Own Business, Work-related | Leave a comment »I’m in a meeting this morning with a client – so all is likely to be quiet ’til the afternoon.
Let’s just hope it all goes well…