Occasional visitors to the site might have noticed something like a dramatic pause in our postings this week - and though I can think of a multitude of excuses, I'll not list them here. Suffice it to say that the workweek started at 3:00 a.m. Monday, and continued at a relentless pace through through Friday. On top of the usual efforts, which accelerated to force an 8 to 7 schedule most days, we were also asked to attend business dinners both Monday and Wednesday, meaning I didn't make it home until very late.Given the dramatically reduced hours at home and behind the laptop, the blog was one of the first things to be neglected.
In the winter months, it isn't too uncommon to leave for the office in the dark, and return home in the dark, with my body escaping the ravages of natural light. It goes to explain the rising rates of depression and listlessness many feel around the holidays, as increasing demands come as invigoration from nature slips away.
For me, it can at times be overwhelming, as even when I leave the office late, I know there's much more to get done, as the count of e-mails in the In box is higher than when I had started the day, and I may never reach a point where I feel I have caught up. Weekends are not much better, as, while they may seem inviting, they instead serve as 48-hour countdowns to when the cycle starts again. Every second not spent on catching up on work, instead of a respite, seems wasted, and as the hours tick by, the stress adds up, nearing a point where it's not a question of whether to act on projects, but selecting which one should get the highest priority, as they all fight for attention, or even worse, which ones, if neglected, will draw the least wrath.
Is there a break on the horizon? Maybe. I don't anticipate 3:00 a.m. start times and dinner meetings to be de riguer. But there will always be demands on my time, and with the sun not doing its part to rise early and set late, it's literally us against the world.
Listening to ''I.R.A. (Original Mix)'', by Dariush (Play Count: 19)