Need A Pep Talk!

18 years ago

I need to get motivated again. My house is a wreck. We've had lots going on. I changed jobs five weeks ago. It was a very difficult decision for me. Even though the job is much closer to home & pays more, I almost backed out of the decision several times. I really liked the people where I worked before & liked the job in general. There was a lot of stress for various reasons, which was my main motivation for going to another job. I obviously don't expect to find a job with no stress, but this wasn't just everyday job stress.

I knew that I'd be under a lot of stress when I changed. I'm having to learn a completely new industry (switching from service to manufacturing is a big change), new accounting software, and using accrual accounting vs. cash. I'm familiar with accrual concepts, but I've never used it in a "real-life" setting. So, while I'm trying to impress my new boss, I've made mistakes, some of them really stupid mistakes that I'd like to kick myself for. I know everyone makes mistakes, but I tend to worry about things like that & bring these issues home, which I think is a big part of my problem.

I thought that I'd get more done at home because of being closer, but I haven't. I usually come home & sit down for "a few minutes" to unwind. Of course, this ends up being more than a few minutes & I don't get anything accomplished. I've gotten a little done on weekends, but not much. My house is a mess - there are laundry baskets in the den, there's junk on the coffee table, the nightstands & dresser, a load of stuff for charity in the dining room that I need to arrange to have picked up - you get the picture.

Come on, guys, I need some encouragement!

Greta

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Comments (3)

trekaren
18 years ago
first of all, do not be so hard on yourself!

Job change ranks right up there with moving, and divorce as being life stressors.

Give yourself the time you need.

Then start small. When I'm not in the mood or don't have energy, I simply resolve to do 5 minute walkarounds. Just hit whatever I see in 5 minutes.

Then I just make sure to clean the sink. That one small thing brightens my mood.

Hey, even with a shorter commute, it's hard to keep up with day to day stuff, like putting meals out, or washing laundry. Forget about the "extras". So ease up on worrying, do 5 minute walkarounds, and let yourself adjust to the new job!!!

As far as work goof-ups, just look around you. Do you think your co-workers are perfect? Again, give yourself time, don't kick yourself, and relax.

In my weightwatchers meetings, I used to say, "You earn more activity points by patting yourself on the back than by kicking yourself."

So look around! In your new job, I'm sure you have some things you can pat yourself on the back for. And when your mind starts dwelling on the goofs, just push that brain back to your accomplishments!!!

Finally, is there anything you enjoy doing (besides organizing LOL)? Reading, singing, sewing, movies, whatever. Take an hour or two each week just for yourself. This is a transition time and you need to give yourself the time to adjust.
Julie_MI_Z5
18 years ago
Greta,

I would suggest you try to separate your work time from your home time. Here's what I do.

1. Before you leave the office, leave yourself a to-do list for the next morning. I'm not kidding, this is what I do. Walk out that door and NEVER give the job a second thought.

2. Use your communte home as your unwind time. Relax, listen to music, totally ignore the aggravation of rush hour traffic. Schedule one errand on the way home, to give yourself more unwind time if you need to. For a while I was afraid the drug store guy was going to think I had a crush on him or something, since I was stopping by so frequently!

3. Don't sit down when you first walk in the door. Find non-messy things to do in your work clothes and keep busy for at least 30 minutes. You already had your "un-wind" time so now it's time for quick action. You can start a load of laundry, empty the dishwasher, throw dinner in the oven, do a general pick up, make the bed, swoop off the junk on the coffee table, just find ONE thing in every room that will make a big impact as you walk through.

4. Have at least one "move forward" goal for after dinner. Not a major project, just take care of one task at home that bothers you when it's not done. Check out FlyLady if you haven't already.

5. Before you go to bed, lay out your clothes for the next day. A happy morning is one where everything goes smoothly when you're getting ready.

You can do it!
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quiltglo
18 years ago
Pep, pep, pep!

I understand, really. I'm currently off of medical leave since my job ended up so stressful. Talk about feeling like a failure.

For me, I have to stay focused on the real basics. In my house, that's clean dishes and clothing. Everything else seems to fall in place after those items are taken care of.

Just set the timer for a few minutes and focus on something your family really needs. Don't focus on the big picture of the house is a mess. Just spend 10 min. dealing with those laundry baskets, then call it quits.

No fair looking at everything that needs to be done.

Gloria
PS, just put the load of charity stuff out on the curb with a free sign. Maybe it will disappear.