Short Timer Syndrome - I Have It Bad!

byroxydog1312

1.4K followers

5 years ago

Oh my gosh, I have short timer syndrome so bad! I work during the spring, summer, and fall, for a paving company as their office manager. I generally work from the middle of April until Thanksgiving (late November for those not in the USA). We have one more week in October and then I'm out on November 25.

Generally in years past, we have had a few snowy and cold days starting mid September, but it always warms back up, and the paving keeps rolling along. But not this year. It got cold 2-3 weeks ago, and has stayed cold enough for the ground to freeze. Our crews have been waiting until noon or later every day for the ground to be viable for asphalt pavement.

A snow storm will be rolling in tomorrow, and it's forecasted to be -4 degrees F on Wednesday. My boss thinks that after that, we are done paving for the year. I won't be done, however, because we do a lot of wrapping up, making sure all bills are paid, and all invoices are collected on, plus we line up a lot of work for the next season, writing proposals and visiting a lot of sites, and getting our contracts lined up.

But I have this terrible case of short timer syndrome this year. I want out of there so badly! Here are the symptoms:

Complete Lack of Sense of Urgency:

I generally am there 20 minutes early and I start work right away, sometimes even running errands for work before I get there. Well, recently, I've had trouble getting to work on time. I have to warm up and scrape the frost off the car, or dig it out of the snow, which I don't have to do in the summer, and I really hate doing that. So I dawdle in the morning and don't get the car cleaned off fast enough to make it to work on time.

Motivation, Level ZERO:

When I'm at work I usually have 3-4 hours of stuff to do, Then for the rest of the day, as long as I hang out and answer the phone and watch email, I can do Wealthy Affiliate stuff, which I have really enjoyed this year. Well, now, I don't want to do either my work or my WA stuff. I have to really make myself get the minimum done, and that's unusual for me.

Procrastination:

I keep thinking to myself that, when I'm off work, I will sit down and make the significant updates I think my websites need. I will continue with my training. I will get all the blog posts done. I will clean my house. I will get my home projects done. I will get ready for the holidays. If only I could get off work sooner!

Other Forces Beyond My Control:

The good news is that my husband got a promotion. The bad news is, he now works a whack schedule, and we can't ride together anymore. We used to spend a couple hours a day in the car together. He had the same days off as I did, so I spent lots of time with him. He would get up and make the coffee, get the trash out, and help me get lunches packed, the dog fed, and the lights off and doors locked.

Now he works a crazy schedule. I have to get up all by myself, make my own darn coffee, drive all those miles myself, worry if I had locked the door, and try not to forget the dog's treats. We don't have the same days off either, so now I'm by myself all day Saturday and Sunday. So, there's this big hole where I had once spent time with the husband. At least, once I'm off for the season, I will get to spend his days off with him, regardless what days they might be in any given week.

Winter Came Early:

Another part of my short timer issue is that I have to drive a lot in the snow this year. We have a 37 mile commute. (You know the movie, Christmas Vacation? You know the road they drive to get the Christmas tree, and they get into the road rage incident with the redneck pickup and the logging truck? That is Colorado Highway 9 from Kremmling to Silverthorne, the road I drive every day.) When it snows, the 40 minute commute turns into 90 minutes. It's a heavily traveled road, with blind hills and curves, plus a lot of deer and elk crossing, and there are usually a lot of accidents. I have to be super careful, and that induces a lot of stress.

That, and the very thought of winter makes me think that the paving gig should be over. When winter comes, paving is done. So my mental clock is all wrenched around because my body knows it's winter but the calendar says otherwise.

How Can I Fix This?

So, yes this really sucks this year! I have to do something about this! I have almost a whole other month to keep going to work. I have a whole other month to keep my websites going. I have a whole other month of driving by myself in crappy weather. So, list maker that I am, I have made a list of things I can do to combat this THING!

Mix it up: I need to do something different or out-of-the-ordinary every day, that I can look forward to. I can stop for coffee or breakfast before work. I can plan content for my websites while I'm at work, and do the writing at home, which is opposite of what I have been doing. I can stop by Target after work and just wander through the isles. Instead of listening to the same CDs over and over, I can get some audio books on my phone to listen to while I drive. I can get some hot chocolate to drink on my way home if the weather looks bad.

Recite my mantra: This too shall pass. Writing content and working on my websites recite get me out of this a lot sooner. I can do this. Get the work done so I can play all I want later. Slow and steady, don't slam on the brakes!

Journal: In all my trials through life, I've been told by therapists to journal. It really helps. I need to write my issues, and drawbacks, but I also need to "count my blessings" or write the things that make me happy each day. Writing this article has helped a lot because it has gotten my thoughts in order, and has allowed me to renew my initial excitement about being a blogger.

Take it one day at a time: Stop procrastinating. Stop thinking about all the stuff I will get done once I'm off, and try to get a little done each day.

Plan: It has always helped me get through every large hurdle in my life by PLANNING and LISTING. I list all the things I need to get done, and by what dates they should be completed. Then I put them on a calendar, one that I print off the internet, so it's kept for just that purpose. Then, each day, I don't have to think about what needs to be done, and therefore I don't get overwhelmed by the big picture. I go to the calendar, and it says "mop the kitchen floor" or "set up 10 key worded content pages". I do what it says to do on that day. So then there's forward progress, one step at a time, which is the only way to do it.

Dream: Every day, I have been trying to dream about what it will be like once I have my websites earning money. I look online for houses for sale near my kids. I look at new cars, furniture, vacations. I think about what I will do with my time once I retire. I think about what I will say to my boss when I can quit the job. I have a running list of the things I need to buy and the things I want to do when the time comes. It helps motivate me to get my work done.

Recommit: I took a big step today. I changed from monthly payments to yearly payment for Wealthy Affiliate. That means I have to do it for another year at least. I did this because I wanted to get back some of that original excitement that I felt when I began this journey back in February. So, I have, in a big way, recommitted to my goals and dreams.

Now, Just Do It

Now I just have to get off my proverbial behind and do this. This is the time when I need to reach down deep into my guts and pull out some motivation. I have done it before on other projects, so I can do it on this one. Once I get started I know I will be OK. Thank you all for your continued support, and please leave your comments and questions below.

Have a great weekend! Rhonda