At work there is a specific set of data that my team must collect and organize every month. Over the course of many years, there have been changes in collection methods, spreadsheet organization, analysis, and who receives the final product. Due to some changes in organizational structure, for several months now we’ve had no idea who we are supposed to be sending this data to, what it is supposed to look like, or what it’s purpose it. However, we have been assured that it is important to keep making these spreadsheets and parking them a file on our company server. So every single month we are spending a decent amount of time putting together something that no one is doing anything with, and yet we have not been able to obtain permission to stop. We also discovered last week that it is entirely probable that a different department in a different building is looking at the same set of data in a different format for a different reason. Although we aren’t sure what that reason is.
Sometimes, ladies and gentlemen, we all find ourselves wondering if we are wasting our time. Sometimes the answer is a resounding yes. Other times you can’t be one hundred percent sure. Still other times the question is not “Am I wasting my time?” but “Is there a way that I can stop wasting my time?” That leads to another set of questions:
Can I decide not to do this, or to do it differently?
Sometimes, we do this to ourselves. I’m not going to say that I sometimes find the most convoluted and labor-intensive ways to get things done, except actually I am going to say that. Because sometimes I do. Sometimes the answer is as simple as stopping and thinking about your process and finding out if it’s actually your own fault. You also have to consider whether the effort you’re choosing to expend is necessary and worthwhile.
A few years ago, I had one of the most miserable long-term training experiences of my entire career. Nobody that I was training wanted to be there. Nobody was interested. I was facing a group of adults who were acting like teenagers at the beginning of an inspiring teacher movie. Except that I wasn’t in a movie. And, again, they were adults. It is really something to be trying to deliver information to a group of people who just don’t care. My first reaction was my typical response to challenges: Work harder. Keep pushing. You can do this. And boy, did I try. I’m not sure that I have ever put more effort into being creative, relevant, engaging, etc. Before every session I revised and re-revised my presentation and materials, searching for the answer of how to reach these people. I even practiced in front of a mirror, and then in front of long-suffering friends (who, by the way, were more interested than the people whose job it was to learn this stuff). How did that work out? It didn’t. My training sessions continued to fall flat. Eventually, in session seven, I looked around the room and noticed that not only was almost everyone on their phones, talking to their neighbors or, I kid you not, sleeping, but that the supervisor of this department was doing the exact same thing. At that moment, I realized something very important: Nobody cared but me. I didn’t start phoning it in or anything, but I sure as heck stopped putting a bunch of extra effort into trying to solve a problem that I clearly couldn’t solve.
What do I do if it’s not my decision?
Other times, things aren’t in your control. I mean, while I could decide not to put extra effort into that awful training experience, I couldn’t decide I wasn’t going to do it at all. In the same way, it is not up to me or my team whether or not we compile this data. If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels on something that is a directive or a policy or someone else’s plan, it’s worth asking why. It might be because there is a hoop and therefore we must jump it. On the other hand, sometimes things that feel pointless to us actually do serve a purpose, and it can be really helpful to find out what it is, even if it’s simply because it is important to our boss, family, significant other, or whoever. It’s also possible that addressing the issue might help others to realize that it isn’t something that needs doing anymore, or that doesn’t need to be done the way it’s always been done in the past.
Do you just have to grin and bear it?
Let’s be honest, if we all had a dollar for everything we’ve ever done that we thought was stupid and pointless, a lot of us would no longer be working for other people. Sometimes, there is no alternative but to spin your wheels until your time on that particular treadmill is done. In that case, try to spend as little time as possible on it, while gritting your teeth and smiling. Then you can make fun of it on your blog. That helps.
How do you cope with what you consider time-wasting tasks?
This weekend really got away from me! Actually, that’s true of all last week-lots of extra time at work, plans with family, and hosting a friend’s birthday party left me with very little free time. I’ve also been, for some reason, struggling with writer’s block this week. I started drafting posts on four different topics, and couldn’t seem to make any of them come together. Charles Bukowski once said that “writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all”, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to mention that the words just aren’t coming this week. On a brighter note, I have four partially written posts that I’ll be able to finish when my brain is a little less addled.
As I mentioned above, I had a party a few days ago (and I’ve mostly finished cleaning up the house, so yay), which made me think about a few posts on the subject of entertaining:
Why it’s stressful: Expectations. There are some very strong messages coming from everywhere, all the time, about what Valentine’s Day 
Why it’s stressful: This is where I live my life right now, and it’s actually a very easy place to be. For those of us who are content with not being in a relationship, most of the Valentine’s Day messages just become white noise. The thing that can be stressful, though, is that Valentine’s Day often inspires the people around us to comment on our single status. It amazes me how often people try to fix me up in the first few weeks of February. 
Why it’s stressful: This is probably the toughest place to be, and I have been there. If you’re not in a relationship and would very much like to be, Valentine’s Day is one of those times where you feel the universe is rubbing it in your face. 
Let’s be honest: we usually fail at big sweeping changes. Eating one extra serving of vegetables every day, for example, is a lot more attainable than completely eliminating sugar (especially for me, because sugar is life). Decluttering one area of your house every week is much more doable than completely overhauling your space in one manic weekend. I’m not saying those kinds of things can’t happen, but they’re a lot more difficult, and they often aren’t sustainable. I’ve done the top-to-bottom declutter, for example, and I have to admit that it didn’t take long for things to start piling up again.
When I decided I needed to drink more water (because surprisingly, coffee is not a perfect substitute), I put rubber bands on my left wrist every morning. Each time I finished eight ounces, I moved one to my right wrist. The reminder was right in front of me, and I got a little boost of satisfaction every time a band switched sides. I’ve also used checklists and Post It notes (like “Go clean up the kitchen!” on my bathroom mirror, where I’d always see it when I was getting ready for bed).
You don’t even have to worry about being selfish, because when you share your joy, you also help the person you’re sharing with. 
The BMJ research shows us that hearing about other people’s happiness can boost our own, so it stands to reason that we should seek opportunities to do so. Sometimes people are hesitant to share good news, because they don’t want to feel like they’re bragging. So that’s the first reason to get in the habit of asking others what’s going on in their lives, with a focus on positive topics. I like asking people questions about their hobbies and interests, which usually leads to stories with smiles.
There’s a reason we teach kids to stay “thank you”. Feeling unappreciated has been linked to frustration, anxiety, resentment, depression, and a lack of motivation. I once had a supervisor who, during a tense meeting, announced, “I’m not going to kiss your a** just for doing your jobs”. I’m not sure he could have found a better way to poison our team if he’d set out to do so. Obviously, announcing that you don’t intend to show appreciation is an extreme example, but just passively ignoring people’s need to be acknowledged can, over time, be just as damaging. On the flip side, study after study has shown that regularly expressing appreciation leads to healthier relationships, stronger marriages, and improved corporate cultures. 
One of my professors in graduate school, where I studied Organizational Leadership, liked to say, “There are three keys to a successful organization: Culture, culture, and culture”. He preached the importance of modeling behaviors and values, and presented us with overwhelming evidence of how both positive and negative attitudes can sweep through and transform a group of people. I’ve seen evidence of this in both my professional and personal lives. Here’s an example: one morning someone puts a sticky note on the wall of the coffee room, thanking and praising a coworker. By lunchtime, there are three more. By the end of the day, there are a dozen. By the end of the week, people are hunting for space that isn’t already covered. Or how about this one? At a holiday gathering, family members are stressed and sniping at each other while trying to finish dinner preparations. By the time the food is on the table, they’re all at a slow burn. When Dad takes the time to honestly and genuinely thank them for their efforts, the tension dissipates as they all stop concentrating on their own contributions and consider how everyone made this time with family possible.
When I’m conducting training, coordinating events, or running between meetings and conversations, I don’t get a lot of desk time, and even well chosen shoes can’t stop all that from taking a toll. Here in the United States, studies have shown that 70-80% of adults experience intermittent or chronic foot pain, and I’d guess that just about everyone has felt the ache that comes from a long day in motion. If you experience chronic or serious pain, you should discuss it with your doctor, but for everyday foot fatigue, an in home massager is fantastic. 
Dry air isn’t good for your skin, eyes, or sinuses. Keeping a healthy level of humidity in your home helps maintain both health and comfort, as well as leading to better quality sleep (and that’s always a good thing). A lot of people feel that vaporizers are only for when they’re sick, but regular use leads to 
This is a relatively new addition to my home, a gift from my sister Audrey. There are two reasons I absolutely adore 
The first episode gives a nod to the epistolary format of the novel by framing the narrative as a conversation between Jonathan Harker and Sister Agatha, who struggles with her faith but has made a serious study of vampires and the occult. The introduction of this character let me know right away that the show wasn’t planning on strict adherence to the source material, but that wasn’t really surprising. There are a lot of elements from the original story here, and the show’s take on Harker’s time in Dracula’s castle is creepy, visually engaging, and generally felt like a worthy adaption. I really enjoyed Claes Bang’s portrayal of Dracula as he used Harker’s blood (the show relies heavily on the idea that drinking blood allows the vampire to absorb knowledge, memories, etc.) to transform himself from an octogenarian, old-world aristocrat to a young, modern gentleman who would fit in well once he journeyed to London.
Here, Dracula shifts firmly into the role of protagonist. Once again, a large chunk of the episode is framed by storytelling, but this time it’s Dracula himself narrating. Again, we have an important section of the novel adapted and re-imagined. This time, it’s Dracula’s voyage on the Demeter. In the book, Dracula is only glimpsed as he slowly picks off the ship’s crew. The show greatly expanded the story of this trip, adding a collection of passengers, including Dracula himself. As the death toll mounts, the count actually participates in the attempts to find the murderer. I would have liked to see a little more exploration of a few things (specifically, several of the passengers and their connections), but you can’t have everything. Unlike the Demeter’s doomed voyage in the novel, in the show a group of survivors discovers Dracula’s nature and we have another confrontation.
…when, in my opinion, the whole thing falls apart. After the events on the Demeter, Dracula wakes up in the modern world, and it turns out that he has been expected. I was dubious about this turn of events from the start, but was willing to give it a go. What I was expecting was a new interpretation of the London events of the novel, with a spin on Lucy Westenra’s turning and the subsequent final confrontation with Dracula. Was I got was…not that. Honestly, this episode simply couldn’t decide what it wanted to be about, and became a strange collection of shallow characters, poorly developed conflicts, and plot holes. It was completely lacking in tension, and the resolution was as bland as it was unsatisfying. Stories can be changed, adapted, reinvented, etc…but any story needs to be good.
Amanda Cade 