I have spent the last 4 days or so revamping this website, setting up newsletters and generally farting around with it all. I am a web designer/developer but my energy has been solely devoted to my Zen Cart work for a very long time. I’ve always had a blog of my own: I actually now have three of my own! Up ’til now I simply haven’t had time or the desire to play around with the sites very much.
I have installed blogs for clients but I really discourage using an additional script on a website with Zen Cart and most of my clients are Zen Cart users. I have time to play and man, has it been fun! There’s been so little fun this last year – well, the last 4 years so this is just a major change.
The world is clearer, brighter since my last diagnosis and subsequent medication regimen. Brain fog is just rare for me since then and though I still have issues that can confine me to my chair and computer, I’m back digging into my web work.
I am adaptable, no question.
The before and after pictures of my emotional status is startling. Before everything was a chore and there was no enjoyment or feeling of success. After – I am able to spend stupid amount of hours working with little frustration and plenty of positive feedback from my soul and those around me.
I know that might not seem like a desired outcome – being able to work like an idiot in thrall to … well, anything. Being able to do my job effectively and efficiently has always been part of the satisfaction I get from working. It is all that I am? Of course not. Add in the genealogy, all types of writing and my do-gooder tendencies and a more solid picture emerges.
I’ve never wanted to just be known for my job, my position or my standing in any community. That’s simply not healthy. We are all more than our jobs or position. Since I have adapted to work conditions in the past and know my limitations, I am better positioned for this new world than others.
Unfortunately, employers still are likely to require complete and utter devotion to the job and company and value that above all markers of job performance. In other words, they want you to work when, where and how they dictate. They want you to put in 12 hours days, frequently not balanced out by shorter days or leave time.
Has the pandemic changed working?
Much has already been written about how remote work may become more common place. Many employers are now looking to reduce their physical footprint and, therefore, the number of people actually going to work at a physical location. One can only hope this really has changed the face of work forever. There’s no way an employer can control your every move with remote work. They can try but I would never work for someone who required me to be on camera while working. (This really happens!)
For example, on the last actual job I held only 30 minutes was allowed for lunch. There was a small cafeteria on the premises but it offered very limited choices. Being able to eat out has always felt like a perk of working and only 30 minutes reduced the ability to do that. It was possible to get to several eateries and receive food in that 30 minutes but eating it then was simply impossible. When the last recession dug in in 2009, I lost that job. I was not upset for several reasons. That restricted lunch was only one method they used to control their employees – there were quite a few more.
I had asked to work remotely – I lived less than 5 minutes away – in order to manage physically better. Oh, no, that was impossible even though a major portion of my work did not require interfacing directly with others. That company downsized massively this last year laying off possibly 10% of their staff. That follows laying off others in 2018 saying the cuts were part of “restructuring aimed at global growth”.
I’ll bet they are letting folks work remotely now. Will it last? A company like that suffers change poorly. It’s run by men in the accounting field. Those in that field really don’t tolerate change well to start with. I don’t know anyone there now due to their high turnover (surprise!) so I probably won’t know how this affects them in the future. One can speculate…
Has the pandemic changed you?
My ability to adapt is possibly one of my best traits. Through personal traumas, multiple moves, foreign countries and the ups and down of my “career”, I have adapted. The pandemic was actually easy for me. I’m used to being restricted physically. I’ve worked mostly at home for the last 20 years. We have virtually no social life. I wouldn’t necessary recommend this lifestyle but needs must and with both of us being disabled, it’s just how we live.
It hit me after business picked up in January. I have been lucky in that way. I have had work but nearly every client – new or old – has been difficult to work within 2021. The anxiety level is palpable, making many of the interactions difficult for me. Once I realized it wasn’t me who had changed but them, I settled in to this new world.
It’s Time to Reflect…
On who you are
On what you want to do
On how you want to interact with family, friends and co-workers and those you hire to work for you
On how you want to be in this new world
On who you want to be in our new reality
So what’s next?
I recommend personal or career counseling or some group activity centered around self-discovery.
I can’t live without counseling myself.
I think we all need it now to figure out how to adapt to our new reality.
