[Newbury St, Boston; 4/29/12]
I'm feeling a bit buffeted again after getting hit with a "should have been done yesterday" deadline in a client meeting. Again too much work in too little time. While my client is a very easy-going nice guy, his internal client turned out to be another stressed-out manager working long hours ("call me with any questions - I'll be working very late every night" - um, you're assuming I will be?). Apparently everyone who has a job is overworked in direct proportion to the number of people in the economy who are unemployed. I suppose, for me, the difference between my current freelance situation and the job I just burned out in is that I'm not permanently, perpetually stuck. Part of the problem right now is that have another client to satisfy as well, a smaller project but one I'm still trying to get my arms around, one with weekly deadlines. Another part is that I haven't really recovered yet from burnout.
[Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge; 4/28/12]
Meanwhile, spring continues its march forward, even somewhat burned out around the edges with drought. The dogwoods are glorious, even with somewhat pitted blossoms on close inspection. The lilacs scent the air like department-store perfume spritzers, and the lily-of-the-valley ring their silent bells. Tulip beds in the Public Garden bloom and fade in waves of color, perhaps with some surrepticious watering by landscapers in the wee hours of the morning.
[Public Garden, Boston; 4/29/12]
Today is a rare day of chilly rain, of course perfectly timed to coincide with our Red Sox tickets for this evening. But now, to work...
Perhaps that's a good message from the cemetery?Clients might just have to wait a little?
Posted by: Relatively Retiring | Tuesday, May 01, 2012 at 09:47 AM
WAIT - what an odd message coming from the cemetery. And drought in spring, what an odd concept for us rainforest dwellers :-)
Sorry to hear you are still overworked, leslee - take care of yourself, please.
Posted by: marja-leena | Tuesday, May 01, 2012 at 11:26 AM
Please take good care of yourself and resist, resist this mad work culture. The successful freelancers I know are the ones who do and who hold hard to their own saner boundaries - no easy thing!
Posted by: Jean | Wednesday, May 02, 2012 at 08:24 AM
RR: Yes, they'll have to wait - or it'll be the death of me!
Marja-Leena: Thanks. And I believe "Wait" is the family name!
Jean: I am trying to set my boundaries, but you're right - no easy thing. Hopefully I'll get a handle on it as I move forward.
Posted by: Leslee | Wednesday, May 02, 2012 at 08:29 AM