BennyEast.Com/Blog The official blog of Kenny West

29Sep/170

Just Start Using It

Today I was testing out a thing called "Zello" with some people at work.  It's pretty neat.  Basically we used to have a million walkie talkies that we used.  Those have been slowly dying out.  Since it's costly to get them repaired, the head of the A/V department wanted to use an app called Zello.  We all already have phones.

So, I downloaded the app to my iPhone today and we used it a little bit around campus.

It works like a walkie talkie.  It's pretty cool.  It saves the audio bits to give you a history of what you are saying to the person.  That's something a regular walkie doesn't do.  It also gives you the time that you walkie with the person.

It's a pretty good app.  You can have it in the background and still get the message.  You can turn it off, and on, and what not.  It doesn't seem to kill the battery life.

So far I like it.

Now, my boss and coworker aren't super interested in it.  I put it on my personal phone.  They're not big on personal and work things mingling.  Which is understandable.  I get that.

Like my coworker is big on work and personal life separation.  He comes in when work starts, goes home when it ends.  Doesn't even want to think about work outside of work.  No remotely connected.  No work talk with coworkers.  Work stays at work, and home stays at home.  Some people are like that, and that's cool.

Some people like to have work attached 24/7.  I feel like I'm more along the lines of, as long as the work gets done I guess.  I mean, here's the thing... My Grandfather always said, "Whatever gets the job done".

So, if putting an app on your personal phone gets the job done for one person, but not doing that gets it done for another person... That's fair.

If connecting remotely from home for an hour in the evening helps one person get their work done... And if another person gets all their work done during business hours.  That's fair too.

I mean, some people take longer to do the same tasks.  That just means that some people have to do extra work in the evening where other people might be able to get the same amount of work done in 5 or 6 hours.

I mean, heck, some people can get the same work done in an hour that it takes someone else a whole week to do.  That's kind of how our society works.

I don't think if I'd say anything is really better.  Whatever works or fits for one person, fits for them and what works or fits for another works for them.

Like, for example for me, I don't like open ended things.  I like things well tracked, documented.  I like to know what the status is all the time on stuff to confirm communication.

So, for example, if someone wants to know the status of a projector in a classroom, I want to be able to bring up this Zello app and find out from the A/V people, since they are in another office. Some people are more like, radio the A/V guys, if they don't answer, they don't answer.  We'll find out eventually, no big deal.

I just hate to have people walk away with their question unanswered.  If there's a better way to communicate but it requires putting an app on my phone, I'm okay with that.

With the Zello app, even if the A/V people aren't in range of the walkie talkie, they can still get the message.  Even if they miss the message, when they turn the app back on, they get my missed message.  A traditional walkie talkie won't do that.

There is definitely a line with work though, like how much do you do.  I mean, after all, every company or organization basically if they had it their way would want all their employees working 24/7 and working for free too.

So, if you give a little bit... Then the organization will think that's the new norm.  That's sort of my bosses view.  He's big on keeping boundaries.  Which I think is cool.

I guess I feel like work boundaries are needed for sure, you can't just be working 24/7.  But then also, if there are lots of people who can't do what they need to do without your help... How much do you give?  Like, if someone can't log into their account to do homework, and they need a password reset, and offices are closed.  Is it acceptable to reset a password or two in the evening after hours?

I feel like there isn't really an answer to that.  Is putting a walkie talkie app on a personal phone going over work boundaries?  I guess it's up to the employee.  Basically what we're doing is, myself and the A/V guy have the app, and then my coworker and boss don't.  So, each of us has kind of decided on our personal choice and level of boundaries.

BUT here's the big question, does having the app even add value to the workplace?  I mean, for example... Can we quantify that even having the app on our phones and having that ability to communicate with one another during working hours no matter where we are on campus... Does it yield more work?

That's kind of what my boss and coworker argue.  That it's actually more of something to distract from doing work.  Could be.  I can see that.  The more things you have in front of you, the less time you can devote to one thing.

I feel like it's an interesting argument from both sides.  I like that.

Here's the question, does working more hours in general, such as remoting from home, actually make you a more productive employee?  Or, does the use of personal things for work make you more productive?

It might not, I mean, like I said, you could have two people at an organization who work very different amounts of hours, but get the same exact amount of work done.

But, my argument to all of it is, the only way to tell if something might add value, is to just start using it!  You never know until you try it out.  If it flops, then it flops... But you never know, like today, I thought it was a pretty useful app, and I think it's a very small gesture to add it to my phone, since if I do find it to be a distraction in the future, I can always just delete it.

 

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29Sep/170

Wonder Where She Is

So, I was just thinking again about how I wonder where the woman I end up marrying in the future is right now.  How we'll finally cross paths.  The way we'll meet.  The way we'll fall in love.

I wonder.  I wonder the circumstances... Will we be friends first?  Will it be a slow love that takes a long time to become romance.  Will it be almost immediate and super quick?

I wonder if maybe I'll meet her soon, or not for a long time.  I wonder if maybe I have to move somewhere new to meet her first.  Maybe I need to move to Phoenix.  Or, Portland Oregon.  Or maybe Austin Texas.  I wonder.

Maybe she has lived in some area that I move to her whole life and then I move there and we meet.

Will she have been single a while?  Or just recently broken up and then we meet?

I wonder how our lives will collide into one another.  I guess only time will tell.  It's such a funny idea that one day I could met married to someone who I live with and see and talk to every single day.... When right now we don't even know one another exists!  We don't even know one another at all, we don't speak... Obviously because we haven't met yet... I don't know... It's just cool I guess.

I wonder if she'll like some of the same things, or completely different things.  I wonder if maybe I'll meet her at a coffee shop somewhere.  Or just at the gym, or who knows... Maybe though a friend?

I wonder what her name is.  Who knows.  I guess none of that is really ALL that important, what's important is that we meet and fall in love one day.  I definitely look forward to that day though when I finally do meet her.  I guess all those questions will be answered eventually in the future.

For now... It's just being single and waiting until the day that we finally walk into each other's lives.

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28Sep/170

Main Line

Today, I went to Starbucks and Planet Fitness it up on the Main Line.  I found a Starbucks that's open until 11!

The one near me closes at 9.  There's another one a little further away that I go to that closes at 10.  But this is the latest one I've found so far.

I kind of wish there were one open until 12.  I don't really need a 24/7 one.  But maybe like, open at 6, close at 12... That would work better so I could come home after work, do other things, then head to Starbucks after making a nice dinner and doing chores around the house and practicing and recording some music and such.

So, anyways, the barista introduced me to the half passion fruit and half white tea.  It's pretty good.  Obviously not something I would order if I needed the caffeine.  But, since I had a green tea first, and it was close to 11pm... I was just like... Okay, give me that one.

The thing that's interesting about this experience with Starbucks and the gym is that, it's kind of motivating me to do even more work just by being at Starbucks.

For example, at this Starbucks there were two Villanova students who were trying to maintain their near perfect GPA in order to get into med school.  There's something to be said about the effect of one person rubbing off on another.  Just by sitting near them, I felt kind of like... The need to "impress them".  I mean, not really, but just hearing them talk to one another was motivating me in a way...

So, even though I don't know these people, and they don't care about what I'm even doing there.  I was like... Well, I need to make it look like I'm doing work too!  Look at these two go!

So, I did more work.  Not only did I make it look like I was doing work, I just ACTUALLY did work.

I took care of some work remotely for my job, and then I also got other items taken care of that are my personal things.

It's just funny how, in a way, we're all influencing one another.

Surround yourself with people you want to be... Isn't that the phrase?  I think it's something like that.  I forget exactly where I heard that, but the idea is that if you want to get better at anything, find someone who's better at that and spend time around them.

So, if you want to improve your work skills... Find some people who are more efficient at getting tasks done.  Become a better musician, find people who are better musicians to teach you.

That's the idea.  Anything you do, if you hang out with people who do the same thing, or know less than you, it's hard to pick up anything new!  Right?

Anyways, so, there was something about their study skills, or their motivation and the work they were doing, that I thought was something I could learn from.

I mean, maybe not ALL of the things they were talking about rang true... I think the phrase that probably isn't the best advice is.... "Go, go, go, crash".

The one girl said that in order to study for this one test she adopted a go go go crash attitude to study.  She stayed up as long as possible and then slept like 18 hours after the test was over to catch up on sleep.

I know that adequate sleep is one thing that helps a lot and not the idea of staying up until you just pass out.

Well anyway... Speaking of crashing, I'm gonna go to sleep.  But, I like this new thing where I stay ahead of my peers by spending time sipping on a caffeinated beverage at a Starbucks doing work with other people and then going to the gym after to work off the caffeine.  I just like the feeling.  It feels good.

And on top of that, it makes going in to work each morning much more manageable because I know my inbox has been cleared and I'm ready to start fresh each day rather than try to play catchup at 9am when I first walk in.

Life is all about giving your future self little advantages.  It's not a race with other people, or a competition.  It's just about making the future you a better you than the past you.

At least that's my view at the moment.

 

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26Sep/170

Cat Hair Blower

Yesterday I bought a leaf blower.  I've used it three times so far.

First time was to blow the grass clippings off the sidewalk and driveway after mowing the lawn.

Second time was the do the same again after using my weed whacker after work today to tidy up.  I also used the blower to clean out some leafs and other debris in various areas around the outside of the house.

Third time?  I used it inside to blow some cat hair out from behind a couple of pieces of furniture.  Seriously... It works great!  I mean, yes that's not the intended use.  And while it does work pretty freakin' awesome for the intended use... It also works great for the non-intended use!

See, since it's a cordless electric blower that runs on battery, you can use it inside and don't have to worry about smelly gas or dangerous exhaust and fumes.  So, it's also a cat hair blower in addition to a leaf and grass clippings blower.

Anyway, I'm ready for the Fall.  I'm ready for the leaves to come at my yard!  I do have to get a tarp I think to blow the leaves on the tarp and then use the tarp to get them into a leaf bag.

The plan, is to blow the leaves into a pile on a tarp... Then roll the tarp up, with the leaves inside, like a leafy tarp burrito... THEN slide the tarp into the leave bag, and then stand the leaf bag up.  Then repeat.

Although, I may just blow the leaves around onto the yard, then mow over them again and again to mulch them up.  I haven't decided yet.  We'll see.

It's crazy though, I almost feel like Fall is never going to happen!  It's sooo hot out.  It's still in the 80s.  Crazy.

But I think some cooler temps are just around the bend.  I'm ready for the cozy cool temps and Fall flavors.  And the leaves all over the place.

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25Sep/170

Coffee

So, I just had to stop talking to a girl I was going to possibly meet this Thursday for a date.  She kept insisting on going on some big time "fun" date in the city.  Basically that means, she's not really interested in any kind of real connection... She just wants free drinks and food.

It happens a lot.

I've been on thousands of first dates from dating sites... I know the game by now.  So, I cut her off.  I've wasted probably somewhere around 20 to 30 thousand dollars on first dates.  City girls, especially, are the worst.

They want to be wined and dined without even so much as meeting in person to see if there's even a connection.

I just don't do it anymore.

If a girl won't meet half way, for coffee, and we each pay our own.  She's just interested in free drinks.

It sucks, but it is what it is.  You gotta know when she's simply in it to get free stuff, or when she's sincere.

This girl wasn't sincere.

If they want to go out on the town for the first date and rack up a big bar tab for the guy to pay... She's not worth it.  Run away as fast as possible in the opposite direction and delete her number.

A truly genuine person would be willing to meet for coffee half way for a first date and talk to see if there's a connection in person.

I meet a fair amount of these women... The problem of course is that they are always deal breaker Christian women who refuse to date a man who won't convert over to Christianity... In honor of my mom since her and my grand parents have left this planet and my brother and sister have converted over to different religions.... I'm a Jew and I plan to stay a Jew.  Someone in the family has to keep it going.  So, maybe one day I'll meet a cute Jewish girl and we can have a couple of kids and hopefully at least one of them will stick with it to keep it going.  Not that there's anything wrong with Christianity... If I were born into a Christian family it would be a non issue...

But, I gotta respect my mom... That's like the number one rule in life... Respect your mom.  And my mom always told me "You need to find yourself a nice cute Jewish girl".  So, that's my plan.

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25Sep/170

Dangerous

You know, I'm kind of a little glad that I'm not all that attractive.  Like, I'm short 5 foot 7 inches... and kind of wimpy kid-ish.  I'm like 130 soaking wet, maybe 135...

And then now a day I've got a tiny little bit less hair happening up on my head.

I'm kind of glad though.

Like today, I was just at Lowe's and I bought this leaf blower, I'm about to head out and do yard work...

But my gosh if I were tall dark and handsome?  I'd be in trouble.

Like, I was about to put my cart away, and out of nowhere this perfect 10 girl comes my way.  Well, to me she's a perfect 10.  A little on the thicker side.  Cute smile, cute eyes.  Her accent, obviously not from around here, it all just took me.  I think she's from the midwest.  That's how she sounded.

She was wearing like, workout getup, like she'd just come from the gym.  Or who knows... Maybe a yoga class, or just went on a run.

My gosh though.  She was dangerous.  I would be putty in her hands.  I'd be handing over my credit card and writing checks in her name and hitting up the ATM every day for her.

But, lucky for me... Our only exchange of words was...

Her: "I can take that for you." (referring to the cart)
Me: "Are you sure?"
Her: "Yep!"

And then she grabbed the cart... her hand kind of brushing my hand... And then went on her way.

My heart literally jumped.

I'm still thinking about her.

Whew.  Good thing she went on her way or I'd be playing with fire.

When you think about it, it really is like playing with fire.  That's the thing about this whole love thing... I mean, ideally, I'd like to meet someone who is my match.  You know, give and take, we kind of get along like best friends...

That's what's dangerous about some women though... They are fire.

If she would have chose... Which lucky for me she did not.  She could have stopped, and made an excuse to keep talking to me.

I would be locked in.  I'd be like... Oh?  Yes.  I'll talk to you as long as you keep talking to me.

Hypnotized.  Under her spell.

She could have said, "So, I'm about to buy something that I might need help carrying, could you come help?"

Me: "Yes.  Absolutely."

Dangerous.  Fire.

But, lucky for me... I'm a wimpy kid.  And very few if any girls are seriously interested.  Instead it's a whole fight just to keep a girl's attention.  But lucky for me, I can just walk away when things get dicey because there's no real crazy attraction like that girl today in the Lowe's parking lot.

I meet these girls often.  Every now and then I'll buy her a drink at a bar, and then that will be that.

I'm actually glad that was that.  I mean, I'd be so screwed if it weren't that.  Could you imagine?  Paying for her trips to Paris, first class.

So, I mean, it actually pays to be a little on the unattractive side.  Because if I were some hunk, she'd start talking to me, dig her claws in, sink her teeth in, and never let go.

And then when she was done with me, she'd kick me to the curb and look for her next hunk of fresh meat to sink her teeth into.

Although, this girl in particular is probably married.  My guess is, she's met her match... A dangerous guy who is just as equal as she is.  I guess that's how it goes... That's why I need like a science-y nerdy girl, or some kind of artsy nerd... Or just a nerd in general.

This one girl wasn't nerdy at all... She was A-Game sports-y.  I can't keep up with that.  Could never keep up.  Sports girls are like... Too much to handle.  Dangerous if you ask me.

Playing with fire.

I need a nerdy girl.  Hopefully one day I'll meet her.  But in the mean time I'm just thankful that one of these dangerous fire women hasn't decided to set her sights on me.  I'd be in big trouble if that were the case.

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24Sep/170

Curiosity

So, I'm continuing my "do lots of work at Starbucks every day for an hour or two".  I call it my "catch up on life" hour.

I just dropped my mom's old walker off at Goodwill, the second one she had apparently owned, that has been in her garage, now my garage (but really in spirit it's still her garage).  I actually first attempted to take it to the local ambulance place because one of my friends had suggested to check there and see if they have a "community closet" or loaner closet, for walkers/canes/etc. and such.  They didn't have one.

After Goodwill I went to Lowe's to get two quick little items, one to kill these random weeds that have randomly popped up in my lawn.  Dandelions.  Always those damned dandelions.

Better than real lions showing up on my lawn.  I wouldn't know how to deal with that.

"You've got lions on your lawn."
"WHAT?!?!  Not again!"
"Dude that sucks."

I also bought something to help make the stump decay faster.  There's a stump from a tree that my mom had removed, she had mentioned the summer before she passed away that she was going to have the sump ground and removed.  I was going to call the stump grinder people, but then a few people told me that there are these pellets you can use that are all of about 6 bucks at Lowe's instead of paying hundreds or thousands or whatever it costs for the tree guy to do it.

I bought the pellets for 6 bucks.

Anyway, enough backstory...

So, I'm here at this one Starbucks that I've come to before.  I'm curious to know the why.  See, both times when I've walked in, there have been groups of people who appear to be working on homework.

What's specific about the groups of people is that they are a specific... Hmm... I guess they appear from the aspect of making a first glance inference, that they are of the same... Let's say cultural and ethnic background?  I think that works.

It's interesting to me.  Not intersting in a Donald Turnip "get the frack out of my country" way, but in a Malcolm Gladwell, I'm interested from a data analysis and "why the world is the way the world is" way.

Malcolm Gladwell is pretty awesome.

I guess I'm just curious to know the origins of this gathering.  Are they friends?  Family?  Do they all attend some kind of organization together and then come after to work on homework?  It just has perked my attention.

I kind of want to chat with them and know more.

Maybe they are in an international language study program together and are here as a group?

I think it's mostly because of my exposure to the international camps that I've gone to as a camper and worked at as a counselor.  I'm always interested when I see people not from here.

I'm always interested in trends and the whys and hows.  I was listening to a podcast today while doing dishes and cleaning my bathrooms about data science and data scientists.  Looking at events, or data, and figuring information from it, trends, where it came from, where it's going.

I'm wondering specifically like the sort of tip of the iceberg type of deal... So, okay, for example, I used to see a lot of people that seemed to be of Indian origin when I would run in Valley Forge park.  I was curious.... Why is that?  Are people from India really into American history and visit Valley Forge park a lot?  Turns out it's mostly because that area from Ardmore up to Malvern has a lot of Pharma companies, and as well Vanguard is a large employer of international talent.

Fascinating stuff.  I like crap like that.

I ended up talking to one guy who works for Vanguard I think maybe 2 or 3 years ago for a whole hour when I was out.

It's interesting because it gives you a different perspective on the world.  Which is what Gladwell is all about.

See okay here's the thing that bugs me about any sort of "centric" view... It's missing pieces of the puzzle.

Anyone who draws a conclusion by walking in a room, is sadly void of the ability to make proper intellectual decisions.  At least in my view.

My thing is, you can't tell a damn thing about someone just by looking at them.  SO, if you walk into a room and see a bunch of people who seem to be from the same origin... In this case here in the Starbucks I'm currently at, there's a population of what appears to be students, and what appears to be from somewhere in Asia.

So, in my own curiosity... Why is that?  Is it like the case of Vanguard near Valley Forge park hiring employees from India?  Is it that there's a college nearby and that they are enrolled in a language program and this is the closest place to study?  Maybe there's a larger population on the whole in this specific area... For example, I recently watched a thing about how there's a large Somali population in Minneapolis.  I thought that was fascinating.  And because of that, there's some really good local spots with Somali cuisine... Things like camel burgers.  Who knew you could order a camel burger anywhere?

Crazy.  Cool.

Actually, it's fascinating how in specific places around the United States, or in general around the world, there are specific ways that the local cultures are influenced by populations who either settled there even hundreds or thousands of years previous, or even in the last few decades or last few years.

There's a book that I need to read on the subject that a friend told me about, it's called "American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America".  While I haven't read the book, I was given a little "crash course" on it by my friend.

Anyways, I like stuff like that.  To know what the driving forces are behind things.  I'm not here to judge, or say if something is good, or bad, or whatever... I don't subscribe to the rhetoric that our current turd in chief is spouting...

After all, as one post I saw said, there's an entire island of Americans currently without power and this guy is going on about how some players in the NFL won't stand during the National Anthem.

Which, if he actually took the time to understand what that movement is about, maybe he could help instead of just go on and on about his crowd size (read: penis size).  Another topic for another post.

Well, those are my thoughts for the afternoon.

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24Sep/170

IKEA!

So, I think I'm going to start going to IKEA and just browsing the floor... So, yes, I'm trying to find a better way to sort my clothing in my room.

My clothing situation has always been a hot mess.  I mean, I had some old busted dresser after college...  then I moved to a less busted dresser from Walmart... THEN.... When I got my apartment I went with these plastic bins from Home Depot/Lowe's.  Don't get me wrong, I like the plastic bins.  Personally, I'd stick with the bins.  They're easy, cheap, and you just throw things in the bins.

It's not exactly... A great way to impress a girl.

The minute she sees that, she turns back around and is like... "So, you keep your clothes in those?"

Okay, so, time to upgrade.

What impresses the ladies?  Who knows... If I knew THAT, I wouldn't be single at 34.

I mean, I own an entire house.  And there's no mortgage on it.

I feel like that alone should be impressive?

Of course then the ladies want to know how you acquired the house.

Inheritance.

Not impressive.

It's interesting... Women don't find gifted money attractive.  They find self made money attractive.

So, like, a guy who has a mortgage, but bought the house himself with money he worked for... That's "hot".

But a guy who inherited a house with no mortgage on it... That's "lazy" and unattractive.

I mean, I understand that.

Anyways though, also "lazy" is when the guy just throws his clothes into plastic stacking bins meant to be used in a garage or basement.

To me... It's a "dude" thing.  I feel like it's something that one of the guys from that show Myth Busters would do.

Anyways, so I figure if I browse IKEA long enough, something will jump out.  And who knows, maybe the love of my life will also be browsing IKEA as well looking for new ideas for her living space.  And then maybe we'll just bump into each other and start chatting about how interesting something looks that happens to be on sale while we're both waiting at the checkout.

I haven't been there in a little while but from what I recall they used to have little things on sale by the registers before you check out.

Of course then I have to figure out a way to impress her.  It's hard work!  Like, even the whole thing where you start chatting is nearly impossible... Then continuing the chat... Then dating... Then actually being in a relationship... Then marriage...

I mean, the whole time as a guy, I have to figure out a way to keep this woman interested because after all, why should she be with me when she could be with ANY other guy on the planet.  Why go with this guy when there are probably much better options out there.  Funnier, smarter, better jobs, better looking....

It's a fight to keep interest.  I guess that's why people get divorced or break up though... One or both people didn't fight enough to keep the other person interested or impress the person enough so that they would stay.  They decided not to stay because they got bored and found something better somewhere else.

But I guess the idea is that hopefully I'll finally meet a girl who was in a mismatched interest relationship previously and then that ended, and then we meet and it's mutually interested.

Who knows, maybe I'm just never meant to meet her... I guess in which case I'll just take my inheritance and do a lot of shopping at IKEA.

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23Sep/170

Piscestown

Last night I was in Fishtown seeing a band play live.  I ended up running into some people I knew and then we hung out and had drinks and basically closed down the bars and then got food.  The band was pretty good though, hanging out with friends was also good.

Of course I had to work today, so.... I went to Wawa and got some Pumpkin Spice coffee.  It's back, as the sign pointed out.

It wouldn't have to come back if it would just never go away.  I mean, you know I'm right about that.

Well anyway, Fishtown, I went to Frankford Hall for the first time.  That was pretty good fun.  I'd never been there before.  It's much larger than I had initially thought it was.

You know how things from photos or when someone is describing something to you are always different once you actually see it in person?

It's like that.

Anyways... So, yeah.  I got Pumpkin Spice today because I was sleepy from staying up all night.  Now the coffee has worn off, so I'm mega tired.  Just going to head to bed in a bit.

I still think it's funny though that I go out to all these places... I go out and close down the bar, and I still haven't met a special someone.  You'd think I would at least get to chat with someone.  I mean, okay, so everyone I chatted with, already had someone else.  It's like... Where are all the single people?  I don't know, I suppose she's out there somewhere though.... At this point it doesn't seem like she is.

My next event that I plan to go to is the Can Jam.  I went last year.  It was good fun.  Who knows, maybe I'll meet my next relationship there and then she'll turn out to be the one I end up marrying.

Or, as per usual, I'll just end up having some beer, having an okay time, getting into some conversation with some other dude, or some girl that I THINK is single, but then it turns out she already has a boyfriend, husband, or girlfriend, or whatever.

It's just weird, single people don't seem to go out to events.  I mean, I honestly can't remember the last time I started talking to a girl over beer, and I find out she's actually single.  It just never happens.

Well, I guess only time will tell where I'll end up meeting her.

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21Sep/170

15 Minutes

Today, I gave a quick 1 minute presentation to the VP guy in charge of the money going in and out of the college workings.  I did some prep work, printed out the info, organized it, highlighted the important parts, paper clipped it together.

I handed him the visuals, then gave him the audio along with it.

He seemed interested, but skeptical that it would be a viable option for the college due to some restrictions with specific things.  But, he took the paperwork, and would forward it on to another individual who may or may not be able to use the information.

That's pretty much the outcome I was expecting.

See, work, and life in generally isn't about getting something to work in the moment.  It's about planting seeds.  Then... working those seeds.

What I've noticed is that, things change.  Play a game of chess, take inventory of how things change on the board over time.  What was an option, or not an option early in the game, or in the middle of the game, may become something later, or no longer be some thing later in the game.

That's life.

It's about throwing things out there, seeing what sticks, remembering what's out there, and then using that stuff you did earlier, later.

Anyways, so I mean, it will be interesting to see if they decide, perhaps down the road, to use it at some point.

I'm a longrange person, and I'm a small steps person.  I have the view that little things over and over add up to big things.  This is my view for investing, but this is also my view for other things.  Like, I've been spending about an hour in the evening after work catching up remotely while I sit at Starbucks.  I also work on various other personal things.  It's interesting because an hour a night, every night, ends up being close to a whole workday worth of work.

My one coworker said to me that other day he feels overwhelmed at work.  I used to feel this way, now that I do my Starbucks nights followed by the gym, I don't.  He has the belief that we shouldn't be working outside of the normal work hours.  Clock in, clock out, and that's how much we should work.

I mean, that's true, and fine and all... But, I just don't like that feeling of being overwhelmed.  I'd rather sacrifice an hour in the evening to feel better about my days.  Could it be considered that the work place is getting more employee work bang for the buck?  Could be.  Or it could be considered that it's just shaping my work ethic for the future.  Who knows, I might get offered another job somewhere else, and they might say, "This does require some evening hours, or weekend hours" Or whatever.  And I would be like... "Oh, that's no problem".  I'm already used to it.

Another thing I decided to do some times is hang out at work a few minutes after 5.  SO, I'm done at 5 on the dot... But I decided to just kind of linger for a few minutes to see if anyone runs to the door for help.  Sure enough tonight someone came by needing help with email on their phone.  I was there till about 5:15.

The thing is though, it helps in the longer run because I'm taking care of issues and getting ahead.

Here's the thing, when I feel overwhelmed DURING the work day... Even if I don't work after the work day is over... I still feel overwhelmed and anxious, like all weekend.  I'll think about work and not be able to get anything else done, like work on music.

Instead, since I put in that extra little bit, and I'm starting to get ahead... I feel relaxed on the weekends now.  Meaning, I can focus on my personal stuff more.

It's hard to get work done during the day in general, at least for me it is, we get a lot of people who come to our door and spend a lot of time chatting.  Even our own employees do this.  Our newest employee working over in the computer lab will come over a lot and linger and ask a lot of questions.  She's new, so that's expected.  Then we usually have an intern or two and they ask a lot of questions as well because they are trying to get their learn on so that's expected as well.  It's all fine, just means that I put in an hour in the evening to keep up with the incoming requests.  No big deal really.

So, I mean, at least for me, an extra 15 minutes here or there can add up to being able to be less stressed and more relaxed.

And then as well, taking the time to lay the seeds for something that might turn into something later, but doesn't amount to much in the moment can also pay off later.  It's all about little by little and patience.

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