Between May 1999 and October 1999, the mantra that helped me maintain my sanity under the pressure of doing the work of 3 people. Spoken aloud as a salesperson closed my office door behind her. Looped in my brain as a salesperson eyed up a week's backlog of work and proceeded to verbally issue complex instructions, as if I might remember them by the time I was actually able to start her project. My former assistant (and replacement in October) carries on the "Get the fuck out my office" tradition to this day. Now, at a new job, I find that Get The Fuck Out Of My Office is universal; the fellow with whom I share an office here mutters the same as an asshole leaves the room, with no knowledge of my own Get The Fuck Out Of My Office experiences.
Midday Serenity Meditation Exercise:
Find a quiet place: an empty office, your locker, your car, the alley behind the office building. Find a comfortable position and close your eyes. Picture someone who has annoyed you entering your cubicle or office, hovering around your desk, workbench, or work area, distracting you from the urgent thing you are trying to get done and giving you an additional something urgent to do. Now speak aloud the words "Get the fuck out of my office", and imagine him/her fading away, perhaps to hire you an assistant or (I know it's a stretch) doing their own urgent assignment. Practice this in combination with deep breathing. |
