Reflection & Anticipation

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The frantic pace of November and writing 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo comes to a close. Then the frantic pace of gearing up for the holidays replaces it. I find myself pondering what I want to accomplish in the new year. It seems odd to me that I don’t even consider what I might yet accomplish THIS year, but instead turn my thoughts to the bright shiny new year and pin my hopes on it instead. Now to be fair, part of that is due to this being our busy season at work because it is also giving season and I find it difficult to consider adding even one more small thing to my overly full plate in the last month of the year. I am already working fifty, sixty or even more hours each week trying to get all the work done before year end.

The hours I am putting in this month mirror, in a magnified way, the hours I put in last month while writing. It is a different kind of busy and tired. The company I keep, the crazy pace I am keeping and the end goal has changed, but it is also similar in a way. Misery, and I hesitate to actually call it that because I have chosen these tasks, loves company. Company is what makes what otherwise might indeed be a miserable task, seem less so. I dare say the company I keep is what drives me on to do these seemingly crazy things and what helps me to actually continue doing them to completion. Many hands make light work fits in this case because at work we have a team of temp workers to share the load and make the burden more bearable for the rest of us. The load for November cannot actually be shared as each of us must write our own 50,000 words to complete the NaNoWriMo challenge, but this task is made easier because we know we are not alone in this madness we chose to take part in.

So, why do I put myself through this madness, you ask? Well, because I CAN, I suppose. Because I enjoy challenging myself to achieve what others say I cannot, dare not, should not. It is kind of like a double dog dare as we called them when we were kids. I find the work enjoyable for the most part and while not exactly fun when I am doing it, it gives a sense of accomplishment knowing it has been done, once it HAS been done. In the case of work, I feel like I am making a difference. I am helping to process the grants that others have made possible through their generosity. It gives me a sense of wonder when I become discouraged with the negativity and bad things that happen in this world. It gives me hope to see that there are so many truly generous people giving to the causes they hold dear. The causes are many, they are varied in scope and the donations are anywhere from fifty dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars being given to help charities fulfill their missions. A few will close for one reason or another, but new charities will open too. There are so many people being helped because I put in the time along with my coworkers so that the accounts can be opened and the money can be donated and the charities can be supported. It isn’t all work. This year their is a committee trying their best to help us enjoy ourselves a little and take short breaks from the constant onslaught of work. This is not a time of dread that the work is piling up, instead it is a chance to get to know some new friends and appreciate all that we have learned over the past year. It is a chance to learn new skills and help with different tasks. No dull monotony to be found here. Each charity we vet and the due diligence we do is slightly different. It may be similar to something we did an hour ago or a week ago, but it is slightly different which keeps us on our toes and keeps the work from getting dull and monotonous.

One of the coolest things I have found about the company I work for is their willingness to listen to us if we have an idea for how we could do a task faster or more efficiently. Any idea that might shave off a few seconds is tested and many are implemented to save us all time or share an easier way of doing something. With each new temporary employee comes a new set of experiences to draw from and we learn from each one whatever they can teach us. Our jobs are ever changing and evolving and this too keeps things from getting dull and boring.

So as I get closer to the end of this year and the beginning of the next I am thinking constantly of what goals I might want to set or what tasks I’d like to accomplish next year. Do I want to continue using my bullet journal? Do I want to try more of a prefab way of keeping track of things? If so, what should that look like? Do you do an end of month or end of year review to go over what worked and what didn’t? I have been considering this and would love any recommendations or suggestions you can share.

Right now, I am just trying to work as many hours as I can and not get completely overwhelmed by the preparations for the upcoming holidays. I can work the crazy hours this week knowing there will be days to rest next week. In another few weeks, the busy season will have slowed and most of our new temporary helpers will have moved on to other opportunities. For now though, I intend to enjoy their presence and get to know them. Hopefully, a few will get to stay and get hired on.

How do you prepare for the year to come? How do you keep it all together this time or year. Do you have an organizing tip to share with us? Don’t keep it all to yourself, share it with us, teach us what you have learned so we won’t need to repeat any mistakes you made along the way. While we are at it, is there a topic you’d like me to address here? Do tell. What do you find useful, what would you like to see less of? I won’t promise to take your suggestions, but I can promise to read and consider all of them before deciding on any changes in the new year.

Happy Holidays!

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