January 26, 2010
Lessons in futility
I have a hard time doing work that is futile. I like for there to be a point to what I’m doing. I struggle a lot with “what’s the point of my job?” or “am I even really needed here?”
I’ve dealt with these feelings in a number of positions. Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the way of thinking that you’re nothing special and anyone could do what you do. The pull is even stronger to think this way when you’re on the bottom of the totem pole and what you’re doing is so tedious and simple that you feel like a caveman could do it.
There are a few things I keep telling myself. And while half the time I roll my eyes at myself, I know that things will change.
- I have a specific skill set. I have something to offer to the workforce.
- My job is not my life. There is a lot more to who I am as a person than what people see on the surface at the office.
- Let it go. This doesn’t matter in the scheme of life.
Like I said, I have a tendency to tell myself these things and then realize that it feels like BS. When I’ve spent all day working on something, and someone comes back and redoes it all, or unravels it all, I could cry. And in my line of work, this happens 3 out of every 5 days. You can imagine the futility I feel. My job is pointless if someone else is going to come along and redo it behind me, just because they “felt like it.”
I don’t have any real advice. I don’t know how to change this from happening. I do believe it’s not specific to any one role or position, but certain ones feel it more often. Has anyone else felt like this? What you’re doing is pointless? Let me know. Or maybe I truly AM going crazy.
January 5, 2010
H1N1: Let’s fight a virus with antibacterial soap!
My company recently announced that they were filling the soap dispensers with antibacterial soap to stave off the spread of the swine flu. I’m no doctor, but this makes about as much sense as trying to fight HIV with antibiotics. It’s a virus, not a bacterial pathogen!
However, there are always plenty of people out sick with bacterial infections. So…why wasn’t my company packing antibacterial soap in the first place? You would think that the extra cost involved in upgrading the soap would outweigh the cost of constant gaps in covered due to bacterial illnesses. But no. It takes a virus-based pandemic to get them to upgrade.
What’s your take on this?
