Busy, Busy. Can I Get a Day Off?
Last week I had plans to take a half day off on Friday. Key word, had. Thursday evening I chose to cancel my plan and make Friday a full workday. Why? Because though I could opt to take time off from work, the requirements of what I had to get done would not change. Everything that I needed to have done for the next week would still be due at the same time. Anything I didn't finish Friday, I'd start the next week behind on.
In the short term I'm glad I canceled my time-off plan. I worked a full day Friday and got a few things done that I otherwise would have had to start the next week woefully behind on. If I'd taken a day off Friday I'd have paid for it by stressing all weekend about what a mess Monday would be. Quite likely I would have chosen to spend a few hours working over the weekend to lessen the risk of a crisis come Monday.
Longer term I'm upset about this. Time off work is supposed to be time off work. The work is supposed to fit around the time, not pile up unfishinished on both sides of it. If taking a day off means working super hard the day before and the day after to catch up to what you're missing.... Well, that's not how time off is supposed to work.
I've pushed out my time-off plan to next Monday. And I've booked a full day off, not a half day. Also, I've blocked out this week on my calendar for an urgent project, so other meetings don't get in the way of it. Not aggressively blocking time last week was part of how it got so crazy. As a result other meetings are now piling up for next week Tue-Wed. And already I've had multiple requests to accommodate meetings on Monday. Yes, from people who can see my calendar and should be checking it- and believing it- before proposing the meetings. I just keep reminding myself I have zero guilt about saying "No" to meeting requests when someone didn't check my calendar to see I have a prior commitment.
In the short term I'm glad I canceled my time-off plan. I worked a full day Friday and got a few things done that I otherwise would have had to start the next week woefully behind on. If I'd taken a day off Friday I'd have paid for it by stressing all weekend about what a mess Monday would be. Quite likely I would have chosen to spend a few hours working over the weekend to lessen the risk of a crisis come Monday.
Longer term I'm upset about this. Time off work is supposed to be time off work. The work is supposed to fit around the time, not pile up unfishinished on both sides of it. If taking a day off means working super hard the day before and the day after to catch up to what you're missing.... Well, that's not how time off is supposed to work.
I've pushed out my time-off plan to next Monday. And I've booked a full day off, not a half day. Also, I've blocked out this week on my calendar for an urgent project, so other meetings don't get in the way of it. Not aggressively blocking time last week was part of how it got so crazy. As a result other meetings are now piling up for next week Tue-Wed. And already I've had multiple requests to accommodate meetings on Monday. Yes, from people who can see my calendar and should be checking it- and believing it- before proposing the meetings. I just keep reminding myself I have zero guilt about saying "No" to meeting requests when someone didn't check my calendar to see I have a prior commitment.