My lifestyle and efficiency
I have a very nice lifestyle — I admit it. I own my own business(es) and choose how I live. Sure, I am virtually handcuffed to the back of a moving train in a sense. My businesses produce more work than I can handle and those I hire seem to not function without me babysitting them. If I had time to babysit them I wouldn’t have hired them in the first place! But, I attribute the lifestyle I have to my efficiency.
Those who work in crowded stressful office environments are in an environment that seems to me to be not unlike slavery. The boss sees how many workers they can cram into a small and unimaginative space, and forces them to do repetative tasks all day long. The workers usually don’t get much recognition for any achievements they make, and don’t feel any connection to the future success of their company since they will most likely move on to another company in a year or two. Managers just squeeze work out of these grunts and hard work is only rewarded by more punishment. No wonder so may workers don’t care about their work.
My life is completely different and free. First of all I choose my hours. I tend to work weird hours, and lots of hours since I have too much work. Since nobody can really help with most of my work, I realize that if I don’t work fast then I will never have time to have dinner or sleep! But, if I make too many mistakes then I will have to repeat tasks and suffer the dishonor of having made a mistake. So, I tend to make few mistakes to save time and aggravation in the future. I can also go on short trips if I bring my laptop, so I often will drive a few hours away to go to meditation venues.
I used to have a furry orange cat who would jump on my computer desk and give me a kiss when I was lucky. The minute I left my chair, she would jump on it and go to sleep in it since she knew that I had inadvertantly warmed it up. Then, I would have to reason with her about how that was “MY” chair, and it belonged to me, and how she needed to sit in the other chair which was HER chair. To this day, I am still not convinced that felines understand the concept of ownership, but it never hurts to reinforce this idea verbally from time to time. If I were smarter, I would have adopted the strategy of warming up HER chair, so she would know where to sit, but unfortunately my computer was in front of MY chair.
I have a nice view out my window. I can see a variety of trees, species of grass, and a very attractive parking lot which I wouldn’t trade for anything. I enjoy the quiet and low-stress environment of being the only person — well at least the only “human” person in my workplace. I have a megascreen moniter for my computer so that I can open infinite windows simultaneously.
Additionally, when I walk outside, there is a cafe, and I know the people who work there. I can enjoy conversations about politics, religion, the economy and many other topics while I take a break from my hectic work schedule which sometimes ends at 3am Pacific Standard Time.
And lastly, since I own my business(es), I am the one who reaps the praise and financial rewards when I succeed. If I work hard and make a monster out of my businesses, then I will be a multi-millionaire. If I am lazy and spend all day drinking cherry mochas, I will palpitate my way into pauperhood. My destiny lays in my hands, not some boss who is only exploiting me as an expendable commodity.
The heaven of my life is so different from the hell that others go through at work. I think that bosses should consider rewarding star employees with private offices (having their own small and quiet room). They should get some flexibility in their schedule too. A nice view of trees and grass works wonders for morale. And having animals can really bring tremendous satisfaction in the work environment. Having a sponsered trip out of town from time to time would be worth it if you have a few overachievers who really deserve it. Workers will work more efficiently if they are appreciated with rewards and a great lifestyle.