It's hump day!
Except, when it's a Holiday...
And when both Christmas and the New Year (following) fall on a Wednesday, it's really special!
Picture this...
You wake up on Monday, Dec 23! It's not really snowing but you still make yourself that cup of hot chocolate. The world seems a better place when your first conference call doesn't start until 8 AM...
You join the call to find out that half the participants are out for the entire week! Which means the list of items on the agenda gets trimmed by equal proportion and the decision is unanimous to follow up on the rest when everyone is back from the Holiday...
Right as you are wrapping it up (30 minutes ahead of schedule), a notice pops up in your outlook telling you another meeting is cancelled. You promptly remove that from your calendar and then cancel another meeting yourself looking at the number of attendees who have declined, being OOO...
Suddenly, your calendar looks open! You use the unplanned free time to cancel all the meetings starting Christmas Day until New Year's and mark your calendar purple with All-Day Events for 6 business days, subject and location reading: Out of Office...
A couple of other calls, a few emails and the day is over! You've never felt like this lately. So you enjoy a quiet evening, a light dinner and even though you're tempted to read that open book, you decide to catch up on your sleep...
It's Christmas Eve! There's even fewer people on that 8 AM daily call. It's over even sooner. Soon, you're staring at an empty afternoon. There seems to be more action on the street looking out the window. Emails slow down to a trickle...
A good lunch and you want to walk away but your conscience takes over! You spend the rest of the afternoon answering those emails you meant to answer but didn't and clearing out any pending tasks from your slate (and your conscience)...
The evening drive features some flurries! "Will it be a White Christmas?", you wonder. Confirmation that it won't be comes by the time you reach home with no more flurries is sight, just the still air. You blow out a bellow of cold smoke as you tread the cold, grey concrete...
Christmas comes and goes! It's family, food and fun. The vacation begins. More food and fun. Visits to pretty places and walks in the cold air. More hot chocolate and this time, cake...
Soon, you've had enough! You just want to rest. Breakfast and lunch on the couch with re-runs of favorite movies. Afternoon naps and even more TV. You even find a little time for that book from under the tree...
You relax and revive! Through a Nice New Year's Eve! And all through New Year's Day...
You go back to your calendar! You notice that early AM call, Thursday. "I really don't need to be on that one", you decide and then decline. You look to move some others to Friday or Monday. You really don't want to come back...
Come Thursday AM, you're back on the coffee! Come 8 AM, your spreadsheets are ready. You make a good showing and people seem to notice. You on the other hand, notice something else...
There's still some items on the agenda that have to wait until Monday! There's still some people who aren't back from their vacation. So you move some meetings around, catch up on your emails and are still left with some time to plan for what's ahead...
You're done at 4 PM! Not a bad place to be in. You look at Friday. It's going to be another light day. You block some time on your calendar to work on that monster project plan you're supposed to present at 8 AM, come Monday...
"It's the Wednesday", you realize! "That gave me 2 days ahead, 2 days after and effectively, a 2 week revival"...
You stop by the library. You even get some grocery. Just as you pull up the ramp and merge on to the highway, it begins to snow...
Happy New Year folks! Have a Good One...
Except, when it's a Holiday...
And when both Christmas and the New Year (following) fall on a Wednesday, it's really special!
Picture this...
You wake up on Monday, Dec 23! It's not really snowing but you still make yourself that cup of hot chocolate. The world seems a better place when your first conference call doesn't start until 8 AM...
You join the call to find out that half the participants are out for the entire week! Which means the list of items on the agenda gets trimmed by equal proportion and the decision is unanimous to follow up on the rest when everyone is back from the Holiday...
Right as you are wrapping it up (30 minutes ahead of schedule), a notice pops up in your outlook telling you another meeting is cancelled. You promptly remove that from your calendar and then cancel another meeting yourself looking at the number of attendees who have declined, being OOO...
Suddenly, your calendar looks open! You use the unplanned free time to cancel all the meetings starting Christmas Day until New Year's and mark your calendar purple with All-Day Events for 6 business days, subject and location reading: Out of Office...
A couple of other calls, a few emails and the day is over! You've never felt like this lately. So you enjoy a quiet evening, a light dinner and even though you're tempted to read that open book, you decide to catch up on your sleep...
It's Christmas Eve! There's even fewer people on that 8 AM daily call. It's over even sooner. Soon, you're staring at an empty afternoon. There seems to be more action on the street looking out the window. Emails slow down to a trickle...
A good lunch and you want to walk away but your conscience takes over! You spend the rest of the afternoon answering those emails you meant to answer but didn't and clearing out any pending tasks from your slate (and your conscience)...
The evening drive features some flurries! "Will it be a White Christmas?", you wonder. Confirmation that it won't be comes by the time you reach home with no more flurries is sight, just the still air. You blow out a bellow of cold smoke as you tread the cold, grey concrete...
Christmas comes and goes! It's family, food and fun. The vacation begins. More food and fun. Visits to pretty places and walks in the cold air. More hot chocolate and this time, cake...
Soon, you've had enough! You just want to rest. Breakfast and lunch on the couch with re-runs of favorite movies. Afternoon naps and even more TV. You even find a little time for that book from under the tree...
You relax and revive! Through a Nice New Year's Eve! And all through New Year's Day...
You go back to your calendar! You notice that early AM call, Thursday. "I really don't need to be on that one", you decide and then decline. You look to move some others to Friday or Monday. You really don't want to come back...
Come Thursday AM, you're back on the coffee! Come 8 AM, your spreadsheets are ready. You make a good showing and people seem to notice. You on the other hand, notice something else...
There's still some items on the agenda that have to wait until Monday! There's still some people who aren't back from their vacation. So you move some meetings around, catch up on your emails and are still left with some time to plan for what's ahead...
You're done at 4 PM! Not a bad place to be in. You look at Friday. It's going to be another light day. You block some time on your calendar to work on that monster project plan you're supposed to present at 8 AM, come Monday...
"It's the Wednesday", you realize! "That gave me 2 days ahead, 2 days after and effectively, a 2 week revival"...
You stop by the library. You even get some grocery. Just as you pull up the ramp and merge on to the highway, it begins to snow...
Happy New Year folks! Have a Good One...
