The best laid plans of mice and designers occasionally go west. In the case of the mice it's usually a cat, in the case of this designer the full moon seems to bring out the Fuck Up Fairy to tease my clients and me too.
Yesterday I'd planned to have a reasonable day, researching and laying out a newsletter for one client, and also chasing some debtors on their behalf. Far from my favourite job, I hate pestering people for moneys owed, but I'm being paid to do so in this case.
Anyway, it all turned to custard by 9am. I had emails from four clients; two of them wanted urgent updates and changes on their websites, and one who is doing her own update had made a dog's breakfast of her home page. Another sent me a bunch of articles she'd like turned into a newsletter. Only when I sent her the final PDF in the afternoon did she say that her boss actually wanted it as an online version not a PDF. Sigh. See what I mean? I think it's the full moon.
T'other half reckons he can see anger and frustration as a palpable halo around my head, especially as I was finishing the day's work after dinner as I had meetings this morning and needed to catch up on stuff.
Anger is a bad playmate. It can cause heart problems, strokes, and can lead to cancer in the truly angsty and angry. This concerns me as anger and frustration is part of my daily life. I get cross when the phone rings and I get interrupted, I get cross with computers (who doesn't), I get cross with unreasonable clients who keep wanting changes to things they have already agreed on and signed off on, I get cross with idiot drivers who have no spatial awareness (and people in shopping centres with no spatial awareness). I get cross with clients and friends who are very demanding and pull me in a dozen different directions. I just get cross.
I only noticed how uptight I was getting yesterday when I took half an hour off to head to the grocer's and pick up some veg for dinner last night. Away from the desk, the computer and the clients I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. This tells me I need to step back a bit and smell the roses more often. Literally in my case as they are in bloom in my garden.
To cap yesterday off I had a couple of slightly terse text exchanges with a friend last night which left me upset and angry too. Upset enough to wake at 4am this morning and not get back to sleep. Thankfully these were resolved with a phone conversation this morning.
The moon is on the wane today and there's a real difference. I'm not as angry, nobody's website is broken, and I've achieved what I planned to for the day.
Time to take the dog for a walk.
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