My Work World

I work at a highly respected institution in my field. People are valued here. I am well-compensated and have oodles of training opportunities. I am good at what I do. My boss likes me. My co-workers value my opinion. My schedule is somewhat flexible, and I hope soon to start telecommuting two days a week. Oh, there are the usual headaches and bureaucracy, but, if polled, I'd bet most of the people here would say they love their work.

I'm not one of them.

It's not that I don't find my work interesting, sometimes, or that I don't feel appreciated. It's not that there isn't enough work, since the department keeps adding people and there is still too much to do. In fact, practitioners of my subfield, let's just call it analysis, are in demand across the country. But, while I always like the ego-boost of accomplishing things, and particularly of doling out advice based on analysis and experience, I'm easily distracted from my work.

You see, there's my email, and my gmail, including my groups. There's Mamasource, and Mojomom (and all the wonderful things I've learned about from her). Then there's the news (mostly cnn), and Sperling's BestPlaces, which provides details for my fantasies about all the places I'd rather live than where we are. Throw in a little office conversation, returning of voice mails (which smells of work, but is really another avoidance technique), and requisite trips downstairs to the women's room, and you might wonder how I get any work done at all. (Now, of course, I can add blogging to my list of distractions.)

I've always been a procrastinator (last time I sent holiday cards was in 2004, I think), so it's possible that setting aggressive deadlines on a regular basis could help me focus a bit more. In fact, I think I'll try that, if I remember on Monday. But the truth of the matter is, well, I'm bored. I'm reminded of my high school years, in which I read novels during class, at least for a while, until my teachers explained that I was setting a bad example for the other students. At work, the end products are beneficial to science, our understanding of the planet, and ultimately for humankind. But ... what I do so often feels like drudgery.

So what would I rather be doing?

(With nods to I, Robot)
That is the right question.