I am the kind of person that likes being busy. I may complain about it, but I do feel fulfilled and happier when I am going place to place and a bit stressed. I don't do well with downtime. Take last week for example. I had tons of papers to work on, deadlines quickly approaching, I was going non-stop to get the thing done that i needed to. I was stressed, but I felt purposeful which I enjoy. Now this week, the lead I had for summer work didn't pan out and now I'm not doing much aside from chasing professional work and working my networks to get that work. I have a lot of free time and despite not much being different between this week and last in terms of personal affairs I'm feeling less fulfilled less confident. Focus: Better busy than bored? Whats your take? Alt-Focus: Being bored at work, I know that gets me into trouble. How do you manage having a 9-5 where you don't have enough work? It seems like letting your boss know how little you do isn't the best idea. Unfocus: Do you enjoy a structured life? When you go on vacation are you a planner or the type of person just to get there chill out and see where things go?
This is an interesting topic for me as I am learning to deal with the anxiety that has plagued me most of my life and learning to keep busy in a productive way that is squarely focused on the areas of my anxiety. I learned realitively quickly once I entered the workforce that I opperate much better with a lot more structure to my day. In general Im not personally "driven" myself, something I'd also like to work on, so when I have the tasked laid out for me I actually thrive more. Sometimes I wonder if I'd have done well in the armed forces. In general as far as anxiety is concerned, the more I have to focus on the less it creeps to the forefront. While semi avoident Ive come to like working on my car when Im faced with something like an upcoming interview. Focusing on the task of problem solving become almost zen like in the ability to ignore stress and worry. Somethings don't work at all, I love working out and at the gym 4-5 times a week lifting, it does not however distract my mind enough as much as people suggest it for stress relief. Im not sure why, I guess Im just all up in my head when working out. In my day to day life Ive tried to become more productive by sticking to a stricter schedule for getting task done. I really don't mind spending an entire weekend farting around playing FIFA. Ive been on plenty of trips where I might have 1 or 2 things I'd like to see but just kind of go with the flow when I got there.
Alt-Focus: I've been dealing with this more-or-less since I started working at my current job since June 2015. Part of it is that my previous job was at a non-profit so I hate a lot of responsibilities and there was never enough money and staffing to address every issue. I was always going from one crisis to the next, no matter how much I tried to establish things so problems would be solved before they became crises. I don't like not being busy at work because it makes me anxious for my job security, so when I have down time I let my boss know. I'll usually phrase it as bonus time, like, "It looks like this project might wrap up a little early so I'll probably have some spare time to assist with any odd and ends that need addressing." As much as I can I try to frame it as me beating my deadlines instead of there just not being enough work to do.