Earth Day Green Commitment

Okay for Earth Day mí familía made a Green Commitment. We got a second recycle bin and had a goal to make sure we fill both. But the sad truth is that we are only allowed to have one recycle bin. Why? Good question. So far we have gotten lame run around answers. My thoughts and opinion is that they do not want to pay the workers to deal with two recycle bins. So our new goal is have most over stuffed recycle bin. We unplugged all unused appliances and set blackout times. Our blackout times have gone to the wayside. We have a 21, 16, and 14 year old that could come to terms or set a time that we would have no electricity. The 21 year old stays up late and does her online college classes while the rest of us sleep. The 16 year old is homeschooled and does her school work on an online program during the day. Plus I like to spend time online while my husband is at work. So we switched to laptops we make sure that after use they are powered down and unplugged and only have a one computer (the server). This is our compromise to cut down on electricity. We also found other ways to cut down on our electric use. We bought two green programmable thermostats and set both thermostats at 75. We use green power strips/ outlets and for the fridge, microwave, dishwasher, washer, dryer, and TV entertainment sets (Xbox, Wii, stereo and so on). We only use rechargeable batteries. All the lights in the house are the green compact bulbs. Our new thing is we purchased reusable bags and reusable freezer bags and stocked all vehicles with them – we almost remember to bring them onto the store – forgetting has added to our other goal –fitness – walking back to car and getting the reusable bags. We have meatless meals once a week and have a new goal of two meatless nights a week. The meatless night is hard for my husband because he is old school meats & potatoes kind of guy. This has been a huge growth for him. We no longer buy throw away plastic water bottles. We now all have stainless steel water jugs. It is easy for mí familía now because they have cool designs for the kids. We have petitioned the Home Owners Association (HOA) with plans for a compost bin. If approved all my husband has to is build the bin – I cannot tell you how excited he is to use his power tools. We wish we had a Whole Foods or Central Market within walking distance, but now we plan and double check our list so we shop only twice a month to cut on car emissions and gas usage. This was hard the first few months since we always forgot something. We seem to have it down now. We planted more shrubs and added grass to backyard flowerbed. We wanted to get beehives but the HOA said no. They did not want beehives so close to golf course. We have a decent sized greenbelt that separates our backyard from the golf course, but the HOA did not want to take a chance with golfers well being. How about the earth’s well being? We are now planning a garden with bee and butterfly friendly flowers. We do not need the HOA permission for that. My friend commented on the fact that we still buy orange juice in throw away plastic bottles. So when finish them (recycled of course) we are getting more stainless steel jugs for orange juice or other drinks other than water. We are trying to use more environmental friendly products and recycled products. We may slip but as long we get back on track and keep with commitment the Earth still benefits. Mí familía is doing as much as possible to keep our commitment to have a more “green” lifestyle.

Burnout

How did I reach burnout again? At one job it was stress and traumatic family event that cause burnout within a year. At my most recent job it was stress and long hour over a three year period. I was in denial both times. When I first started at my older job it was a normal 8 to 5 job. We then started to experience the degradation of our MS DOD Great Plains accounting software and we need to transfer it to Windows based accounting software. We started with perfect books – data.
But then my husband was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm of only a 10% chance to survive. I spent my time in the morning with the kids before the Nanny took them to school, then my day consisted with a few hours at work, then off to the hospital to visit my husband, debriefing with the doctors, and fighting with the Navy over his treatment. In the evenings I spent a short time again with kids before they went to bed and debriefing with Nanny. My nights I was at work till midnight. I was getting about 2 to 3 hours of sleep. It was my pattern for about 9 months. In the mean time we hired an employee that rubbed me the wrong way. For whatever reason she had she choose to make work which was my sanctuary torturous.
My boss being a wise woman saw my burnout coming and suggested I take some time off. I did not heed her advice. In denial I was sure I could handle it all. I was very wrong. Two months later I could no longer juggle the new needs of husband’s disability, the Navy not providing the services he needed, the kids needing/ wanting me not the Nanny, and his maternal side of the family. They wanting their needs met instead of trying to meet my husband’s need. I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I felt like I could not function or think. My boss was more than patient for almost a year, but she had a business to run and need an employee able to perform daily tasks during normal business hours. She had to let me go. It was sad going from being a valued employee to a little over a month later being an employee that was irrelevant.
I was sure I had learned from this and took my most recent job with more wisdom or so I thought. When I started I knew it had books that needed to be unraveled. I spent the first 6 months working 16 to 18 hour days. Then it settled into a 60 to 65 hour work week. We had accounting software with a limited data base and two years later we learned this and we desperately needed to upgrade. We waited a year because it was going to cost over 10 thousand dollars for the upgrade. When we didn’t upgrade immediately and continued operate with degrading accounting software I should have walked away. It lead to a no win situation. I was also in a position that vital part of my job required data to come from a third party – another manager. If that manager did not provide me with the correct and accurate data then my books were screwed. We also hired new employees and of course being new and learning – still in training – they make mistakes. Ultimately, this and other situations lead to my burnout. I was spending many hours trying to find lost data, correcting and adjusting incorrect reported data from the ops manager, and finding and correcting the new employee mistakes.
I was so exhausted that a month before I was let go I had a stress attack – an almost heart attack/ stroke. I should have filled out my paper work for leave an absence. At my separation I had 96 hours of PTO (Paid Time Off). But I was so close to having perfect set of books. I lost sight of everything else. This time it took me three years and 8 months to reach burnout.
How do I prevent this from happening again? Well, I heard to have a true and realistic work-life balance. We all hear it about. But honestly how many employees live it - a true work-life balance? I have asked around it seems they all had a different idea of what work-life balance means. Of course it is not a literally balance since we spend more time at work then at home – we should spend at least 7 to 8 hours sleeping. It means employees need to figure a way to spend no more than 9 hours at work. Any more than 9 hours impacts our home life. Also, some employees have a 1 to 2 hour commute home that leaches from the home life.
Now in retrospect I see all the things I could have done to achieve an 8 hour work day. If any of you are like me and want to do it all you are not necessarily screwed. Be honest with yourself. Why do you feel the need to work long hours? Why is it hard for you to ask for help? Once you truly work these issues out – if you need professional help to work them out get it – then you can achieve work-life balance.
My former employer now has three people doing my job. What does that say about me? I should have said something – asked for help. Most employers will get you help. Spend a weekend listing all your duties and extra projects you need to work on. In the long run it is cheaper and easier for your boss to get you some temporary help than let you go and train a new person. Or some case a few new employees. For example if you make about 55 to 60 grand a year and then you are replaced with two employees at 45 to 55 grand then your lose double their expenses. It is a lose all the way around.
Think how this would make your work more satisfying and you get spend more time with the family. An employee that seems to have a happier work-life balance is those who have a satisfying work experience. That should every manager’s top priority to ensure that their employees have a satisfying work experience. A satisfied employee is productive employee. Productivity is beneficial to the bottom line. Most profitable companies have fulfilled employee with a satisfying work environment. That is a winning situation for all.

Reconnecting

Okay so the day has started like any other day and is continuing like every other day. There is something new going on. We are having dinner guest. I am making from scratch fettuccine alfredo. I have spent the entire week updating a lot of job hunting websites. I created a CVresume. That was easier that I thought. I hope my new CVresume gets some nibbles with it. I have networked and reconnect with old friends. I found out that one lost her husband earlier this month – I understand why she didn’t call – I had lost touch. I have made lunch plans for next week with former co-workers/ friends. One a bright note a special friend she is like a second mother had surgery for breast cancer and her future looks good. Her daughter is an old friend that I have reconnected. She is with her in Corpus Christi, TX. We are planning on visiting them this weekend. Looking forward to the weekend.

Hello cyberworld.