Hi again folks!
Okay, okay- it should be pretty apparent by now that posting on any sort of a schedule is... not exactly my strong suit! I still do plan to post periodically when the mood strikes, but that may end up being less often than when I first created this blog because...
I GOT A JOB!
If you don't follow me on social media or you missed my posts, I am finally employed once again after just over 2 years. :D Unfortunately due to a few factors- obviously the pandemic prolonged the hiatus longer than I would have liked, plus being at a difficult point in my career having just graduated from my masters program in 2018 and only having 6 months of experience otherwise since. Of course my mental health wrecked havoc on all of this too- I experienced a LOT of anxiety, particularly in 2018/2019 while job hunting. So, I am very relieved to finally be back on stable ground. I will say though that my boyfriend and family were absolutely wonderful in supporting me while I was not working.
I'm actually working as a Survey Specialist for a very large educational non-profit- after doing surveys for a number of years for the hobby as fun projects! That's not the only reason I got the job of course, but I thought it was a pretty fun connection. :) It's also fully remote which is ideal at this point for safety reasons.
I've just started my second week so far! I'm taking to the remote work quite a bit better than I probably would have in the past. I was always hesitant to try any sort of online based school program or job because I worried that I'd be too distracted in my home environment. However, I'm doing pretty well so far! In fact, I think it might be even better for me than a traditional job.
Here are a few observations I've made, in regards to my ADHD and how it's better working this way:
- Lack of commute helps me to feel less frustrated about losing time during the day (I never feel like there's enough hours to do everything, but I'm also not that great at planning and time management when left to my own devices, so take that one with a grain of salt).
- It's much easier to take short breaks when needed, to grab food, to stretch or exercise, take care of small chores, or just anything else small to get a break from the screens.
- Speaking of food, unless I'm in a video call, I can totally eat at my desk while I'm working.
- I don't have to worry about how I'm "presenting" to others, i.e. I can sit how I'm comfortable most of the time and not worry if it looks "professional".
- Since my personal laptop is next to my work setup, I can listen to music off my personal computer (this is especially helpful when the lawncare folks for the complex decide to use very LOUD and obnoxious equipment while I'm trying to work).
- It's pretty simple to just toss on some shoes and go for a short walk if I need a slightly longer break.
- With the help of therapy and medication, I feel like I'm in a better place in terms of being able to focus, prioritize, and get things done, at least during the day.
- I've started painting again! Sometimes I'll grab a Stablemate or two to have on my desk during the day, and that gives me something else small to break up the work.
- Being able to take short breaks without being "watched" is great for my ability to process the information I've just gone over- instead of leaving it all until a later point in the day which is exhausting.
As for how this will affect my hobby involvement, I do think it will shift a few things to the back burner that I had wanted to do, like hosting a photo show. But since live events are currently few and far between, and I hadn't committed to anything that will require a lot of prep, I'll just refrain from making any new commitments for now. Which is fine, since on top of the pandemic, we're also approaching the typical off season anyway. I still need to finish the Chalky Survey results (and I definitely want to talk about that and my other surveys in future posts!) but I won't be taking on any new ones for a while, nothing large anyway. The Favorites series doesn't run again until late winter/early spring, so I'm good on that front.
I still plan to follow along on social media, but hopefully with a lot less random scrolling! I won't be going crazy and ramping up purchases too much from the point I'm at now, since student loan interest gets turned back on over the winter (pending any major downturn I suspect it will actually go through this time). I'm planning to toss as much as I'm able to at my loans for the foreseeable future, with a modest amount left for paying other bills and the occasional fun purchase here and there.
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