Tools of the Trade

I survived my first full week in my new position at work.  Sigh.

Not much training...more of a "here you go, sink or swim" transition.  It wasn't exactly a beautiful butterfly stoke, but I managed to tread water nonetheless.  I think.  If I royally screwed something up, it hasn't yet come back to bite me in the ass.

This position is the exact opposite of my last one.  I worked solo on about ninety percent of my work.  I worked on specific projects at a time, lasting days or weeks depending on what was involved.  I had little direct contact with my boss who was based in another state.  I didn't have to attend many meetings or interact with many people inside or outside the company.  I was able to totally lose myself in data for hours on end with little interruption from anyone.  Occasionally I was faced with a stressful deadline, but could usually work at a calm, steady pace on most things.  I was even bored at times.

I don't see much boredom in my future in this new position.  There is always something to deal with from the minute I get in till the minute I leave.  The phone rings...constantly.  People are in and out of my office...constantly.  I already have more meetings scheduled in the next couple weeks than I had in the entire last year.  I'm faced with paper after paper that require immediate attention.  My new boss is right around the corner and pops in often.  At the end of the day, I'm tired.  

Years ago I had a similar position but I'm out of practice.  I used to thrive in a fast-paced environment.  I was a hard core multi-tasker.  I didn't need to write stuff down.  I remembered everything.  Soaked it in like a great big sponge and never missed a beat.  I was in control.  I had my act together.  I was great at my job.  I was tired at the end of the day, but not like I am now.  Things were different then.  I wasn't a mom.  My day ended when I left the office.

I'm having a hard time functioning on the level I need to for this position.  My mind is on overload, and for the first time in my life I need to write everything down to stay on track.  I know, it's only been a week.  It's an unrealistic expectation to have it all figured out in only five days...right?

Despite popular opinion, I think I may actually enjoy this job once the dust settles.  It will take some time, but hopefully I'll re-learn how to cope in this type of position.  Until then, I'm afraid, blogging is one thing that will suffer due to my complete exhaustion by Punky's bedtime.  I just didn't have the energy to stay awake and write this past week.  I hope that changes quickly.  I really need the outlet.