I was away from work for a week while on my annual writing retreat. There were a few tasks I planned to take care of remotely. I had a deadline shortly after I’d return and wanted to take them off my to do list, knowing the first couple days back would be full. And also to ease my return load as well as to keep some processes moving in my absence, I planned to check my email a couple times a day.
The plan went smoothly until Thursday. I received a message with a time-sensitive question. I gave basic instructions. A question from another coworker distracted me. I checked my email and answered a few more questions. And I felt myself getting frustrated. I wanted to move forward with my writing. I didn’t want to be pulled into working more than necessary. How annoying.
I quickly realized there was no reason to get frustrated with anyone by myself. After all, I could click out of my remote session at any point. It was my choice to work or write. I took a deep breath, finished a couple quick tasks, then moved back to my writing.
Deep breath. Settle in. Take responsibility.
It’s so much easier to blame someone else, and sometimes, our blame is well-directed. Much of the time, we have more of a choice they we want to admit.
Pure Purpose 