Letters to the Editor
-
We need to do something
I don't think we're designed, physically or psychologically, for inactivity. The body doesn't react well to getting no exercise and I think the brain is the same way. If we're not functioning or productive in some way, the brain gets flabby and annoyed.
Having a job that involves doing nothing looks on the surface like a good gig, but it's not. I was declared unemployable ages ago because of a pile of physical problems, the worst of which is the fact that my immune systems has a taste for my own connective tissue. I'm writing this lying down, to keep the pressure off my hips, and taking periodic breaks to ease the strain on my hands. It's that bad.
So here I am with a perfect excuse not to work at all ever and what do I do? Go through several approaches to working at home until I find one that sticks. I need to be useful, even if only in a small way, or I don't feel alive.
OP, I think you should find something to do, whether it's at your current job or at a different one. Otherwise, you risk developing the mental equivalent of high blood pressure, heart disease or even muscle atrophy, and that's not fun.
-
Shivers of recollection
About four years ago, the exact same thing happened to me-- I had always been a hard worker, and then suddenly something just out and died. In my case, I'm pretty certain it had something to do with a pretty soul-crushing work experience abroad that then affected my motivation when I got home into a decent, normal job. But still, there's nothing so disturbing as sitting at your desk and thinking "hmm, look at all of this, too bad none of it's going to get done, I wonder how long I can keep this up."
Well, it took almost a year, but it finally did catch up with me, my boss did clue in. She gave me a few chances, and I think the only thing that kept me from getting fired was that I couldn't take the rut anymore and finally quit. I even moved to a new city and got a similar job for a few months until I mustered the confidence to dive into a completely different career that I'd secretly wanted to get into for years. That may be more extreme an action plan than you're looking for, but I really believe you won't snap out of it until you a) get a change of scenery asap, and b) start seriously pursuing work that captures your imagination. Even if you do it on the side for little/no money for a while, it may be the spark you badly need to reignite your glazed-over brain.
-
Leave, leave as soon as you can
I make no judgements about your inactivity. As noticed by many on this thread it is not uncommon behavior, and many of us have been through similar situations.
The problem is that you have reached a preceived comfort level at your current job. A big warning sign was that all your friends are there. Let me tell you something, the only way you know if they are your friends is if they are still your friends when you leave. Otherwise they are just 'work friends'. We all have them, people we like and get along with. But once the artificial bond of work is gone, the friendships rapidly drift apart. Never stay at a job because of your work friends, no matter how important they seem.
I am a firm believer that most corporate environments have huge amounts of waste employees that can get away with doing nothing. I find it funny people saying they can't imagine how someone could get by doing nothing. I work for one of America's most renowned, innovative and demanding companies, and yet there are plenty of people I can point to who don't do anything productive. But understand that you will build up resentment amongst those who do their jobs, even if your job is likely meaningless. People who are working do not like being around people who are not. Even if some of these work friends are real friends, you are damaging your relationship with them by doing what you are (not) doing.
Also understand that as long as you are there, you lack the incentive to do anything else. But if your past experience scares you, spam your resume around and see what comes back. Maybe there are options you haven't explored yet. There is the good comfort of snuggled at home by the fire watching a movie, and the bad comfort of drifting through a mindless dead-end job. Life is too short for that.
-
Did I write that letter and forget doing so?
Thank you facebook and salon.com for ruining my career.
-
stay practical
While it may feel as though you're doing nothing - from the standpoint of getting a new job, don't leave just yet! You've already tried to quit before but couldn't get a new job. If you don't have a very specific job (accountant, nurse etc.), but instead are in the vague land of "program coordinator" or something similar - getting a new job may not be quick. Also, you may not want to continue doing something similar if you feel it's unstimulating.
So take your time at work, not doing anything - to either explore job openings, going back to school or enrolling in a training program, write cover letters or update your resume. It is usually easier to get a new job, when you have a job. And so while "just quitting" may seem empowering - if you already tried once before and it didn't work out well, try finding a new job while still employed.
-
Prayers the Devil answers
For those harried, overwhelmed workers who think this letter might be fake (or that NOBODY could be doing "nothing" at work: I once had a job just like this. It was for a huge, highly respected international corporation that did indeed track and spy on employee's productivity. None of that mattered.
The department I worked in had a budget that included a salary -- a good one -- for the job I eventually got, and since it was in the budget, damn it, they were going to fill the job. Nobody bothered to process that they had no need for this position, and in fact, virtually no work for this employee to do. Because of this, the last two people before me had quit after only a few weeks each.
If you are working like a dog at some job, you might be daydreaming about a wonderful, well paying job where you could do NOTHING all day. Trust me, you don't want this. It's a living nightmare.
My job started at 7:45AM. Because it was OK that I do no work -- but NOT OK that I actually sleep -- I had to jump start myself with loads of coffee. This meant I was hyper-alert....and had nothing to do. My cubicle was windowless. The company did not allow music, even on headphones and no "muzak", so it was absolute, dead silence. The hi-intensity lighting would have been sufficient to perform surgery. Actually, the entire building had no windows -- you couldn't tell if it was day or night, or what the weather was, until you left at night. In the winter, I entered the building in the dark and left in the dark.
After jerking myself awake with coffee, I basically had to sit at my computer workstation and....do nothing for 9 hours straight. I would put something acceptable on the screen (internet access was taboo and monitored, as were any personal phone calls) and position my hand on my mouse...and just sit there.
Basically, this qualified as torture. I am pretty sure it would break any terrorist at they have detained at Gitmo. I found myself sinking into a kind of zombie like state, where I intricately planned my two alloted bathroom breaks, so I could at least get up and walk a few steps.
Nobody noticed, BTW, for a very long time that I was not doing the slightest bit of work, besides filling out my time sheets every week. But once they did, that was it and VERY suddenly....someone called me at home on a Monday night and told me not to come in the next day.
So don't count on this to last, LW, and be glad it won't. I advise you to put away as much of these "ill-gotten gains", because you may well find yourself unemployed for a long time after -- jobs like this don't look great on a resume, you don't have good recent experience to site and your employers are highly unlikely to give you a good recommendation once they wake up to your months or years of goldbricking on their dime.
The reason it is GOOD, though, is because if it didn't happen, you'd end up totally psychotic. I am reminded of intelligent mammals, like apes, who go mad when kept in concrete block zoo enclosures with no stimulation! Intelligent mammals need productive work to do! Without it, you go slowly mad.....not worth it, not even for a paycheck or a golden ticket.