Barlock
New member
I doubt it.
(One day of my life)
I am busy, very busy, almost every single day.
Early morning; quick shower; cold sandwich.
Trip to work, things to remember, never forget.
Things that were abandoned but needed to be revived.
First in the office; can’t open the door; keys are left in the car.
Back to the parkade; got the key; back to the office,
Oh, my God! Look at this. What a mess!
I need to clean up my desk one of these days.
Voice mails, tons of them; some of them are urgent,
And need to be dealt with – they go to the notebook;
Others can wait – save to my archives.
I wonder if I’m ever gonna find time to listen to them again.
I doubt it.
E-mails--oh, my God--dozens of them.
Some are unanswered since last week.
Those should be the first priority
But then look at these – they are urgent;
Need to respond now, but then what about those
Unread ones, there could be potentially
Something even more important.
First, I need to read them all, and then
Make a decision, which ones are more urgent,
And which ones can wait until I have time
To get back to them. Will I ever get back to them?
I doubt it.
A phone call; call display; who is it?
Oh, this one I must take. It’s my boss. “Hi, boss.”
“Dale, I’m glad you are there. I need to talk to you.
You won’t believe what happened to me last night
When I was coming back from the golf course.”
Who cares? “Yes, boss. I’m all ears.”
While he is talking, where is that report
I was reading yesterday? I thought I’d left it here
On my desk. Or no, I took it with me to that meeting
In my boss’s office, trying to catch up on things,
While others were talking. That is where
I have probably left it, when they asked me
To follow them to the boardroom. I wonder if it’s still there.
I doubt it.
Back to the boss. “Yes, sir, that is fascinating. Yes, good bye.”
Finally, I can work. There is no one around
It’s not even eight a.m. yet. People just start arriving.
What was that e-mail I was reading before he called?
Oh yeah, “To be followed ASAP!” Yeah, right, ASAP my @$$.
Another e-mail – this one goes straight to the bin
Another one – click, delete. Oh, this one is interesting.
It’s a joke, my colleague sent to me; and a good one too.
I need to send him one of mine. Where did I save them?
Oh, who cares? I’ll do that later, when I have time.
Will there be such time, when I have time?
I doubt it.
A reminder pops up on my PC. There is a meeting
In half an hour. What? A meeting? I don’t remember.
What was it all about? Let’s see. Oh yes, I do remember
That was a training session about the productive
Time management. I guess I need that, but then
What about all those e-mails and voice mails?
There are dozens of them, and some of those,
I swear, are extremely important. Or at least
That’s what they say. Are they really important?
I doubt it.
Another phone call. One of my people is calling
To find out if I’m going to be in their squad-check meeting
This afternoon. “You promised, boss.”
Promised? I don’t remember that. “Of course, I will.”
Okay, back to my e-mails. As soon as I open one,
Another phone call. “Yes, aha, sure, we’ll do.”
My colleague arrives to the office next to mine.
He yells from there, “Dale, are you there?”
Oh no, not him again. I pick up the phone,
Even though there was no one on the other end
He barges into my office but I’m busy
A pity look on my face, “Sorry, buddy.”
He is gone. Finally. I can work now.
Will I ever be able to work?
I doubt it.
Oops, I missed that training session. Oh, who cares.
Another pop up – a project progress review meeting
Starts in 15 minutes. Oh, Sh*t! I need to run there.
Oh, look at all these people. “Hi, boss. Hi, Brian.
Leo, Wendy, Dick, Lesley, Mary, Ernst.”
Let’s get started. A safety topic.
“Nobody works, nobody gets hurt.”
Sh*t, I forgot to take that report. Oh, look. It’s here.
Since yesterday. Finally, I can work, while others
Are talking. Plans, deliverables, schedules, delays.
No way can we make this. Oh, yeah? Why not?
Does anyone have anything else? No? Great!
See you all next week. Have we made any progress?
I doubt it.
Oh, look. It’s lunch time. I need a cup of coffee.
And an escape from all these people.
How is the weather out there? Oh, look – sunshine.
Grab a sandwich and a cup of coffee
At the café on the second floor
And out I go. A little square a block away.
People are sitting right on the grass
Eating their lunches and talking.
I don’t want to talk. I just want to sit there quietly
“Look who is here,” I hear a voice from behind.
One of my former colleagues is approaching.
“Long time no see.” Will I ever be left alone?
I doubt it.
Back to the office. Close the door. Only then
I will be able to concentrate and have some work done.
Someone knocks on the door. “Come in.”
An assistant reminds me about the request
We received from one of our clients last week
To send a progress report to them
Not later than Thursday. “Today is Thursday, boss’”
Oh, Sh*t! I need to call my guy and find out
Where we are in terms of that contract.
No time to think. One phone call after another.
I need to get that report done. Or do I? I sure do.
But will I ever have time to do that?
I doubt it.
Oh, look at this. It’s five p.m. already.
My neighbor next door walks by my office; he’s upset.
Was that because he wanted to talk to me?
Oh, well. I’ll have to apologize to him tomorrow.
Will I even remember about it tomorrow?
I doubt it.
Back to the car. What was that my lady wanted me
To buy on the way home? Groceries and something else.
I can’t remember. I wish I wrote it down.
Grocery store. Milk, eggs, bread, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes
I also need some gas. Oh my, look at the gas prices.
They are going up faster than I earn money to pay.
Looking at the gas meter. There goes my vacation.
There goes my basement renovation. There goes my new suit.
That’s insane! Oh, well. What’s the point of complaining?
No one listens anyway. Will those prices go down again?
I doubt it.
Back home. “Hi, Honey. How’s your day?”
“Did you buy what I asked you to?”
“Oh, you mean groceries? They are in the kitchen.”
“No, the Birthday card for your Mom.”
Oops. That’s what she told me to buy.
“I’ll call her instead.” I wish I remembered.
Dinner, TV is on, no one listens; small talk.
Dishwasher; son’s girlfriend is calling again;
They talk for hours on the phone.
Bedtime, Good night, honey. Good night.
That is where I wake up.
Oh, thank God it was just a dream.
Tough day. Will it be easier tomorrow?
I doubt it.
* * * * *
This was 4 years ago when I was working as a department manager with 130 direct reports and 1400 indirect ones. Thanks goodness I don't do this any more.
(One day of my life)
I am busy, very busy, almost every single day.
Early morning; quick shower; cold sandwich.
Trip to work, things to remember, never forget.
Things that were abandoned but needed to be revived.
First in the office; can’t open the door; keys are left in the car.
Back to the parkade; got the key; back to the office,
Oh, my God! Look at this. What a mess!
I need to clean up my desk one of these days.
Voice mails, tons of them; some of them are urgent,
And need to be dealt with – they go to the notebook;
Others can wait – save to my archives.
I wonder if I’m ever gonna find time to listen to them again.
I doubt it.
E-mails--oh, my God--dozens of them.
Some are unanswered since last week.
Those should be the first priority
But then look at these – they are urgent;
Need to respond now, but then what about those
Unread ones, there could be potentially
Something even more important.
First, I need to read them all, and then
Make a decision, which ones are more urgent,
And which ones can wait until I have time
To get back to them. Will I ever get back to them?
I doubt it.
A phone call; call display; who is it?
Oh, this one I must take. It’s my boss. “Hi, boss.”
“Dale, I’m glad you are there. I need to talk to you.
You won’t believe what happened to me last night
When I was coming back from the golf course.”
Who cares? “Yes, boss. I’m all ears.”
While he is talking, where is that report
I was reading yesterday? I thought I’d left it here
On my desk. Or no, I took it with me to that meeting
In my boss’s office, trying to catch up on things,
While others were talking. That is where
I have probably left it, when they asked me
To follow them to the boardroom. I wonder if it’s still there.
I doubt it.
Back to the boss. “Yes, sir, that is fascinating. Yes, good bye.”
Finally, I can work. There is no one around
It’s not even eight a.m. yet. People just start arriving.
What was that e-mail I was reading before he called?
Oh yeah, “To be followed ASAP!” Yeah, right, ASAP my @$$.
Another e-mail – this one goes straight to the bin
Another one – click, delete. Oh, this one is interesting.
It’s a joke, my colleague sent to me; and a good one too.
I need to send him one of mine. Where did I save them?
Oh, who cares? I’ll do that later, when I have time.
Will there be such time, when I have time?
I doubt it.
A reminder pops up on my PC. There is a meeting
In half an hour. What? A meeting? I don’t remember.
What was it all about? Let’s see. Oh yes, I do remember
That was a training session about the productive
Time management. I guess I need that, but then
What about all those e-mails and voice mails?
There are dozens of them, and some of those,
I swear, are extremely important. Or at least
That’s what they say. Are they really important?
I doubt it.
Another phone call. One of my people is calling
To find out if I’m going to be in their squad-check meeting
This afternoon. “You promised, boss.”
Promised? I don’t remember that. “Of course, I will.”
Okay, back to my e-mails. As soon as I open one,
Another phone call. “Yes, aha, sure, we’ll do.”
My colleague arrives to the office next to mine.
He yells from there, “Dale, are you there?”
Oh no, not him again. I pick up the phone,
Even though there was no one on the other end
He barges into my office but I’m busy
A pity look on my face, “Sorry, buddy.”
He is gone. Finally. I can work now.
Will I ever be able to work?
I doubt it.
Oops, I missed that training session. Oh, who cares.
Another pop up – a project progress review meeting
Starts in 15 minutes. Oh, Sh*t! I need to run there.
Oh, look at all these people. “Hi, boss. Hi, Brian.
Leo, Wendy, Dick, Lesley, Mary, Ernst.”
Let’s get started. A safety topic.
“Nobody works, nobody gets hurt.”
Sh*t, I forgot to take that report. Oh, look. It’s here.
Since yesterday. Finally, I can work, while others
Are talking. Plans, deliverables, schedules, delays.
No way can we make this. Oh, yeah? Why not?
Does anyone have anything else? No? Great!
See you all next week. Have we made any progress?
I doubt it.
Oh, look. It’s lunch time. I need a cup of coffee.
And an escape from all these people.
How is the weather out there? Oh, look – sunshine.
Grab a sandwich and a cup of coffee
At the café on the second floor
And out I go. A little square a block away.
People are sitting right on the grass
Eating their lunches and talking.
I don’t want to talk. I just want to sit there quietly
“Look who is here,” I hear a voice from behind.
One of my former colleagues is approaching.
“Long time no see.” Will I ever be left alone?
I doubt it.
Back to the office. Close the door. Only then
I will be able to concentrate and have some work done.
Someone knocks on the door. “Come in.”
An assistant reminds me about the request
We received from one of our clients last week
To send a progress report to them
Not later than Thursday. “Today is Thursday, boss’”
Oh, Sh*t! I need to call my guy and find out
Where we are in terms of that contract.
No time to think. One phone call after another.
I need to get that report done. Or do I? I sure do.
But will I ever have time to do that?
I doubt it.
Oh, look at this. It’s five p.m. already.
My neighbor next door walks by my office; he’s upset.
Was that because he wanted to talk to me?
Oh, well. I’ll have to apologize to him tomorrow.
Will I even remember about it tomorrow?
I doubt it.
Back to the car. What was that my lady wanted me
To buy on the way home? Groceries and something else.
I can’t remember. I wish I wrote it down.
Grocery store. Milk, eggs, bread, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes
I also need some gas. Oh my, look at the gas prices.
They are going up faster than I earn money to pay.
Looking at the gas meter. There goes my vacation.
There goes my basement renovation. There goes my new suit.
That’s insane! Oh, well. What’s the point of complaining?
No one listens anyway. Will those prices go down again?
I doubt it.
Back home. “Hi, Honey. How’s your day?”
“Did you buy what I asked you to?”
“Oh, you mean groceries? They are in the kitchen.”
“No, the Birthday card for your Mom.”
Oops. That’s what she told me to buy.
“I’ll call her instead.” I wish I remembered.
Dinner, TV is on, no one listens; small talk.
Dishwasher; son’s girlfriend is calling again;
They talk for hours on the phone.
Bedtime, Good night, honey. Good night.
That is where I wake up.
Oh, thank God it was just a dream.
Tough day. Will it be easier tomorrow?
I doubt it.
* * * * *
This was 4 years ago when I was working as a department manager with 130 direct reports and 1400 indirect ones. Thanks goodness I don't do this any more.
Last edited:
The doctor asked me what I did to lower my blood pressure at one of my annual physicals a couple of years ago. I said "I retired early". He laughed and said "that'll do it". My life is so much better without the issues/stress of working for a large company in middle management! 
