Tales from a Team Lead

"an idle mind is the devil's playground" ~ American proverb.

In searching, I found out that this quote doesn't really have a particular source except that its a disambiguation of the line "Idle hands are the devil's tools". It means that Idleness is the root of mischief. This maxim has been traced back to Geoffrey Chaucer's "Tale of Melibee" (14th century).

Well, I hope there are no demons here at work, lol.

I am not used to no pressure and slow pace at work. I feel like it's like a storm. You are in the middle of the eye and it's all silent. But once the storm moves on, the strong winds, rain and flying debris come rushing in falling all abruptly on you.

We currently have no "big project" at the moment and I am just handling only a fourth of who I used to handle. People got promoted and moved to help me out. Now I am not used to not cramming, staying overtime (with no pay) to encode, fix files and send out reports.

I guess after some time anyone would get so used to what he is doing that even with closed eyes, the job will be done flawlessly. But lo! Over-confidence may also lead to disaster. It's good to be keen, particular to small details and as my boss used to say (I do not hear this from him anymore lately), "We need to be OC sometimes".

OC or obsessive compulsive, in reality, is a medical condition. This is an anxiety disorder based on the dread that something bad will happen. The sufferer feels compelled to voluntarily perform irrational, time-consuming behaviors to diminish the anxiety. But at my work, it's the same except for the word "irrational".

Sure, we have to be extra careful even if it takes us hours and hours to figure out what's wrong or find other possible solutions. I guess I am trained this way and I see right away a small flaw, a detail, that is often not seen by first glance by others. The tendency for this attitude is positive, as people (even Sups or your own boss too!) approaches you to ask your advice or look at their work.

Now going back to the "storm"... Let's see in the coming days if we get busy or not. Maybe my boss is just not divulging any information at the moment but I sense it. For now, I am prepared and will keep my poise. Although at the moment, let me sit back, enjoy the dull moment and breathe...