Dinner’s on the table, but I still haven’t decided what to do about work next year.
Even over dinner, I pause with my spoon when I think about how much I’ll work next year.
Scenes
- I pause with my spoon when I think about work next year — At dinner, when I think about how much I’ll work next year, I find myself staring at the note beside my bowl.
- I wrote down how much work there is — The note has a mix of tasks to cut and tasks to keep. I still don’t know how my day might change if I cross out one or the other.
- What to look at before workload — When I change jobs in midlife, I separate workload from the pace of my day. Even if I work the same hours, working without a break changes how much energy I have left by evening.
- After dinner, look at just one thing — Tonight, try writing down just one thing you have to do first tomorrow, beside your note. Once it’s there, you may notice whether you have time to rest afterward.
- Some lines are still undecided — It’s okay to leave a line on the note even if you can’t cross it out yet. Next time, I’d like to look at it with you and explore what kind of day you’re hoping for.
Stories by Onyu
- Onyu
- Even after a meeting, I come home and have to explain why I need to rest.
- Just before clocking out, the clock reminds me of a request
- Gray hair reflected in the window on a rainy day
- Right before clocking out, I pause before canceling our plans
- Right before quitting time, just thinking about learning makes me check the clock.
- Right before clocking out, I can’t think of what to say to a friend.
- I keep checking the clock just before quitting time.
- When I pause at the door, my dinner gets pushed back again.