That Friday Feeling

It's suddenly Friday again and time to plan and plot for two days 'off'. Well, with 2 young boys and garden that resembles the Somme, I doubt I'm going to have much time off; but Friday it is and tonight time for a few beers.

On the subject of beers, did you know that 3 pints in one night and you are technically a binge drinker? No, neither did I. Five or 6 pints maybe, but three? But thanks to Nanny State, three pints and you're heading for an early grave. These days it seems that we're all doing everything that's wrong: driving too much, too little exercise, too many cigarettes, too many poor meals, too few family meals together... the list goes on (and on).

But back to Friday. If you've spent the last 4 days looking forward to knocking off today then you're likely to experience is the Monday Morning Blues. Nothing worse than the sense of dread if you have a job that you don't really enjoy. Then, of course, there is the Sunday Syndrome: the slightly worried feeling in the pit of your stomach, which means that what should be a relaxing two days off, is actually only about a day and a half before you're back to thinking about work.

Mondays come round as surely as night follows day, and before you know you are back at work. If you enjoy your work as much as that, then how productive are you being and should you not look at moving on? Your boss isn't getting particularly good value from you because it's probably Wednesday before you've settled into the week and by Thursday it's the emotional wind-down for the weekend.

If you enjoy your work and perhaps spend a lot of your time in the office, or whatever constitutes your 'office', then there are the issues of work-life balance nagging in the background. If you spend what is perceived to be too long at work then there are those that suggest that you're either inefficient or you're part of the presenteeism culture: staying at your desk just to look good for the boss.

Of course , there has to be a balance between being dragged to the office and being dragged from the office, but surely it is better to be motivated and focused, rather than resenting every minute that you're at work. For one, time evaporates and the weekend comes round faster (and you enjoy more of the weekend), and for two, life's surely too short to spend a third of your life with a cloud over your head.

And talking of clouds over your head, the next time it's raining go out for a walk. The relevance here? Absolutely zero, but it's a great feeling to be out in the wet especially when we're always trying to avoid getting wet we forget the simple pleasures of being connected to nature, which can be enjoyed whether you love or loathe your job.

Ciao.