Interface Tales of Toxic Grandfather “Get a Rag!” (s1 e4)

Greetings. We went down to the basement again, walked through long echoing corridors and stopped at the old door leading to the ever-memorable closet. The door is locked. On the crookedly stuck pin the sign sways: “Do not open when the current collector is raised”. Nobody responds to a knock, but clearly someone is inside. After a call to management, the door still unlocks and we are met by Toxic Grandfather.

TD: How are you sick of ...
We: Great, Grandfather.
TD: I actually work.
We: You always work. By the way, how do you motivate yourself?
TD: I did not understand the question.
We: How do you motivate yourself to work?
TD: Yes, I don’t motivate myself. I just work, but I don’t stop.
We: But at the time management training ...
TD: Last time, we already figured out extra-curricular activities, no?
We: Well, yes.
TD: Everything is simple. I have a narrow specialization - complex interfaces, hard b2b. As part of this course, they pay me money, I work.
We: And you are not tired? Not bored?
TD: I 'm tired, bored. But firstly, I am not a fan of these snot, and secondly, I get paid for the work. I sell part of my time, and it does not belong to me. It’s the same as renting a render farm. What is needed is a result, not excuses, that you did not have the motivation to work. You need to work so that you do not need a magic kick, and this is the same work task as any other. If money does not motivate you, then maybe it’s not worth undertaking a specific job? There are many other specializations. Of course, there are a number of methods on how to make your work efficient, such as working with equipment and safety precautions. By equipment I mean brains.
We: Share?
TD: Will you not cry?
We: Do not plan.
TD: Well, that’s smarties. First, stop being such rags. Work is work. If you can't get yourself to work, maybe you're just a lazy ass? Otherwise, everything is trite and a thousand times already voiced. So, in general, it will not be interesting, because I will not say anything new.
- Start going to bed on time already. I'm serious;
beat tasks into smaller ones;
- Write down everything you don't want to forget. Tasks, ideas, thoughts, options, references - all in a “notebook”;
- Move between types of tasks. The best rest is a change of activity, of course, you will still be sitting at the computer, but at least do not drive your brain into a routine;
- Relax between tasks. Even between small ones. Give the brain time to switch, otherwise it will kick you back and its revenge will be scary;
- As soon as the working day ends, the work ends. If you solve work issues in your personal time, then this will contribute to burnout, and not to business. I repeat for the hundredth time. Your job is a marathon. And you are an ordinary runner, of which there are thousands. Do not try to act sprinting methods over long distances, you will quickly get tired, run out of breath and do not run anywhere, although, of course, you will complete the first segment of the distance faster. However, if we consider that our goal is to cover the entire distance, this result will be zero.
Well, last but not least, abstract yourself from the results of your work. You are not your prototype. Criticism and praise are one and the same thing, they should be taken equally calmly. This is part of the job and nothing more. Feedback on your prototype is as much a part of research as analytics. This is the incoming information to be dealt with accordingly. Accepted, analyzed, used. All the nerves that you spend on work will go sideways. Everything that will be passed through emotions will subsequently turn against you. We are artisans, not artists. No need to suffer when pointing to your doorposts. It must be noted and corrected. Any praise is just a signal that in a particular case there is no need for improvements, nothing more.

We: They told us something similar in the courses.
TD: Yes, because it is a triviality that has long been known to everyone. And you promised not to cry, but I warned that it would be boring.
We: And what if you still burn out?
TD: Solve the issue.
We: And how to solve it?
TD: And this is a personal matter for everyone. Here you can again catch up on banalities, but in general, a person can cope with this himself. Of course, if we are not talking about depression, as a medical diagnosis.
We: Did you burn out yourself?
TD: Every six months.
We: III?
TD: Yee ...
We: Well, grandfather!
TD: I manage, as you see.
We: How?
T.D .:I make sure that in my life there is something other than work. Actually the work does not take up much space in it. I have many hobbies, family, friends (oddly enough). Believe me, where is it better to spend free time with loved ones or doing your favorite hobby than to cherish another half-dead pet project in the hope that it will pay off and you will become the new Zuckerberg. You won’t. Accept it, cry, wipe off the snot and start living already. And if your colleague with burning eyes calls you to a coworking weekend to do a super mega project that will undoubtedly bring you fury and glory, do not rush to agree. Most likely this woodpecker will burn out within a couple of years, and you along with it.
We: But now it was tough.
TD: And what's wrong?
We: Yes, that's it!
T.D .:You promised not to cry. It is much more useful for business to spend free time doing something not related to work and constantly try new things. Learn to sail, shoot in the dash, learn to sword, visit the far north, open all categories in rights. Do something fun. And then come to work, and it will also be interesting. Well, what for burnout, if you are interested in living?
We: Well, yes.
T.D .:And vice versa, if you wrinkle your mind for 12 hours a day in complex cabnages, and spend half the weekend in the notorious extra-curricular activities, then something is wrong with you. A normal working day does not exceed 4-5 hours, the rest of the time should be breaks, switching between tasks and other related services. If you work more, you will become more tired. If you get tired more, it will take more time to recover, but you don’t have it. Fatigue will accumulate and problems will begin. Distribute the efforts correctly and then you will have a chance to run this marathon to the end, and maybe show a decent result.
We: Something you broke up.
TD: Yes, you just arrived at the wrong time.
We: Okay, then we'll go.
T.D .:Flag to you in this ...
We: Say goodbye to readers?
TD: This is so ... nya, little ones.