Bob Barcus > 2013 > July > Relieve the Stress

Relieve the Stress

Posted by Bob Barcus on July 18th, 2013

It’s amazing how much stress I can feel after I wake up in the morning after a restful night. One of the first things I do is grab my phone or tablet and check my email. Consistently, there are several messages waiting for me across a handful of email accounts that range from “outsource your jobs to India” to “I screwed up my website – help!” It’s always lovely to see those first thing in the morning.

I know what you’re thinking, “Bob, just don’t check your email.” I have a hard time explaining to my friends and family that not checking my email is not an option. If I don’t check my messages and respond within a reasonable amount of time, people start calling. Then I’m on the phone for hours.

Not that I’m bitching about my customers, but some of them think that I work 24/7 or that their fixes are simple affairs. I’ve had people call me at 10 o’clock at night with question about their computers. Others have emailed me at midnight and called the next morning wondering why their changes haven’t been made yet. It amazes me.

There’s actually an entire website dedicated to those types of people I described above. It’s called Clients from Hell. Occasionally, I’ll thumb through the stories that other tech and web gurus have posted about their own experiences. It’s not only a place to vent about our troubles, but also a place where I don’t feel so alone. Somehow, knowing that thousands of other people have the same problems that I do makes me feel a little better.

Working in the IT field can be very stressful. That stress can last a day, a week or even longer. The best way I can describe some projects is to equate them to the children’s song “The Song That Never Ends.” The parameters of some projects change so many times and are so long and drawn-out by the customer that they become “The Project That Never Ends.” It’s not my fault when a customer changes their mind a hundred times, but they sure can make you feel like it’s your fault. Grin and bear it, I guess.

Somebody asked me the other day when I had my last vacation. I had to think for a little while, but I guess the last time I actually got away from everything was in March of 2011. I think it’s about time for another vacation – before I go off on a customer and really regret it.


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