Remember to keep it in perspective
Its all about perspective. Being an IT Manager can be both interesting and quite frustrating, working on problems of all sizes at all hours day and night. It may seem like the biggest issue in the world that a printer is not working quite right or that there are problems with some Group Policy Object somewhere on the network, but what about the true size of these issues?
Unless you ar working on a project or in a company where lives depend on the success and failure of IT, there is no reason to see a project as quite that important. The users will be alright if it takes a few days to get an issue resolved or an upgrade completed. They likely do not see it that way, but it is imperative, for your health and sanity (and technical problem solving ability) that you keep these issues in perspective.
Recently I had been working on a software upgrade that was just frustrating as ever and seemed to have Murphy riding copilot. Every possible bump in the road seemed to jump into my path. Something that might have been a 4 hour project went on for over a week and was quite the experience. The air near my office was colorful to say the least. However during the middle of this upgrade, a close family member had a stint in the hospital, and suddenly there are much bigger problems than why the .Net component of my upgrade is failing.
For me, this has been a huge eye opener. Yes I am still passionate as ever about my job and what I do, so things do frustrate me, but when looking at these things in the grand scheme of life, they are very small. Important, sure, but not nearly the huge catastrophe they started off to be.
How to gain perspective
You do not need to wait for a huge and traumatic life event to look at your life and put things in perspective. Sure it sometimes seems that way, but there are other ways to look at these issues:
Reflect – take time at the end of the day/week/project to reflect on that period and make notes about your actions and the outcome. Look at the results to see if you achieved what you hoped you would, and find places where you might have done things differently or improved.
Be objective – take yourself out of the equation and try to see things ffrom multiple points of view. Looking at it from the point of view of the end user asking the question or from the point of view of an uninvolved person might help you see where you could handle a situation differently.
Take Notes – carry a notepad and a pen with you and write things down. Whether just a list of items you would like to get someday or notes to help you understand an issue, they will keep you focused and prevent the brain drain of trying to remember everything.
Taking notes can also help prompt questions to others and allow you to listen actively. This will also show your co-workers you are doing everything you can to help them.
Relax – take the time to do something nice for yourself and your family. You do not need to book a week long vacation to the Alps, but a nice dinner out (or in) on a Sunday afternoon with no phones, laptops, or digital distractions would be a nice way to engage with those closest to you, and to give you a few minutes to unplug.
These things are helping me to keep things in perspective. Sure I slip off the wagon sometimes, but I can always pick myself up and keep right on going. I have also found that unexpected or random kindness works too.
Thinking outside of the technical arena and the workplace, there are always those who could use a little of whatever help you might be able to offer, even if it only involves holding the door open for someone.
