In about four days I am off to the States for Christmas. I am looking forward to seeing my family, getting some sun (it is most often gray during the day here in Geneva during the winter – and I am spending too much time underground), not wondering how much that pair of sneakers is in dollars this week, and just not thinking too much about work. Its good to have a break, and I still like to fly, I don’t know why…
But about work, I have thought of some “resolutions” for the next year:
- I will not scribble my to-do lists everywhere and then have to sort though a pile of notes to figure out what I noted. I will write them down on the same piece of paper in legible handwriting. I will actually write the critical things in my notebook again. Scraps of paper get lost.
- I will actually take at least a half hour for lunch and go away from my computer or electronics to give my eyes a break. Even if I just stare at the wall while I eat. Eating in front of your computer risks sticky/crumby keys and orange juice on the screen.
- I will not send e-mails without checking the TO: field carefully since Mac Mail auto-completes the name, and it isn’t always the right person. So-and-so doesn’t need to hear about the missing cables.
- I will write documentation with details for my colleagues.
- I will label things – spare parts, cables, etc. so my colleagues can find them too.
- I will find time to read about physics and not browse the electronic parts and tools at Farnell.
- I will work on my French conversation so that I don’t get hung up on because I am taking too long to formulate my sentence on the phone. Not everyone here speaks English!
- I will try to keep the lab and the cabinet underground neat. I will not dump things on the lab bench.
- I will remember to turn off the soldering iron/microscope lamp.
- And lastly, I will not procrastinate the jobs I don’t like. Better to get them done and over with then fret over doing them! The scratches from the cable ties and the banged knuckles heal.
Happy New Year et Bonne Année
Pam
