an email I received at work today from the owner of the company.
Gina,
I really need you to get in by 9:30 as your regular schedule, unless D#### knows at least a day in advance and has agreed to a later schedule for you. I know you’ve been working less than 40 hours a week, but getting it past 10 sends a bad message to A#### and others who are getting in on time every day.
If you need to have a later schedule, just be sure Dave is aware at least a day ahead of time, and that it works with the anticipated workflow.
Let me know if this is a problem.
B####
This is the second time she has told me this. The first was in a meeting in her office. I am screwing up and I need to fix this. But I don’t seem to be able to.
It is whole my issue and completely in my control, I know this. But I seem to keep making the same choices every morning. I am undermining myself and this is a sign that I am reaching the end of my leash. The stick isn’t working and I am lacking a carrot. I don’t have anything that looks like a carrot to use because I seem to be in a carrot-less point of my life. Not that there aren’t carrots, just that I am not seeing them as carrots. The only things that have even a vaguely carrot shape to me are not good for me.
If you think it would help, I’m willing to call you and talk to you in the mornings.
I’m just a tad too far away to bring you breakfast and talk to you.
sadly the talking to someone trick stopped working. I am behaving much more belligerent about it in the mornings. Having someone make breakfast (and not getting it in bed) might help that that one isn’t even on the horizon as a possibility.
I’ve been having a similar problem at my job for the past three years now (and somehow I’ve managed not to get fired yet despite repeated verbal and written warnings). I don’t know why I continue to be late every day when I know it’s not good for me or my workplace. I suppose if I really liked my job I might not have this problem. Anyway, good luck to you in finding the proverbial carrot. It will come, sooner or later.
A difference is that I sort of like my job. I like the people and I have fun here. There are boring bits but that is regular.
I also have a hard time going home at night from my job. I sit and do stupid stuff on the computer and end up going home in time to sleep and come in the next day.
I have been doing the late thing for years. It was bad at my last perm job 3 years ago but my old boss didn’t have a problem with it because I was such a good worker. The new boss did have issues and it became one of the things he would ride my case about. For awhile I would get better. Now those tricks don’t work anymore. Since then I have managed to get away with it. It did cost me a job that I really didn’t like so I didn’t care and thought the problem was with the job. Guess it is more than that. Ah poo.
Sometimes getting away with something is not the best thing to have happen. Good luck with what is best for you and your job.
That’s interesting; what is it that keeps you there late at night? Do you think that if you went home earlier you might feel more inclined to get to work earlier in the morning?
I think it is inertia. I just don’t want to move from one place to the other. Most of the time I spend late at work is playing stupid computer games.
It might not hurt to go home sooner so I have a feeling of some down time. But once again, there is the motivation thing.
Oddly enough, I really like my job and I am still having this problem. I think I’m experiencing a sense of rebelliousness for having to work.
I like my job. I am thinking a component is a reaction to transition. The job is still new and therefore different than what I know so it is difficults in that way.
I am hoping that component will go away as I get used to it here and settle in.
I wonder if that’s part of my problem, too. Thinking back on it, I’ve had this problem at just about every job I’ve ever had.
I feel your pain here, except I haven’t gotten a note/warning yet. I ought to have, I’m sure.
But yeah, I’m having a hard time seeing very many worthwhile carrots.
Bingo
The only worthwhile reward for showing up early would be if you really are working noticeably less than 40 hours would be getting off early. There are lots of things which are easier to do if you can leave work around 3 (or earlier) instead of 5, without impinging on your social time.
I’ve had the same problem, though not always as bad, for a very long time, and it’s probably put me higher up on the layoff list when that time comes. With my work, I can usefully start very early (7am or earlier), and leave early if I’ve started early, so every once in a while I shift my sleep cycle. I’ve also used going to the gym or other early morning activity to help my timing.
Considering I tend to stay at work and goof off after I am done, sometimes as late as 8:30 or 10:00pm, this isn’t much of an incentive. I was just find staying late if I came in late but my boss wasn’t. She feels I was setting a bad example for those that made it on time.
If I showed up on time, I would get my 40 hours in and that would mean more money. But that isn’t a strong motivator for me anyway.
Can you get up earlier ?
Well you know how bad I am about this.
My cure aside from giving Jadecat9 carte blanch to hit me in the morning was simply going to bed earlier. If I go to sleep at 10:30 I get up at 7:00 almost without fail and to the announce of the cats and Jadecat9.
just try that.
Having the cats and Jadecat9 around might actually be a help for me. Sadly, I don’t really have an option like that.
A problem I have about going to bed earlier is that I have to wait to go to sleep. Typically it is at least 20 minutes. I try to go to bed at 10pm and have ended up turning the light out around 11:30pm. I need to do better on this.
If I go to bed at 9pm and actually make it to bed with the lights out, I swear I was lying there endlessly waiting to go to sleep. I try not to watch the clock but I have had to keep myself from getting up and doing something productive on the computer at midnight after waiting for hours to sleep.
The best time for me to fall asleep easily is right after I get home from work. All I want to do is fall into bed and snooze. Sadly that is around 7 or 8pm and then I will wake up anywhere from 10 to midnight and be wide awake and needing more sleep.
I have a feeling you are one of those that fall asleep anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes after you laydown and close your eyes.
Good suggestion and one I need to work on better. It doesn’t work for me quite like it does for you but it would probably help some.
For a while, it helped me to make it a crisis to get out of the house by 15 minutes before I had to leave. However, I hated my job, so that didn’t work forever. (When I hate my job, nothing is going to get me coming in on time, honestly.)
I know of which you speak, and the only thing that ever vaguely works for me is attempting to fool myself about when I need to be at work.
If I tell myself I have to be there at 8am, instead of 9am, by the time I realize what I’m doing, it’s too late to do anything about it. So I either wind up at work/event early, or I’ve put it off and I’m on time.
If you can start doing this, perhaps it can become a habit. Fake it ’til you make it, and all that.
IAWTC, and have also found that setting every clock and watch in my house 10 minutes fast can help.
of course, today would be the day I forgot what time my massage actually WAS and we got there 55 minutes early… I thought we were LATE, LATE OMG! *sigh*
can you take some kind of nice breakfasty treat and leave it at the office? a particular, favorite tea, your favorite pastry? a promise to self to swing by S###bucks or something, if you are on time?
I agree with johnpalmer too… when I hate my job, almost nothing will get me there on time. It is a difficult thing to do.
Been there, none that.
My alarm is something like 6-10 minutes fast. The clock in my bathroom is around 15 minutes fast. The clock in the kitchen is close to on time. For the actual time, I need to check the little time display on the phone. And these fast clocks need to be sort of fast. If I knew the exact time fast, then I would just calculate the actual time and screw myself up worse. I have been doing this since High School.
As for breakfasty treat, I don’t like eating. I force myself to eat something bland first thing in the morning so I have energy to move and get ready. The need for food and not wanting it can add to the problem. Most things I would consider treats are sugar and that is a very bad way to start my day. And no caffeine for me either.
Good ideas but I already wore them out.
Been there, done that.
I tell myself that I have to be at work at 8:30am and was getting in at 10:00am. It used to have a better return on this faking it but it has gotten to a point where it a little like a drug. I need to do it but I have to do it so much that it isn’t worth much anymore.
A Good idea that I wore out already.
There’s no chance you can’t work out a later scheduled with D##? Or is it a case of if you arranged to work 10 – 6, you’d start sliding to 11-7?
I take it that a regular paycheck is not a sufficient carrot? (It’s what keeps me going when I’m blithering with fury at my non-existent career path).
Erm… biofeedback? Electroshocks from the alarm clock? Half a sleeping pill at 9PM?
While it is true that if I start planning on coming in at 10, it is likely to slide to 11, it is the owner (B***) that has an issue with my arrival time. D*** seems ok with it and my co-worker A*** is shocked at me showing up so early. He likes us having a staggered schedule so one of us can cover when the other is not here. If there is work to be done at the end of the day, I can take it and he can leave with a clean conscience.
Regular paycheck is a sufficient carrot. The amount of said paycheck isn’t. That is what is so worry. I don’t want to lose the regular paycheck. Sadly the sleepy version of me doesn’t care because the paycheck is not in her hands at that precise moment.
Electroshocks from the alarm would probably work. Not sure how well I would deal with the day if that were to happen.
I have tried the sleeping pill thing with Melatonin. Sadly I would take one and be dead dog sleepy within half an hour, which is good. But I found that I started only being able to sleep about 4 hours a night after only 3 nights taking the supplement. And that lasted for at least a week after I stopped taking it. I now keep it for emergency uses when I need to sleep and can pay the price later.
Good ideas, some not Gina workable ideas.
Now if only I could get someone to deliver a breakfast. It could be waiting at my door and if I don’t get up, it will get cold and might go away.