Every once in a while we have to turn away from what’s really important to us and spend a day doing nothing but office work. (Some folks have more days like this than others, i understand.)
We have to step away from our microphones, our consoles, our stringed instruments, our reeds; put down our welding tools, the paint brush and canvas, the lens, the soldering iron, the script, the stage.
We are overcome by ledgers and memos, faxes and voice-mail. We can’t sort out what the next step forward is, unfinished paperwork strewn everywhere.
This isn’t our game, we say, but we must play it. And we need survival tactics. Because some of these office days are worse than others. We feel we could be lost forever in the blizzard of lists, invoices, receipts, “official” correspondence.
Recently, Ms M. offered such a lifeline:
I’ve developed a new strategy for work days like this. You know how in computer lingo, “What you see is what you get” becomes a rather Welsh-looking WYSIWYG (pronounced “whiz-ee-wig”)?
My strategy is “What you see is what you do”, WYSIWYD, or “whiz-ee-wid”.
I proclaim today a whizeewid day. I’m just going to do whatever is in front of my nose and not think about anything else.
I second the proclamation. All in favor?
