Work Quirks I Have Learned To Accept

⌛  By Kaylin R. Staten ⌛

I feel like this month’s blog post theme is all about acceptance in both your personal and professional lives. That isn’t what the original intention was, but I will take it and run with it! 

Throughout the tenure of our #behindthehourglass Blog Series, I have talked a little bit about everything, from managing your own public relations campaign to how you can efficiently combat anxiety in your own life.

I try to focus on positive stories and life lessons (both positive and negative), but I wanted to give you more of an inside glimpse on what I do work-wise that may not fit into a “normal” routine.

These are the things that I used to wish I could change, and I tried with all of my might to change my behaviors. But, if I have learned anything about mental health at all on my quest for understanding, I have learned that it’s completely fine to change and NOT change what you want.

Life behind-the-scenes isn’t always glamorous. I mean, I work at home most of the time (especially during these pandemic-remote-working days), so I will clean a toilet one minute and then be on a regional call the next minute. But, I wouldn’t change it for the world because it allows me to do what I love every day while also being able to make time for the people I love the most in the world (my husband and soon-to-be-here son). 

There is give and take with everything, and here are some work quirks I have learned to accept over time:

My inbox will always be full.

This is something my husband and I are complete opposites about. He loves a clean and tidy inbox. Me, on the other hand? I have been known to use all of my allotted storage on just emails alone. I get rid of things when I need to, but you never know when you will need something! I need to focus on cleaning out the junk emails instead of clicking “Read All” because it’s easier. I’ll be honest, though: As long as I read the important emails and address any and all of them, I will sleep very well at night at that 2,000+ email mark.

My phone notifications will never be at zero.

In the same vein as the previous point, my iPhone and iPad notifications will always remain well above the zero mark. I comb through them to assess what is important and what isn’t, but I don’t always clear them. I know this probably isn’t a perfectionistic trait, but hey, I am a selective perfectionist.

Sometimes, I will just get overwhelmed.

As someone with anxious tendencies and a workaholic personality, I will work and work until I get overwhelmed. I’ll try my best to manage my time and will still accomplish tasks, but I don’t always see the clear picture of my efforts. I think I’m not doing enough, that I don’t have time to relax, and so many other unhelpful notions. It’s my process, and the more I accept it, the faster the waves of anxiety and overwhelm will lift from my shoulders to allow me to get actual work done. Overwhelm will just be part of my life at times, and the best way to handle it is to identify it and ways I can help myself get through it.

There are just people I will not work with.

I love being able to work alone but also collaboratively on projects, which is really the best of both worlds. However, even if I forgive someone for a mistake (and I’m talking a big mistake here), I am not one to quickly forget. I am as nice as the next person, but if I cannot trust work to be completed or an alliance to remain intact, I will not take a second chance usually. Personally, I am much more forgiving. In business, I have certain expectations. If I see a pattern, I’ll likely not work with a person, organization, brand, et al again.

I will be too emotional sometimes, and other times, I won’t show any emotion.

There will also be situations in which I will need to take some time to allow my emotions to settle. I have learned that you have to balance between logic and emotions in business to remain professional. If you fly off the handle, then that doesn’t look good. But, if you don’t show emotion when it’s due, then that doesn’t bode well for you, either. I have done both, but I do accept that as part of my personality at times. I always strive to be fair, empathetic, and balanced, but there will be times in which people take advantage and other situations call for more all-or-nothing measures.

My cats will just do things when they shouldn’t.

In today's atmosphere of virtual meetings, I’m sure many of us have seen more cat butts than needed. My cats are no exception. It never fails that when I am trying to do official business, they have a pressing need to walk across my keyboard, climb on shelves behind my camera, and meow when I have to be unmuted. But, you know what? I don’t care if they do embarrassing things anymore. All of us have seen what each others’ homes look like at this point -- at least the rooms in which we are broadcasting from. And my love for cats is definitely part of the brand! 

Kaylin R. Staten, APR, is an award-winning, accredited public relations practitioner and writer based in Huntington, WV with 18 years of professional communications experience. As CEO and founder of Hourglass Media, she uses her compassionate spirit and expertise to delve into the heart of clients’ stories. She is a recovering perfectionist, mental health advocate, wife, Luke’s mom, cat mom, and Leia Organa aficionado. Connect with Kaylin on LinkedIn.