Working at the Weekend
This hasn't been a very restful weekend.
I spent yesterday trying to get all the information needed to send it to my accountant to fill in my tax return.
Yes, I could have done it in September. Or even in April. But I didn't. I'd like to say it was because I was too busy - and, yes, I was busy - but, let's face it, it's because when the choice comes down to:
Compile Information For Tax Return
or
Almost Anything Else
then I know which wins, every time. It's the sort of job that makes cleaning the oven sound very attractive.
But I don't have enough of a devil-may-care enough personality to say oh, sod it, I'll pay the fine and do it after the deadline. So what I typically do - every year - is allow myself just enough time to do it, and then do it in a rush, and end up paying too much tax.
And after spending much of yesterday rummaging through the filing cabinet, it was the actors' agency (that I work for)'s monthly meeting this afternoon: a good meeting, but it took me all morning to prepare for it, as it usually does.
And in amongst it all my cousin and his family arrived for lunch - which luckily Emily and Gareth bought and prepared - and their daughter Helaina (who, you may recall, is one of the Women's Own Children of Courage this year, hurrah) tried on her bridesmaid's dress for Emily and Gareth's wedding, and it fitted. Good.
They had lunch at my parents' house because our house was full of actors.
The meeting went well, but lasted from two o'clock until well after five o'clock.
And then this evening I've been learning a script for a role I'm playing for an exam for nurses, tomorrow morning. Then the rest of the day I'll be back in the office, catching up on the minutes of the meeting and suchlike.
When I look at this, all written down, I think I really should do less. The trouble is, I enjoy all the work I do - and I know I'm very lucky in this.
But then I think hey, I must take care of myself, because if I don't then everything will go pear-shaped. All my life I've just assumed that if there's a few hours' gap in the day then another job can be fitted into it.
I blame the school I went to, where work, not leisure, was most definitely the aim.
I know that's wrong: there has to be a balance. I must do better in getting the balance right.
I spent yesterday trying to get all the information needed to send it to my accountant to fill in my tax return.
Yes, I could have done it in September. Or even in April. But I didn't. I'd like to say it was because I was too busy - and, yes, I was busy - but, let's face it, it's because when the choice comes down to:
Compile Information For Tax Return
or
Almost Anything Else
then I know which wins, every time. It's the sort of job that makes cleaning the oven sound very attractive.
But I don't have enough of a devil-may-care enough personality to say oh, sod it, I'll pay the fine and do it after the deadline. So what I typically do - every year - is allow myself just enough time to do it, and then do it in a rush, and end up paying too much tax.
And after spending much of yesterday rummaging through the filing cabinet, it was the actors' agency (that I work for)'s monthly meeting this afternoon: a good meeting, but it took me all morning to prepare for it, as it usually does.
And in amongst it all my cousin and his family arrived for lunch - which luckily Emily and Gareth bought and prepared - and their daughter Helaina (who, you may recall, is one of the Women's Own Children of Courage this year, hurrah) tried on her bridesmaid's dress for Emily and Gareth's wedding, and it fitted. Good.
They had lunch at my parents' house because our house was full of actors.
The meeting went well, but lasted from two o'clock until well after five o'clock.
And then this evening I've been learning a script for a role I'm playing for an exam for nurses, tomorrow morning. Then the rest of the day I'll be back in the office, catching up on the minutes of the meeting and suchlike.
When I look at this, all written down, I think I really should do less. The trouble is, I enjoy all the work I do - and I know I'm very lucky in this.
But then I think hey, I must take care of myself, because if I don't then everything will go pear-shaped. All my life I've just assumed that if there's a few hours' gap in the day then another job can be fitted into it.
I blame the school I went to, where work, not leisure, was most definitely the aim.
I know that's wrong: there has to be a balance. I must do better in getting the balance right.
posted by Daphne at 8:59 pm
4 Comments:
I know what you mean about fitting jobs into spare time. I got to the stage where I actually felt guilty if I am not doing something work-related. I'm still having to work on that one!
bananas
H'm. Daphne's been showing me how to leave a comment. "Write gobbledigook and then just press Preview," I said. She wrote 'bananas' and then forgot and pressed Publish. "Don't worry" I said, "I'll write an appropriate comment," so here it is. - Ladies, you are both speaking nonsense. There you go claiming to change your lifestyles and shake off the shackles of your guilt-ridden pasts and what words do you choose? "I must do better" and "I'm still having to work." - Go on, give in to guilt. You know you love it. -Alternatively, retire to a desert island with a bunch of bananas. I dare you.
is that Mr Robertson?
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