Goal Progress–Apr 2020

Posted on May 1, 2020 by way0utwest

Time for my monthly progess report on goals. I set goals and had an update last month. This month, I’ve had a reminder for 4 days that says “work on goals” on my desktop. The reason it says 4 days is that I dismissed it last week. Otherwise it would say 11 days.

Reading

I haven’t tackled the non fiction, non technical book other than a few pages. However I did go through another chapter in the Pro Power BI Desktop book. Most of the intermediate chapters I skimmed through last month or early this month were based on loading data from different sources. Those are all variations on a theme, so I didn’t do much more than skim.

Chapter 7, however, on transforming data, was more interesting. This is where I can use some skills, and where I learned how to do somethings like change the locale interpretation for data. Things I need to do since I work with UK data at times and I’m a US date person. I practiced a few things so I did learn a bit.

Projects

No specific progress, but I did start working on a live stairway class, going through DAX stuff, which will help me here.

Report

Overall, I’m failing at these goals, but coping with life.

I’ll give myself a D for now.

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Are You Ready To Change Your Work Environment?

Posted on May 1, 2020 by way0utwest

It’s Friday, it’s been a long few months, and I’m wondering what you think of work now that many of us are telecommuting. This week, I’m wondering if you want to answer one of these questions?

  • If you are telecommuting full time for the first time, do you want to continue doing so?
  • If you are telecommuting full time for the first time, are you ready to go back to an office?
  • If you’ve been working from home for some time, are you ready to go back to an office with people around?
  • Do you just need a variety in your working environment?

These are questions I’ve asked myself many times across the last few decades. My thoughts and answers have changed a bit over the years, and even now they’re different than they used to be a few months ago. Right now, I want to go back to an office more often than I used to go. I usually go to the Redgate Cambridge office four times a year, and the US offices rarely. I think after this, I’d like to get to each office in the US a couple times a year and four times in Cambridge. I miss talking to live co-workers. I might feel differently when this shut in ends, but I miss having some people around.

For almost ten years, I drove to an office every day while my wife worked at home. I was jealous, and wanted to telecommute full time, but none of my management would allow it. Then for almost another ten years I worked at home with my wife. She traveled quite often, and I struggled with the loneliness of being by myself. I often went to lunches with friends or sat in a Starbucks and worked, just to have some other people around. The third phase of my work environment has me at home alone often, but also on the road regularly, so I haven’t struggled with the times I’ve been alone in my office for weeks.

I don’t know how things will move forward from here. I’m sure something will change, and I look forward to societies finding ways to open things up over time. I know we’ll adapt and cope, but I also know that even the most introverted of us is a social creature and we do need some contact with others. Today, I wonder if your views of how we want to work have changed.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.

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Daily Coping 1 May 2020

Posted on May 1, 2020 by way0utwest

I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

The tip to day is to focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t.

I think I wasted three weeks (or more) thinking about what I couldn’t do. I missed a trip to the UK, I missed volleyball tournaments. Even weeks later, as I accepted some of the changes, I still was saddened as reminders came up for things to do (I had a couple other trips), or cancellations appeared (SQL Sat Richmond and Va Beach). Even now, I mourn some of the events that Redgate had tentatively planned, which are unlikely to take place.

Slowly I’m learning to appreciate other things. I’ve gotten caught up on some ranch repairs, which would have been harder if I was in the “normal” busy schedule.

I get to cook more and eat dinner with the family. Those are things I do because I have more time, life is slower, and my daughter is home from college.

I’m able to row more at home, which is something I haven’t done in a decade. Not that I don’t miss other things, but I have learned to appreciate rowing a couple times a week as a way of getting exercise. I’m also drinking more water (coping 25 Apr) with the water bottles filled up every morning.

More importantly, I get more time with my wife, which is great. I’m even riding with her some days, which she loves.

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Daily Coping 30 Apr 2020

Posted on April 30, 2020 by way0utwest

I’ve started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here.

Today’s tip is

Take a minute to remember what really matters to you and why.

For me, what really matters is my family. Everything else can go way, but I chose my wife and produced my children. Ultimately, I appreciate every minute I get with them.

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