Re: boredom vs.burnout

["Karen E. Black" <kblack_text -at- hotmail -dot- com>]

Oh, yes. I went from a full-time, long-term job (lone writer or one 
co-worker) to a 9-month contract on a big doc team to another full-time job 
with a big doc team. I was fired there because, with almost nothing 
productive to do at work, I surfed the 'net half the time. I spent every 
evening on my way home talking myself up, and had myself more than 
half-convinced I was burning out after 12 years. Naw -- just bored out of my 
skull. I could weep when I think of it now.

I must have the attention span of a gnat; I love multiple tasks, being able 
to shift quickly from one mode to another. This week I'm moving from one 
short training module to another <stitch - for newly hired CSRs>, as fast as 
I can crank them out, edited a service level agreement for my VP-CIO, 
re-wrote a hiring announcement for my director, and edited and reformatted a 
technology white paper for Sales. I have a meeting to review functional 
requirements, and we may go out for lunch on Friday. I also have my work cut 
out for me for the next 5 weeks (new training doc, technical doc, reporting 
doc). This is not to say that by Christmas I will not be surfing the 'net 
half the time again, but at this job I can put it on my time sheet as 
research or internal education.

Some writers like, and thrive in, a team environment, the stability of 
writing up a single product or system, or a steady pace with little 
pressure. Others like the boiling-point deadline stuff, ever-new technology 
demands, and some even like time or staff management and prioritizing tasks. 
The feeling of burnout might be a symptom of boredom, or it may indicate a 
need for a change in lifestyle or jobstyle.

My "therapy" was the choice, among several job offers, of the one that 
offered the most variety. It HAS taken a while, but I'm doing the work I 
really like to do, and I am finally beginning to feel appreciated. Yippee ki 
ay.