A problem that I am not nearly on top of at work: when I have got up-to-my-ass-in alligators work, then urgently need to settle down to some hours’ slog at bring work that needs to be painstakingly done.
Like today: as most of my colleagues are suddently on sick leave or are traveling I am stuck with all of technical support, plus my usual project work.
9 am to about 4-5 pm: Customers’ calls come in fast, and most of them are urgent - they are on plants that need to get commissioned/fixed, each nonworking day costing thousands of euros in lost production. Need to diagnose problems that are very ill defined at first, scan old code for hints, organize spare parts, need to shut up customer at phone so I can get to putting his urgent spare parts shipment together, talking as fast as possible, frantically work to close problem before another call comes in, dial in into plants’ modems. Most important goal of conversation: end conversation ASAP. Interact with colleagues whose work has timescale of weeks rather than minutes. Three callbacks with solutions to problems that I had promised pending, when a new call comes in. No time for complete sentences. What you want? Need today? Can call tomorrow morning? Need to do callback before customer leaves for day.
Then, calm.
Customers have knocked off for the day.
I am left a bit giddy.
Reaction sets in.
Time for some personal calls.
Now, for about two hours of project work that needs to be done before tomorrow morning.
All in all, not an excessive total amount of work, but shifting gears from high-adrenaline to boring-but-needs-to-be-done-exactly-right goes badly for me.
I know that if I rest now I’ll doze (even if I am not in sleep debt) and won’t get anything done. What will probably happen is my doing two hours’ work in four hours.
Does anyone know good techniques for this shifting of gears?