It may sound like the answer to an interview question. And it also may be a complete lie. But I have always told myself that I work well under pressure.

Why Do I Work Well Under Pressure You May Ask?

When things are going smoothly, I get antsy and/or bored. I know “antsy” and “bored” may seem to be opposites. But for me, they’re not.

Also, having a little fire under my ass motivates me.

When I was still in the corporate world, I get very good at learning efficient ways of doing my work. I became a master of the spreadsheet and all the functionality I could squeeze out of them. When I could maximize the impact of using merge-memos, database imports, macros, pivot charts, graphs, etc., I could shorten the amount of time it took me to do many tasks. And I could re-use the template for other similar tasks.

And that’s just spreadsheets. When you maximize the use of key tools, you gain efficiencies.

Once I got really efficient, I would find that I could get through a very full in-box in no time at all. And I’d be left bored and unmotivated. So I’d play around (a LOT) and let the in-box fill up. And then when I’d start to worry that I might not be able to get it all done, I go into high gear. It was kind of exhilarating for me. And most importantly, it kept me motivated.

And This Applies To Me Today How?

So lately, I’ve been procrastinating to “let my in-box fill up.”

I’ve got two Men’s Kitting Retreats I’m working on:

• Preparations for the Spring retreat in less than 2 weeks
• Preparing for the Fall retreat which opens for registration a week from this Saturday

For the most imminent retreat, I have a lot to do.

MSKR 2023 to-do list:

• Personalized agendas
• Name tags
• Bag pin-backed buttons
• Thank you bags for workshop leader volunteers
• Project bags and give-aways
• Retreat venue forms, payments and correspondence
• Finishing the afghan gift for two of the retreat staff members

NEMFKR 2023 to-do list:

• Finish web site registration page
• Set up e-mail and social media campaign
• Prepare all spreadsheets, PayPal accounts and documents for tracking registrations/attendees

Yes, I have a pretty pregnant in-box. And the fire under my ass is burning a bit too hot. But I’m motivated and working like a demon.

Current Knitting

Sad to say that I’ve completed less than half of the last stripe on the Rios Slip-Stitch Afghan.

So, other than the glimpse of the afghan in the video above, I have no progress photos. But I will definitely finish it by this weekend.