breathing room

 Work has slowed a bit.  It's still busy AF but it's not frenetic requiring 14 hour days busy.  

My team has upped their game, with the newest member finally doing her job.  We started with her blaming everyone, picking fights, refusing to work, deleting to-do lists to avoid work and causing us all more work.  I diligently documented and looped in management because COME ON.  At two team meetings ago she said she was happy working with our team, but then she kept fucking shit up hard.  Like beyond not giving a fuck, it was to sabotage.  Management started having meetings about action against her (and I got warned that my emails were being reviewed along with all others so just to be cautious).  Another person in her role stepped up on an assignment for me and it honestly brought tears to my eyes how kind and helpful and competent she was, and while I've been trying to make the best of a bad situation, I just started to imagine my work life with her instead.  

Then yesterday my new person lit up our team meeting in a good way.  Instead of destroying our notes with her assignments, she actually completed assignments and knew what was going on.  Our meetings usually painful and protracted was efficient and on task.  We even had time to talk through some big-level efficiency challenges and end on time.  When management tried to log on, we were done.  I made positive reports.  New team member said she'd taken a weekend getaway and it really helped her reset herself.  At least for the day, that definitely worked.  I don't know that I've ever seen such a drastic change.  I hope it sticks. 

The difference between working with sabotage and working with a team who is on top of things is night and day with stress levels.  

I do have another weak team member but she's leaving in a couple of weeks so i have basically just stopped talking to her.  She drives me crazy with her lack of initiative even when given direction.  I'm just trying to stay polite at this point, and the less we interact the better.  

Anyway.  The workload itself has also eased and I have some time and space to do better.  We've got some adjustments in workload with new hires and people coming back from leave and I gave one of my really big projects away, and I'm wondering if I can actually just work eight hours a day for awhile. 

Being in the new house gives some breathing room, too.  Still so much to do but I'm here and that's a lot less stressful than being somewhere else.  And working from home some seems like an improvement.  We'll see how that goes.  

I'm feeling lucky and frankly kind of proud of myself.  The me of 30 years ago who lived in this town couldn't even really imagine having a career and owning a home.  I always worked hard but I had no idea how to strategize.  And I'm still not strategic, but I am doing ok.  So long as my health holds, I'm on track for retiring in six years or so.  No idea what comes after that but I'm sure it'll be good.