What are you doing checking your MySpace while you're at work! No, not because you should be working, but because you've got a million things to do on your holiday to-do list, from mailing out holiday cards to buying gifts to planning your holiday party schedule.
Well, it turns out that it's a good thing you are here, as I have compiled an extremely useful compendium of things you can do on company time -- in between all the conversations with your co-workers about egg nog recipes, the Charlie Brown Christmas special, end of the year bonuses, and the office holiday party -- in order to make sure you get every item on your holiday to-do list checked off. NOTE: These helpful ideas are from my Working For The Man book, where you'll find similar fun and offbeat strategies to make your time in the workplace actually work for you.
Make your holiday cards: I'm a major proponent of people making their own holiday cards. It's so easy to make a really cool card - just get some nice card stock paper, preferably something right out of your company's copy room, and write a short poem or greeting. Then, with good double stick tape, preferably from your company's supply room, put a picture of whatever (you and your family, you and your dog - you and whoever looking happy and cheerful, essentially) on the front. Voila! You've got yourself a card.
Address your holiday cards: The real pain in the ass is addressing all those envelopes, unless of course you're one of those annoying types who have mailing labels for your friends and family. But addressing envelopes on company time isn't so bad, and it actually creates the impression that you are working. Hop to it. You don't want to be one of those losers whose holiday cards arrives on January 3.
Get your shopping done: Forget the long lines on the weekends. Take a long lunch break and hit the stores. Or of course you can do it all online.
Plan your holiday party: Not only should you make your invite list, but also get in touch with everyone on it. Do your shopping for the party while you're on the clock as well. About the only thing you won't be able to do is prepare the food.
Plan menus: Hell, try something new. Search all the cooking websites and dig up some really cool wintry, holiday recipes.
Hoard vendor gifts: You know which of your vendors had a good year (and are possibly charging too much), and which ones had a lean year by the gifts they send around during the holidays. Of course, start-ups flush with cash always send over the most ridiculous gift baskets -- the more ridiculous the basket, the more likely the company will be out of business before the end of Q2 in the new year. Regardless, even the lower-end stuff coming into the office is usually worth grabbing up. Fruit baskets, cookies, fudge, boxes of chocolates and more. It's usually a free-for-all (yes, in the spirit of the season, even gifts addressed directly to you should be put out for all), so watch the space where this stuff usually gets put out like a hawk.
Get some holiday party booze: Run some of the extra bottles out of the office and into your home. The holiday office party is usually early on in the month of December, so this helps you stock up for your own holiday gathering, as well as all the parties you'll be attending until the end of the year.
Avoid the longs lines at the post office: Ship all your packages and cards using the company mail. All the supplies are there -- and not just boxes and packing tape. You should be able to find regular tape and wrapping paper around the office as well, allowing you to take care of the whole wrap, package, ship process in one fell swoop.
Try to figure out what you're doing on New Year's Eve: This is always such a bitch. Total stress. First, you're worried that you won't get invited to any parties at all. Then you're trying to figure out who is going where. Then you have to try to make it so that you can be in five places at once. Start planning now.
Make holiday calls: Auntie Margaret and Uncle Joe would love to hear from you, so give them a call. On your company's dime, of course, which also means you're actually earning while you hear about cousin Suzy's first year at college and explaining why you didn't make it to Florida for a visit this past year.
This is but one aspect of the Working For The Man book -- there's everything from co-worker competitions to managing the various boss types, to a sick day calendar to a how-to on writing your novel while you're on the clock. And the book may actually also serve useful for one of the items on your holiday to-do list -- a great gift for that co-worker that you actually like.
Got any work-related holiday tips? How about an office holiday party horror story? Leave your holiday tips and stories in the comments.
Lilit Marcus: After seeing way too many treacly movies about young, idealistic sorts who move to New York City to follow their dreams, I decided to move to New York City to follow my dream. In this case, the dream was making a living as a writer. The reality was that I had no idea how exactly I was going to accomplish that. So I ended up working as an assistant to an executive at a media company. I answered his phone, arranged his schedule, and got yelled at constantly. One day he'd demand that I make changes to our official company stationery, which I obviously couldn't do. Another day he'd tell a visiting client how utterly incompetent I was--while I was standing there pouring them cups of coffee. The only reason I didn't have a nervous breakdown was that the other assistants helped each other out. I started wondering why there wasn't a website where assistants could meet each other, trade stories, get advice, and generally commiserate. It seemed like all of the workplace-related sites out there were designed to help people further along in their careers. There were other sites for disgruntled workers, like Bitter Waitress or Customers Suck, but they both dealt with very specific industries.
In November 2006, after both of us were safely removed from our former place of employment, a fellow underling, Ashley Seashore, and I founded Save the Assistants. We had no money, no business plan. Ashley's new job required her to move to California not long after we launched. But no matter what happened, we knew we had a good idea. Work is a huge part of everyone's life. If I met someone at a party and told them about the site, the person immediately ended up telling me stories about every bad job they'd ever had. The site grew mostly by word of mouth. Our friends sent it to their friends. We got linked on popular blogs like Gawker. Reporters started to contact us to give quotes in their stories. Somehow we were considered 'experts' about bad bosses and workplace hostility. (I should put that on my business card.)
In the year since Save the Assistants launched, I've been able to actually make my living as a writer. But no matter what happens, I can never forget what it was like to have a boring, soulless, depressing job. I will never be able to totally let go of the feeling of emptiness I had when I worked there. To me, the best thing in the world is opening my email and having a note from an assistant who says Save the Assistants inspired her to quit her job. My former job may have inspired me to start the site, but the people who write in every day are what inspire me to keep it going.
Now that the Working For The Man book is out, I'll be doing more posts here about the subject of, you guessed it, work. Here's a quiz to get you thinking about how you feel about your job.
1. The first thing I do when I arrive at the office is:
1. Dig right into my work. 2. Read the news/gossip sites online. 3. Check blog stats / myspace or facebook comments. 4. Stare into space and feel like no matter what, it's going to be a really bad day.
2. I say "I need a new job":
1. Not very often. 2. Occasionally. 3. At least once a day. 4. Constantly -- too many times to count.
3. When I complain about my job to my partner:
1. He/She is supportive. 2. Is polite, but doesn't really listen. 3. Tells me in stern voice that I really need to do something about it instead of just complaining all the time. 4. Becomes enraged that all I do is bitch and moan about my job, tells me to stop being such a loser, to just shut the hell up, and that I'm not getting any sex until I get my shit together.
4. I think my co-workers are all:
1. Good, hard-working people that bring fresh, innovative ideas to the table. 2. The usual mix of good and bad workers. 3. Decent people, but not very motivated or innovative. 4. Complete idiots, the whole lot of them.
5. I think my boss is:
1. A good leader who motivates his/her employees. 2. Gets the job done but is not a nice person. 3. Doesn't do much work, but makes it seem like he/she does. 4. A total moron who accomplishes nothing, lies to make it seem like he/she does get things done, and is hated by everyone.
6. When asked if I like my job, I say:
1. "I love it." (and then I proceed to talk up what I love about it.) 2. "It's okay." (and then quickly change the subject.) 3. "Not at all, but it pays the bills." (and then I justify why I stick with it.) 4. "Fuck no!" (and then I keep on spewing a curse-word laden diatribe about just how awful I feel my job is.)
7. When I'm at work, I feel:
1. Productive. 2. Overwhelmed and stressed. 3. Bored, yet stressed out. 4. Overworked, unappreciated, and hateful.
8. How close are you to landing your dream job:
1. Have it right now. 2. Haven't quite figured out what that job is, but I feel like I'm getting closer to knowing. 3. Years and years and years away. It is but a dream, indeed. 4. Feel there is no such thing as a dream job.
9. The first thing I think when I walk into the office is:
1. "I'm ready to get to work!" 2. "Another day, another dollar." 3. "Is it 5 o'clock yet?" 4. "This fucking sucks."
10. When I leave for the day, I feel like:
1. I got so much done. 2. I didn't get anything done. 3. I need a drink. 4. Total fucking shit.
Add up the numbers corresponding to the answers you circled. 10 -- You are either lying or delusional or the best damn office worker there ever was. 11-20 -- Possible that you just started a new job, or that you are one of those shiny, positive people. Depending on your demeanor, you are either inspiring to those around you, or despised, possibly both. 21-30 -- Time to dust off the resume and start looking for a new job, and at the same time, focus on the things that do actually make you happy around the office. 31-35 -- Get to work on finding a new job immediately. 36-39 -- Yes, you should definitely start trying to find a new job, but you should also take a hard look in the mirror. It's not just about the terrible job. 40 -- Oh boy, are you unhappy. Don't just find a new job -- make some major life changes.
No matter how you score, I do believe you will find the Working For The Man book helpful:
First, a project: Capture the fall. Foliage, baking, cool crisp air and rainy days. Great time for project making.
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The big news is the Working For the Man book is officially coming out on November 6. It's a humor book about the workplace with a projects angle. It takes an honest look at the world of work, and offers up unique, offbeat ways to make the most of the daily grind. I really hope you'll pick up a copy and tell your friends about it.
BOOK PARTY And if you live in New York, I hope you'll come to the launch party for the book. It's on Wed., Nov. 7, from 6:30 to 8:30, at Katra in the Lower East Side. Mediabistro.com is hosting the party, so you must rsvp here.
And in case you missed it, Boss's Day was Oct. 16. Here were some suggested cards
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Last minute DIY Halloween costumes, courtesy of Thread Heads' Halloweeny Wednesdays videos: Fairy Wings
Kathy Cano Murillo, the Crafty Chica indeed, now has a web show on LifetimeTV.com -- Crafting With the Chica. New webisodes appear each Wednesday. Congratulations to Kathy on the new show, and for continuing to find new ways to expand and enrich the craft community.
Some more of my ideas regarding the celebration of Boss's Day were included in a post on Time.com's Work blog run by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen -- "What To Say To Your Boss on Boss Day."
Probably not... Because you either didn't know of the existence of Boss's Day (yes, it's a real day), or you simply refuse to have anything to do with it, for legitimate reasons galore, I am sure.
Well, here are some ideas (incentives, maybe?) in case you are thinking about sending one:
The book comes out on Nov. 6. There's going to be a launch party on Nov. 7 in NYC, sponsored by MediaBistro -- you can view the details and rsvp here. I do hope you'll come out for the party if you are in the area.
It was a gorgeous day and the food was glorious at the 3rd Annual Vendy Awards, held this year in Tompkins Square Park in NYC. I didn't just sample food from the finalists' carts -- I ate a hearty plate from each and every one (except from Kwik Meal, because it is farily close to my office and I get the excellent chicken and rice plate from there regularly).
The five finalists this year were The Dosa Man (Washington Square South and Sullivan), Kwik Meal (45th St. and Sixth Ave.), Veronica's Kitchen (Front St. and Pine St.), The King of Falafel & Shawarma (30th St. and Broadway in Astoria), and Super Taco (96th St. and Broadway). They were all winners in my book, but Thiru Kumar -- "The Dosa Man," after being nominated as a finalist for the third time in three years, deservedly took the top prize.
Here are some pictures taken during the event:
Juhu and Nage eat super tacos from Super Taco.
Veronica Julien working her wonderful kitchen. That's fried chicken being fried the way it's supposed to be -- in cast-iron -- so, so good.
Sean Basinski, director of the Street Vendors Project and founder of The Vendy Awards, works the crowd.
The delectable plate from The Dosa Man. Everything served up was top notch -- Indian food at its finest.
This is the delicious plate from The King of Falafel & Shawarma. The chicken was wonderful, and the falafel was out of this world -- seriously some of the best falafel I have ever had.
The incredibly tasty plate from Veronica's Kitchen. Rice, greens and amazing fried chicken.
Chris and Sean at the table.
Clearly I am a very happy customer.
To further annoy my wife for "doing that thing" with my eyes while posing for pictures, I am posting this picture below.
Fares Zeideia from The King of Falafel & Shawarma takes third place.
Mohammed Rahman of Kwik Meal takes 2nd place, and also wins the People's Choice award.
My pal Flo tipped me off about this great Flickr group -- 'Roid Week. The goal is to post a polaroid a day for a week. The week actually started on Oct. 1, but it goes through Oct. 7, so there is still time to go 'Roid for a few more days. Full details are here, and be sure to check out all the submissions so far. Below is my first contribution.
Be sure to check out The Storque, Etsy's excellent new ezine. This is the place to come for all your Etsy news, features, and events info, as well as a place to read contributions from the Etsy community -- reviews, articles, how-tos and more. If you have an idea for a story, pitch away. Further details about The Storque can be found here.
Also, speaking of events at Etsy -- Spins and Needles will be throwing a crafting party at the Etsy Labs this Friday, Sept. 14. Price of admission is $5, and that covers your crafting supplies AND beer. You can read more about Spins and Needles, which throws events that mix diy project-making with music spun by DJs, here.
The 3rd Annual Vendy Awards are set for Sat., Sept. 29. This is a really fun event, and it benefits a great organization -- the Street Vendor Project. I've gone the past twoyears, and both times it has been a blast, and most importantly, the food has been amazing. Watch the announcement of the finalists here, and get your tickets now.
