Moving desks

always unearths some interesting things.  I've worked out of the same office for the past 4+ years, but this week am making the move to one of our other locations.  So far I have found copies of assessments we haven't used since 2009, boxes containing two out of date versions of my business cards, brochures for programs that no longer exist, a Palm Pilot case (!), and old papers.  Sooo much paper!  Who even uses paper anymore?

Okay, I use paper some times, but will avoid it when I can.  I had so many folders of handouts, resource guides, meeting minutes and the like, none of which I had looked at in the past 4 years.  I'll Google it before I open my file drawer.  When I go to a training, I usually ask for the presentation to be emailed to me.  If it's an agency wide training,  the information is scanned and made available in a shared network folder.

Is this finally the dawn of the "paperless office" we heard so much about in the 90s?  I, for one am happy to no longer be hoarding bits of dead trees in my workspace.   Everything seems lighter and cleaner!  Even spacious!  I rejoice in this clearing of clutter!  I revel in the ability to find resources at the "click" of a button!

Until the day the power goes out.  Then I'm screwed.  Here's hoping they have back-up power at that new office.  :p

I did it!

Today is November 1.  And I got all my October contacts entered!*  On time!  Aaaaand---I made my numbers for the month!  The last time these two things BOTH happened?  I have no idea.  But I can tell you that it's been a while.  So Imma celebrate and high five myself.

*yeah, so the notes that belong to those contacts haven't all been written and entered yet, but I'm working on it.  At least they'll get counted.  This will not spoil my celebration!

Fiscal, Financial, Federal...there's probably one more "F" word I could add here...

Any one else feeling the end-of-fiscal-year crunch right about now?  I haven't posted much of late as I've had some time spent in all day trainings at I'm also trying to get all my notes, stats, logs and whatnot done in time for the end of fiscal.

Money pressures are everywhere at the moment.  When our final numbers are tallied soon, we'll find out if we (my program at work) made quota in order to maintain our current funding.

My taxes are all prepared, but I have yet to take that depressing step of actually submitting them (we owe this year due to my partners self-employment income).

And the big one of course is that both the Ontario and Federal budgets came down this week.  Like a hammer, each one.  I'm hoping to get a better look at them in the days to come.

Once I've done all this, I'm also going to go roll all my pennies to deposit in the bank before stores won't take them any more.  My old peanut butter jar is going to seem so empty from now on...*


*for those of you out of the loop, one of the federal budget items everyone is talking about is that the Conservative government has announced the end of the 1 cent coin in Canada.  No more "take a penny, leave a penny" in the Great White North.

The Mental Health Worker’s Reminders to Herself

1. When my supervisor assigns me a new client she is not trying to sabotage me. She is trying to get me to do my job.


2. When a client repeatedly cancels/misses appointments, there is likely something making it hard for them to come. It’s nothing against me.

3. When it is something against me, this is okay too. Not everybody has to like me. I will not be the best match for everyone. Learn from it.

4. Doctors are people too. They are likely rolling their eyes right back at me.

5. A client’s goals for themselves need to come before my goals for them.

6. When clients are skeptical because “you look too young to help me” remember – you’re a lot less young than when they were saying this to you 5 years ago!

7. Caring for myself will help me to care for others.

8. People will come and go, but paperwork is forever.

9. It’s okay to drown your sorrows with pizza and a half bottle of Shiraz on Friday night.

Tell me Going Mental readers - what reminders do you need to keep yourself going?

The Mind Wanders Already on Monday

Alternate title: Monday Morning Musings

Or: I consider my every little thought so intricately facinating, that I just can't help but share.  I know you wanna hear 'em.

1. I wish it was a wee bit colder outside so we'd have snow instead of rain.

2. I wish that little blinky light telling me I have messages to check would just go away.

3. It's only 3 weeks until Christmas holiday, woo-hoo!

4. My Monday 'to-do' list is depressing me.

Peer Reviews

I just got two requests to do peer-reviews for my co-workers. This will make #8 and #9 that I have done this year. When we do our yearly evaluations, we have to submit the names of two co-workers that we would like to submit an evaluation. If you want to provide useful input, they can be quite time consuming.

I understand the importance of these reviews, but I’m getting a little tired of them. And to be honest, I’m not sure why everyone keeps picking me! I know that I am friendly and personable with my coworkers, but around the office, I tend to stick to myself. I never have quite warmed up to this place, or the idea of working in a setting that is not expressly a shared team model. Also, it’s not really my thing to share a lot of personal information, or gossip. I’ve always been someone who listens from the sidelines.

So why do they pick me? I don’t know. Perhaps I appear to be a neutral party? Maybe they think I’m “nice” so I’ll just say good things? Perhaps they get that I’m thoughtful and introspective, so feel I will give them a worthwhile evaluation. Or maybe it’s just a coincidence.

All I know, is it’s another stack of paperwork to add to the pile.

Au secours!

Just deleted half a completed assessment!!! (insert your favourite expletive here)
And I can't even blame the computer, it was totally my fault.

Sorry for the slow posting week. I promise I'll be back at it, just as soon as I crawl out from under this giganormous pile of assessments.

(see you next year!)

Yay!

Sound the trumpets! Start the parade! My notes are done and UP TO DATE!!!!

Now if only I could say the same for my assessments, grr....

Totally, Illegible.

Could somebody please, PLEASE make it mandatory already for all hospitals and social sevice agencies to use typed notes? This is the 21st century! I can't read your scrawl! I'd scan the offending documents as an example, but I can't even read it well enough to be sure I black out all the appropriate areas.

aaaand, she's off!

and today starts with....(drum roll please) paper work. of course. at the rate these hospital records are coming in, I won't have time to meet with another client until 2014!