For years, I had wanted to resign from my job as a business school professor at a small private university. Yet I didn't have the courage. My salary was decent, my hours were flexible, and I had friendly coworkers. From the outside, it made no sense for me to leave my job. I was unhappy, but most people seem dissatisfied with their work.
With the chaos of back-to-school season in the rear-view, both for me as a university professor and for my school-age kids, October feels like the perfect time to catch my breath. It's like the quiet before the storm. The Holidays are coming and, like most women, I take on the majority of the shopping, cooking, and remembering all the theme days at school (looking at you, "Ugly Sweater" Day) from Halloween to New Year's.
Reacting is what happens when you move through your day on autopilot. You're constantly fielding every ping, every request, every "got a minute?" as it comes in. It's like playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole-emails, Slack messages, kid drop-offs, last-minute meeting invites-pop, pop, pop. You are so concerned with responding quickly to each one that you never stop to ask yourself whether it deserves your time or energy in the first place.