Time Sheets!!

ecently, the concept of time sheets was introduced at work, and since then, it’s been utter chaos. Well, almost. We are supposed to document each minute we spend in office, fill everything out in an excel sheet, explain what we did and which client we worked on, and at the end of the day, send it across to the team leads. Well, I thought this was a cool idea, and would be an impetus for people to actually do some quality work. But things didn’t go that well with the others.

Some people are vehemently opposed to the idea of documenting their daily routine. One guy in particular, whose name I shall withhold for personal protection, claimed that the time sheet was the management’s way of “spying on us” and that he was “always a rebel and would continue to rebel against everything!”

There was a huge discussion in office about this concept, with members from each team present and voicing their apprehensions and doubts and a few positives. I was sitting back, enjoying them argue and scream at each other. Here’s a little excerpt from the debate:

A: Hey, I think the timesheet concept is cool, and this will help all teams know where they are slacking and how many actual man-hours are being dedicated to each client.

B: No!! This is a disgrace!! I will not enter my time sheet!!

C: Why not?

A: Yeah, why not?

B: I don’t want to be spied on! I do quality work and I will show it in my outcome! I can’t sit and document how I spent my day! No!!

C: Well, I don’t –

B: And moreover, this is a creative industry, not a technical one or a log factory, where every minute can be properly accounted for. I will not do it!!

C: Actually –

A: Hello boss, listen. How will the management come to know that you’ve worked for the proper eight hours that you’re paid for? This is the only way!

B: No!! I will not do it!

C: In that –

A: You’re being stubborn!

B: You’ve seen my friendship, now you’ll see my hatred!!

C: Can I say something?

A, B: Sure

C: I didn’t pee today because I was standing near the printer thinking of how to get my work completed. Because of this timesheets, I can’t think straight.

…….

Well, this went on for a few more minutes before B threatened A and C went to the loo. I was sitting there, laughing my ass off at this hilarious conversation! Ever since I’ve been working, I’ve had to do timesheets and so, this concept isn’t new to me. But, there’s a logic in all this debating – we are in a creative field, with more time spent on thinking new ways to service our clients, and there’s no way we can quantify creativity. However, I think there’s a limit to being a rebel. Rebelling just for sake of doing it is just being plain stubborn! But resistance to change is a lousy excuse, anyway!

Inspire…

in·spi·ra·tion /ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-spuh-rey-shuhn]:

–noun

– a thing or person that inspires.

Vishesh tagged me, and this time, its an interesting one:

Think of THE song that most inspires you to write, whether it gives you an idea for a story, script or just puts you into a better frame of mind AND/OR peek into the lyrics and find a verse that sums up the theme of whatever project it is you’re working on. If possible, post a video of the song to convey to readers the full context of the song and the mood it puts you into. Finally, send the assignment to five other writers to do as well.

There’s this tiny, weird-looking, double-chinned, mousy-haired, tinny-voiced, dark-skinned, blue-eyed, long-eared man with unclean nails and long, spindly legs, wearing tattered white clothes and sporting a toothless grin and a mega-halitosis, and he resides inside my head and is responsible for everything I write. He sleeps in a bug-infested mattress that’s in a bad shape with lots of holes. He has a tattoo on his right arm, near the shoulder, which reads, “I write, therefore I am!” – a tattoo he got while partying in Bali, a few years ago.

There’re very specific things that inspire this gentleman, and music is one of them. Music of any kind sets him off, and if I had to pick one, then it has to be INXS’s Afterglow. The lyrics speak to him directly, reminds him of someone special, and he dedicates all the things he writes to that person. He loses control of himself while listening to this song, and for hours together, he sits and listens to this song over and over again. The youtube link for this song is here below:

The lyrics are, I must agree with this gentleman, somewhat inspiring. I like this song a lot myself.

At the tiny, weird-looking, double-chinned, mousy-haired, tinny-voiced, dark-skinned, blue-eyed, long-eared gentleman’s request, I have withheld his name.

Now, I need to tag five other writers, but since writers aren’t the only ones who need inspiration, I am going to tag a few poets and rockstars too: They are: Mariacristina, Fruity, Priya, Shiwani and Balu.

Anyone else who feels the need to share their inner creative selves with the world, are, of course, free to pick up this tag and do it. From the shabby gentleman inside me and from myself, I raise a toast to you, dear accomplished reader!

Cheers!