Stop me if you think you've heard this one before

[wshaffer]

It always amazes me how much more energy it takes to do the parts of my job that I don't like than it takes to do the (arguably more challenging) parts of my job that I do like.

Here is my shameful techwriter secret: I hate reviews. Not so much the reviews themselves, although it can be a drag when you think you've done a good job and a review reveals that you actually got the wrong end of the stick. But the process of getting them. Sending out all the nagging/pleading emails, trying to figure out what to do when the company's best expert on Feature X has gone to India for a month and won't be able to do a review on time, the waiting by people's offices to ambush them with a printout when they miss their review deadline, the look on people's faces when they ask, "You want me to read *all* of that?" It goes against the grain to work so hard just for the privilege of having people tell me where I screwed up, and yet it's necessary. Absolutely necessary.

There are people that I work with who do their documentation reviews promptly and thoroughly, without complaining. And every review cycle I want to thank them profusely and make them cookies, and every review cycle I am too consumed with chasing after the other guys to do any such thing.

I know, as job woes go, that this is pretty small potatoes. But right now it's making me stress and obsessively listen to the Smiths. I will try not to devolve to the point where I start posting Morrissey lyrics under the impression that they're deep. (If I do, send picture of puppies or unicorns. Thanks.)

Comments

Re: Keats and Yeats are on your side...

[vvvexation.livejournal.com]

I think I would like Wilde's internet.