Five Things Friday: Reasons I LOVE My New Job!!!

I can't stop raving about how great this new job has been for my life.  So I'm gonna throw out the top five things I love about it, and call it a day, so I can go back to focusing on all the crazy new fitness opportunities that are cropping up these days!

#5: No more commuting!

I loved my old office for many reasons, but I hated it too - mostly because it usually took me an hour and a half, via public transit, to get there, and another hour and a half (if I left at a good time) to get back home.  On delay days, it could take up to three hours in either direction.  The worst part was, that commuting time isn't really "usable time" like people who don't commute often think.  Being crammed into a corner on an over-filled train car is NOT conducive to reading, crafting, or working most days.  Now, though, I'm a mere five minutes from home, ten minutes if I get stuck at every light.  And I get to drive myself, so there's no freezing cold train platforms or obnoxious other passengers, just me and my music and my free will to do what I want!

Blissfully not a part of my life anymore!

#4: Fun tasks and interesting projects - with actual structure!

Being an office manager (my previous jobs) was never the same day to day, there was always some new issue or problem to address, and by "some" I truthfully mean HUNDREDS.  There were days when I did everything from ordering to hiring to IT support to janitorial work to property management.  And everything in between, and usually it was putting out fires.  Not so much anymore: my new job as an account coordinator affords me a very well-defined and structured role, with a workday that is not only manageable, but predictable.  I know what types of tasks I will encounter, and what types of requests will never fall on my plate; yet within my designated role, there is still tons of variety!  I now work with promotional products, and it's surprisingly fascinating.  I kind of love sorting through thousands of products to find something that's juuuuust right for a particular customer's needs and audience!  And bonus: I've picked up some mad Photoshop skillz.

Need something for YOUR brand?  Just ask, I can hook you up!

#3: Time for my husband and my hobbies!

With all the time commuting (see #5) and the crazy packed work days (see #4) of previous jobs, I struggled to find time for my family and my personal pursuits.  Sure, I still raced or took fitness classes when I could, but I did far less than I'd intended, and barely even had time to write short posts for this blog.  I certainly wasn't even close to having time for my crafting.  The majority of my scant free time went to my husband, and even that wasn't much.  "Work-life balance" was totally non-existent.  These days, though, I'm actually getting bored with all my new-found free time!  Hubbsy might even be getting sick of me already!  But I'm finally able to pursue my crafting (so far I'm about 80 squares into a blanket), find some consistent Zumba classes (adding at least two starting in January), get some work done around the house (like organizing my craft studio UGH), and start using my gym membership (treadmills over freezing any day)!  It's so nice to have a life again...

Sooooooo many squares...

#2: Amazing teammates!

Okay this isn't different from previous jobs, per se, but it's always a perk to love the people and the environment around which you spend eight hours a day!  This office enjoys a loose dress code, a great sense of humor, a true feeling of teamwork and support, and some of the friendliest, silliest people I've ever met!  Plus, I'm pretty sure I'm getting an awesome new BFF out of the deal...

Yes, it truly is.  Thanks everypony!

#1: I get to leave work AT WORK!

Being on-call 24/7 is just about the worst thing ever.  Having to "stay as long as it takes no matter what" is terrible.  Being able to leave at 5 and not have to stay alert for emails or other requests all night?  BLISS.  True bliss.  My phone almost never rings anymore - and I LIKE IT.  I'm not constantly worried something is going to break in the middle of the night and I'm going to have to fix it.  I'm not worried that my work day will carry on so late that I won't even be able to get home in a safe and reasonable manner.  No one is pressuring me to give up meaningful commitments, or come in when I'm horribly sick, just to fix some random problem that probably could have waited a day or two anyway.  Work stays where it belongs: at my desk at the office.  My stress level hasn't been so low in... years, probably.  Maybe not since pre-high school.  I feel like a different person.  I sincerely hope this feeling lasts for a long, long time...

Awww, yissssssss!

And there you have it!  Now that I've adequately gushed about my shiny new job, it's back to working out and making stuff!  What's your favorite part of your job?  How do you find the work-life balance?