Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Very very sneaky

It's Why Not Try It Wednesday again. I find to break up the monotony of the week, trying something out of the ordinary in the middle of the week has helped me to make it through just fine.

This week's "Why Not Try It?" is simply this:

While at work, sneak around the office like you're a spy or shadow hopper, and try not to get caught.

Let me explain. At work, I've found myself in a completely different mindset. Sometimes this mindset causes my energy level to go down, my motivation to vanish, and my muscles to atrophy. I decided to try something to counteract the highly volatile effects of desk work.

I work at a huge performing arts theater, and conference center. There is plenty of room to roam around. So in order to keep my body and mind active, and because I absolutely love a challenge, I started sneaking around my work with the sole intent to not be seen nor heard while moving. I was able to create an adventure out of a humdrum environment.

I found that my work environment turned into a pleasant adventure. I supposed that if I got caught, the worse that would happen is embarrassment. All in all, the benefits completely outweighed the negative consequences.

Benefits:
  • More active, alert and proactive mind.
  • Exercise (especially for us that work sitting down)
  • The day goes by faster. The week gets cut in half.
  • You get to experience an adventure in a cookie-cutter environment.
  • Reputation for excitement among fellow drones.
  • The need to satisfy your superego decreases.
  • You get a cool name like The Shadow, Lurker, or some other fantastically sneaky name.
Negative Consequences
  • Embarrassment if caught.
  • Possible reprimand if caught doing it too frequently.
  • Questions from the superiors. However, this can be counteracted by occasionally showing yourself to other employees so that they can account for your whereabouts.
Suggestions:
  • Like any professional sneaky person, make thorough plans before engaging in shadow hopping.
  • Create a goal or mission. It can be as simple as getting from one side to the other without being seen or heard.
  • Track and document everyone's schedule of movements prior to making plans.
  • Make a list of possible problems and their solutions.
  • Lobby for allies that can cover for you.
  • Have a few creative excuses on hand so that you can readily explain what you are doing.

I hope this helps you to engage in healthy diversion. Like always, please post a comment with your results of this experiment so that others can hear of your success and gain courage.

2 comments:

Mom Bradshaw said...

Hmmmmmm. Your challenge is intriguing though the home environment is certainly not as challenging as your work environment, but I bet I could make it work. :) I'll let you know how it all works out. :)
Love you! Mom

Anonymous said...

Okay, so my experiment happened well before yours and involved pebble guns, 4 or 5 couples and a BYU building we really weren't supposed to be in after hours. Dodging security guards while trying to shoot one another was definitely a thrill, until one of the guys got caught. My heart started racing faster when I got separated from my teammate (a.k.a husband) and actually wanted to get shot so I could finally run and hide. Something about people carrying real guns just didn't seem like a fair fight. :) I have tried the same thing around the house, but my kids are better at it than I am, and scare me more often than not. Not cool. They've learned not to do it anymore. Of course, my husband can scare me just by walking into the kitchen when I'm not expecting it...and the lights are out...and I'm drinking a glass of water and don't notice him. I got really wet the last time he came casually walking in.

My daughter's harp teacher tried the sneaky thing a couple weeks ago to try and listen to her audition (behind closed doors), and managed quite well until the room monitor caught her. She took it in stride though and gave us a big thumbs up when she got back.

Happy sneaking everyone. I think I'm about ready for some more. Minus the glass of water.