A tainted view

When I form an opinion of something, I tend to wonder whether the opinion was based solely on the matter at hand, or whether unrecognized external factors may be confounding my perspective.

Consider an example: I am currently re-designing a local company's website layout. I have long been intersted in web design, and I still am, yet I'm recently finding myself disinterested with the work I'm doing.

A simple analysis might go like this: I'm doing work, I'm not enjoying the work I'm doing, therefore I don't like the given profession. Translating that to my particular example would be like saying that web design is merely something I thought I would enjoy, but that I lack passion when it comes to doing it as a job.

Yet I think that there are other factors at play causing me to dislike what I'm doing. Perhaps there is something about the work environment that is frustrating me, perhaps I am not sleeping enough and the tiredness is putting me in a bad mood. It could even be some form of malnutrition throwing off my mood. The source could be so disconnected and unrelated to work that I could have no good guess at what it is.

From personal experience, my best guess is that it's from insufficient sleep.

Stalling on the job

When I take a bathroom break during work, I enjoy using a stall. Now don't get me wrong, I love urinals. In most cases, if a urinal is an option, I'll take it. It's a much quicker solution.

But, that is exactly the opposite of what I look for during work. A bathroom break is just that - a break. Stalls offer you certain opportunities and benefits that urinals simply do not:

1. Taking your time. At a urinal, you can't just stand around when you're done. Well, you can, but not if someone is standing there next to you. In a stall, you can take all the time you want. Finished peeing? Stand around and think, take some time to relax, whatever. Enjoy it.
2. Privacy. There are some things you might want to do in the bathroom that might not be appropriate in front of others; picking your nose, for instance. Picking your nose at a urinal runs the risk of someone seeing, and this can be awkward. (But only if you make it. If someone catches you doing it, act cool, and look at them like they're weird for not picking their nose).
3. Comfort. It's considerably easier to relieve yourself without someone standing next to you.
4. Ease of transition. Feel some other bodily urge coming on? You've got a toilet and toilet paper at your immediate disposal.

So enjoy those breaks, and don't forget to take advantage of your office's water cooler.