It’s the Friday before the July 4th weekend. I’ve taken a week’s vacation to work on my book “a task from which I am now procrastinating by writing a blog post”, so I’ve been acutely aware of how quickly this week has passed. It reminds me once again that the perception of time’s passage is completely dependent on what you’re doing.
Decades ago I worked behind “the jump in a pub on the King’s Road in London. Two hours tending bar on a sleepy Sunday watching the antiques store crowd wander through and turn their noses up at our wine selection passed much more slowly than two hours frantically pulling pints for hundreds of Chelsea hooligans supporters packed shoulder to shoulder and trying to get bevvied up before the match.
Time passes more quickly when you’re busy, yes. But also, nobody ever complains about time passing slowly when they’re enjoying what they’re doing. This week has felt no longer than two or three days, because I’m thoroughly enjoying writing this book, and it’s hard to find time in a regular week to devote to it. So you’re not going to hear me say, “Thank God it’s Friday today, because I wish it was Monday again.
Every Friday, I see some of my Facebook friends saying “TGIF” On Wednesdays they celebrate Hump Day. Some get an early start bemoaning Monday on Sunday afternoon. Many post things like, “I’m really looking forward to the long holiday weekend with my family” or “Happy Friday, everybody” Posts like that sound positive and friendly.
Others post things like, “I can’t believe it’s only Tuesday. Will this week never end? It’s a small difference in semantics, but a big difference in perception.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’ve had plenty of Fridays that felt like they took a month to arrive. We’ve all had busy weeks we were glad to see the back of. If you use your social media channels to share with friends who know and love you, then a post complaining about your tough week will likely draw an empathetic digital pat on the back.
But what if you use social media professionally? What are you saying to your boss or your colleagues? What about your clients? If your first response to that question is, “I don’t care, I should be able to say whatever I want” then go ahead and stop reading now and best of luck in the future.
Those of us who are active in these channels put so much out there about our lives, and some of us tend to do it without thinking of the overall picture it paints. I’m talking about more than just the standard warnings against posting party pictures to Facebook or saying you think your boss is an idiot.
What does the totality of your social media presence say about you, as a professional? It’s possible your next boss will Google you before she even looks at your resume. What’s she going to think if the first thing she reads says, “God, I’m glad that week from hell is over?
I’m aware this may sound contradictory to my oft-stated belief that social media is helping us all be more human in positive ways. I know people get tired of work sometimes. I get tired of work sometimes. Everybody gets tired of work sometimes.
But why lead off with it?
photo by Brendan Adkins