Changing strategies - it's hard, but somebody has to do it.
One of the first things I do in the morning, just like millions of other people in the world, is check my email. I do this morning ritual via my smart phone now, which I keep in the kitchen, charging overnight. I wake up (usually because at the other end of the house, a little girl is calling "Mommy, Mommy!" ever so sweetly), put in my contacts, brush my teeth, go get the girls, and then check my email. It's become my primary mode of communication - at least between the family, friends, customers, business associates, and hundreds of other people I deal with who don't live within my zip code. In fact, email has become an integral part of my relationship with almost everyone I interact with - our architect, the contractor, Deirdre's teacher, our babysitters, my bank, our credit card companies, etc, etc - and I assumed (incorrectly) that my manufacturer would be just as reliant on email as the rest of the world.
But it turns out, he's not. Sending an email to my account guy is one of the most ineffective things I could do during the course of any given day. I almost never, ever get a response, and no matter how explicit my emails are, action is almost never taken. It doesn't depend on whether my emails are short or long, to the point or long and explicit, funny or not funny - my emails to him go nowhere. Maybe my account guy's inbox is bombarded with messages, maybe my messages go into a spam folder, or perhaps he sees my email address pop up and simply hits "delete". Or maybe I've been out of the working world long enough that we've boomeranged back to the point where the phone is better than email.
Because in order to get anything accomplished - whether it's a shipment of bags, a change to my bill, or an inventory update - I almost always have to put in a phone call. And when I do, I almost always get what I need. I must, right? Otherwise, I'd be out of business.
But this is somewhat bothersome to me. Finding a quiet moment to make a business phone call in a household with a two year old, a four year old, a husband who works out of the house, and a dog can be a challenge. Not to mention losing all the conveniences of being able to send an email from anywhere while doing just about anything, anytime.
So while I want email to be my preferred method of communication with said manufacturer, it simply isn't. If an email yields nothing, but a phone call does, I need to change my strategy.
But how hard is that to do sometimes?
Whether it's changing the way I deal with my manufacturer, the way I adjust to life with lupus, or the way I adapt to just about anything - I almost always bang my head against the wall way too many times before I give in. All too often, I think of changing the way I do things as a resignation, as if I'm throwing in the towel by adapting. But that's simply not true - particularly when that change yields a more effective use of my time, a more efficient use of my energy, or an improved sense of emotional or physical well being. Bottom line - the sooner we adjust, the sooner we can get on with living well.
I pick up the phone, I get my manufacturing needs addressed.
I take a nap, I sidestep an entire afternoon of debilitating fatigue.
I go to bed early, I can function normally the next day.
I hire a babysitter to make sure I don't overdo, I keep my lupus symptoms at a minimum, making me a better mom, wife, and lupite.
Isn't about time you stopped banging your head against the wall, too?
But it turns out, he's not. Sending an email to my account guy is one of the most ineffective things I could do during the course of any given day. I almost never, ever get a response, and no matter how explicit my emails are, action is almost never taken. It doesn't depend on whether my emails are short or long, to the point or long and explicit, funny or not funny - my emails to him go nowhere. Maybe my account guy's inbox is bombarded with messages, maybe my messages go into a spam folder, or perhaps he sees my email address pop up and simply hits "delete". Or maybe I've been out of the working world long enough that we've boomeranged back to the point where the phone is better than email.
Because in order to get anything accomplished - whether it's a shipment of bags, a change to my bill, or an inventory update - I almost always have to put in a phone call. And when I do, I almost always get what I need. I must, right? Otherwise, I'd be out of business.
But this is somewhat bothersome to me. Finding a quiet moment to make a business phone call in a household with a two year old, a four year old, a husband who works out of the house, and a dog can be a challenge. Not to mention losing all the conveniences of being able to send an email from anywhere while doing just about anything, anytime.
So while I want email to be my preferred method of communication with said manufacturer, it simply isn't. If an email yields nothing, but a phone call does, I need to change my strategy.
But how hard is that to do sometimes?
Whether it's changing the way I deal with my manufacturer, the way I adjust to life with lupus, or the way I adapt to just about anything - I almost always bang my head against the wall way too many times before I give in. All too often, I think of changing the way I do things as a resignation, as if I'm throwing in the towel by adapting. But that's simply not true - particularly when that change yields a more effective use of my time, a more efficient use of my energy, or an improved sense of emotional or physical well being. Bottom line - the sooner we adjust, the sooner we can get on with living well.
I pick up the phone, I get my manufacturing needs addressed.
I take a nap, I sidestep an entire afternoon of debilitating fatigue.
I go to bed early, I can function normally the next day.
I hire a babysitter to make sure I don't overdo, I keep my lupus symptoms at a minimum, making me a better mom, wife, and lupite.
Isn't about time you stopped banging your head against the wall, too?
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