Making Peace with Your Office Life:

End the Battles, Shake the Blues, Get Organized, and Be Happier at Work

By Linda Glovinsky

Do you feel disconnected and disorganized on the job?

Do you feel powerless in the face of multiple office challenges, from organizing your desk to dealing with office bullies?

Are you sick of it all and ready to be happy at work?

Help is on the way! Cindy Glovinsky, licensed psychotherapist and expert on organizing and mental health, is uniquely qualified to offer solutions to your office blues, including:

Dozens of anecdotes and insightful exercises
Simple, effective organizing tips
Hundreds of easy ways to connect with colleagues
Great ways to make positive changes in the workplace

Peace with the Place

I feel like I’m in jail: Confinement
All I do is sit: Inactivity
I’m sick of beige, white, and gray: Sensory Deprivation
I’m working in Grand Central Station: Sensory Overload
My ____ hurts: Ergonomic Issues
The &^%@#! _______ is broken again!: Equipment Issues

Peace with the Chaos

I can’t find that report: Paper Management
I have 400 unread e-mails: E-mail Overload
Oops! I lost that file: Hard Drive File Problems
I don’t have the information I need to do my job: Information Access Issues

Peace with the Overwhelm

I never get caught up: Unrealistic Workload
I’m not allowed to make a mistake: Unrealistic Quality Standards
I’m getting it from all directions: Conflicting Demands
I’m constantly hitting roadblocks: Obstacles
People keep barging in on me: Interruptions

Peace with the Tasks

I hardly ever do the same thing twice: Excessive Task Variety
I’m afraid I’ll get fired if I don’t look busy: Task Insufficiency
I do the same things day after day: Repetitiveness
I’m working on an assembly line: Task Fragmentation
Why did I go to college?: Intellectual Deprivation
I just can’t do this: Daunting Tasks
I have no control over how I do my job: Autonomy Issues
I can’t tell if I’m doing a good job: Lack of Measurable Outcomes

Peace with the Disconnect

I miss the people I love: Separation Issues
I don’t really know the people I work with: Isolation
I’m nobody, who are you?: Status and Identity Issues
I just had a huge fight with so-and-so: Conflict
So-and-so and I got our wires crossed: Communication Problems
I hate serving on committees: Meeting Issues

Peace with the Boss

My boss expects me to be a mind reader: Unclear Instructions
My boss watches every move I make: Micromanagement
My boss is an idiot: Incompetence
My boss doesn’t know what I look like: Avoidance
My boss is a crook: Ethical Issues
My boss is a wuss: Lack of Authority
My boss is the boss from hell: Bullying

Peace with the Coworkers

If my coworker does that one more time…: Annoying Little Habits
I can’t get my coworker to do anything until the last minute!: Procrastination
My coworker always has to win: Competitiveness
My coworker always does things by the book: Rigidity
My coworker doesn’t toe the line: Laziness
My coworker is an idiot: Incompetence
My coworker is a slob: Messiness
My coworker is a whiner: Griping

Peace with the Culture

I have to wear a mask: Anonymity
Why do even the smart people talk like idiots?: Office-speak
I hate having to wear a tie: Clothing Issues
I don’t know what the rules are: Romance and Sex
It’s just because I’m…: Discrimination

Peace with the Game

They don’t pay me enough for what I do: Financial Issues
I only hear about it when I’ve screwed up: Lack of Encouragement
The performance appraisals aren’t fair: Unjust Evaluations
I’m just a secretary: Low Prestige and Rankism
I don’t believe in what this organization is doing: Meaninglessness

(synopsis by Sacha Chua)

Whether you dread coming to work every day or you’re just looking for a new way to deal with office issues, MAKING PEACE WITH YOUR OFFICE LIFE offers a fresh, liberating view of the office world and practical ways to cope with its day-to-day challenges.