A work thing but feeling low all the same

[Thomcat]

Just sitting here in a daze really and don't know how to cope.

It's the 4th quarter so busiest time at work.
Longtime freelancer rang to say she is extending her holiday by another week as she spent 1st half of it really ill.

junior is off sick (again, and not due in for another few days at least)

boss is at a hospital appt

director only works 2 days a week and today isn't one of them

That leaves me.
Here on my own, so much to do, it'll never all get done, clients and press ringing, don't know what to say to half of them, have to call them back and make loads of calls tying to work out other peoples accounts. Have so much of my own stuff to do as it is.

I love my job ususally but today it's all too much.
Feel like a cry might be good!
So tired as well this week.

Sorry just drowning here and wanted to cry on someones shoulder about it.

It hasn't helped!!!!!!

Oh sorry you are feeling down TC.

Surely you aren't expected to get all of the work done with some many staff away ??

Have a good cry if you think it will help.

Gosh that sounds crap! Sorry you're having a bad day. You can only do what you can do though! Can you put your 'out of office on' with a message explaning the problem and say that you'll respond to urgent emails only. Then prioritise everyone else, phone calls etc and give them a realsitic time when you will get back to them e.g tomorrow afternoon, when the director's in? I'm sure eveyone knows you work hard and will know it's circumstances, not you. Can you get a temp? even someone to take calls? Can you divert phones to a receptionist or nominate one person just to deal with the calls? Just ideas?
You can only do your best and deal with the really urgent time critical stuff - everyone else will have to wait a little while

and don't cry too much - you'll get sore eyes and make it worse - get chocolate!!

ohhh, if only crying made it better aye!
Stupid to be upset over work.
Just don't know where to turn next, what job is more important than the next.
Have written a list but the phone keeps ringing with more queries etc.
Just too tires to cope today.
Just want to hide under my duvet and let it be someone elses problem.
I can only do what i can do, but try telling that to clients!

moniker - bless you for the ideas and some of them are semi possible.
However clients ringing to see if so and so has sent up inteviews with blah blah on Parky or Des & mel and so on and so on need to be attended to and now.
So why am I on here and not cracking on with it???????
I just really don't want to today!
Can't get help as a) temps cost too much money right now and b) tbh by the time I've explained what to do I may as well have done it myself!

Thomcat - there is only so much you can do - you are human - take 5 go and get a huge latte and a big cake and write down what is really important -make sure this includes your work and not just everyone elses - then when people phone wexplain that you are short staffed and will do your best - they will apprieciate knowing the situation rather than you promising something and then letting them down cause you don't have time to do it!!

And then pack up at the normal time and go home and give Lottie a big squeeze!!

Could you divert all the phones to your phone so at least only one phone can ring at once and you can deal with one call at a time. Is there an ansaphone so you can use another line for outgoing calls?

Tell people the computers are down?? - well it's true that the operators are anyway.

It will be a good example of crisis management to use if you ever need one for an interview (trying to cheer you up a bit with that)

I'll have to go in a min - email me if you like!

and cake sounds like very good idea too! cake always helps I find!

deep breath................. right, am going to stop feeling panicky, I am going to regain control.... think a coffee is a really good idea actually will do that next and then calmly work my way through things, i can multitask, I'm woman and a mother!

thank you for being there in a moment of panic and exhaustion!

right coffee............

Thomcat, just found this thread. Hope your day got better. X

Cheers babes, yes it's getting there.

Thomcat,

Do what I do - ignore all the work piling up on your desk and just chat on MN all day. Seems to work for me.

Also on a Friday I have a big clear out of my in-tray which is where all the things I didn't want to do during the week lurk.

Hope you feel better now, TC. I hate days like that- I felt a sympathy lump in my throat as I read it!

Bless you heart, and the lump in your throart scrummymummy.
Thanks all you girls. Basically I did have a rubbish day but a differnet freelancer is in tomorrow and I got as much as I could done inbetween Mumsnet! It kept me sane and stopped me feeling too lonely at work, I needed it today, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

I've got a film opening in a weeks time and always have that awful 'what have I forgotton to do' feeling just before a new release. So it was never going to be a good day but with no staff it was doomed to be really rubbish!
Nothing a bottle of wine and my baby girl can't fix as soon as I get out of here.

Thank you all for being so lovely, esp Moniker who even emailed me today to check I was okay, you're all so lovely