timswords

the words of tim walker

team of one

image courtesy of flickr.com/creative commons/by Knebworth Chap
image courtesy of flickr.com/creative commons/by Knebworth Chap

the other day as i noticed teams of people strolling out together for a time of camaraderie and bonding over what i call “lunch,” i sat down with my warmed up lean cuisine meal for my team lunch.
you see, i’m a team of one.
i sort of work on the fringes of other teams, helping project manage multiple tasks in the office.
i’m the guy who helps get things to the finish line.

so while there is no “i” in team, there is a “me.”

now i realize that i’m not the only one out there who works solo. in fact, some of you labor away at a desk in the corner of your home, running your own business or telecommunicating.

others work in an office, but are not officially on a team.

so for all us “teams of one” out there, i have a few suggestions:

  • send an email to your business email address from your personal email address, telling yourself what a great job you are doing and note specific accomplishments you’ve achieved over the past six months.
  • take yourself out to lunch.
  • laugh at your own jokes.
  • set up a system of rewards for personal goals you achieve. for example, buy that new book when you go six months without a published editing error.
  • talk to yourself. it’s fine. everyone’s a little crazy–some just show it more than others.
  • on your birthday, buy yourself a single serving dessert. in fact, just take the day off. that’s how your “team” rolls.

so are you on a team of one? what are some ways you can celebrate the work you are doing?

 

the contents on this site are ©2013 tim walker. all rights reserved. for permission to reprint or publish this content elsewhere, please contact me through this blog.

Related Posts

2 thoughts on “team of one

  1. Lonely business. Working from home definitely had its advantages, but after a while, I definitely had to incorporate breaks into my work to keep from going nuts. I would, maybe every hour, do a household chore I enjoy, like vacuuming, or something like that. I also made it a point to have lunch/breakfast with folks I might has lost touch with recently, as my schedule was that flexible. Being a team of one in an office where you see other folks collaborating and doing cool stuff? That’s kind of where I am right now. So I e-mail jokes to friends.

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: