On Being An Introvert

I first heard about #30daywriter from Ieva at Otterly Me and it instantly appealed to me. I haven't been updating much because of work stresses and lack of motivation. And I'm sure a lot of my posts for the next 30 days will be really un-fun to read. But I wanted to do it anyway and get the momentum going.

I'm starting this late, I know, but I'm going to do it.

The weekend is finally here and I couldn't be more glad to see it. I've been under so much stress at work that it's having an effect on my mood and productivity. I'm just thankful that my company has some little pockets of quiet. I love sitting in the quiet room to just work by myself in silence. I find that I'm much more productive when I'm alone in silence. The office space is open plan, and sales sits right along the wall - so as you'd expect, it gets quite noisy. I usually have headphones in, but sometimes even that is distracting.

The quiet room is actually just our server room, which is actually just a large closet space. But there's a window and it's cool, and there's nothing but the whirring of machines. We've put comfy couches and chairs along one wall, so it's still nice. Once our office expands in September, we'll have a dedicated area just to silence.

I've been thinking a lot about my personality and the conditions under which I do my best work. A lot of these thoughts have been inspired by a book that I'm almost done reading called, Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I'm definitely what you'd call an introvert. I can be extroverted, and often times I have to be - I've never held a job where it wasn't necessary to sell ideas, projects, or present. But being extroverted takes a lot of energy out of me. I have few friends, but the ones I do have, I keep very close. I'm perfectly happy spending time alone at home with my family and my boyfriend.

I definitely feel guilty and bad about myself when I see in the media scenes of women going out with the girls, and people having a girls night out. I don't have that. And sometimes it feels a little lonely when I think that I don't have it. But I also know that it's just not me to even want that. I'd much rather grab coffee with a close friend and chat one on one, and I find that more meaningful and that for me, I can be a better friend when I can focus on one person at a time. But it sucks sometimes when I see ideals in the media that just come more easily for people who tend to be extroverted. But I've come to terms with my introverted-ness.