taimatsu | Work wonderings

So, what did I do today?

I got to work. I turned on the two computers. I checked my email. I got going on my task list for the day; masses of photocopying, printing, and data entry. And the distribution of internal post. And the phonecalls about things I shouldn't have to answer. And the malfunctioning printers, copiers, etc.

I can't decide whether this job is a good thing or not. I mean, obviously it is - it pays money, it's permanent, it has nice people, it's not so entirely boring I want to gnaw my ears off, you know, it could be lots worse. On the other hand it could be way better, too, and I can't believe the amount of paper I wade through. The sheer quantity of photocopying I did today was quite phenomenal.

I did some time management training recently, and one of the presenters divided tasks into 'maintenance' and 'progress'. Maintenance tasks are like running on the spot, like doing the washing up. Progress tasks take you somewhere different and better - like repainting a room or putting up shelves.

I don't get to do any progress tasks in my job at all. There is nothing that I could put on a CV as a major achievement in my time here. All I have that I could describe would be routine tasks. Even in my job at Mill Court Osteopathy clinic (where I was a temp receptionist) I got to join in management meetings, help form strategies for dealing with various issues, and pitch in and help produce reports and data in a crisis. It was immensely enjoyable.

So, while I like my job and mostly I enjoy it, sometimes I think the running-on-the-spot aspect of it is getting me down. I am the bottom of the line, I get the dull jobs (which is, let's face it, what I'm paid to do) and I do the maintenance so that other people can take things forward. I get to do nothing which gives me a sense of long-term achievement - the most I get is being pleased I got a semi-fortnightly newsletter out in a timely fashion.

I don't know if there's any way to alter this while acknowledging that I was employed to be that maintenance person. It's just that the dissatisfaction with this has crept up on me slowly and I'm afraid it might continue to worsen.

I have a staff review at the end of the month and my final probation review a while after that, so there are opportunities for me to mention this. I just don't know how to bring it up without sounding like I'm complaining about my actual job description and wanting to move out of the role I was hired to fill.