Often it does not need much …. and as more unexpected it is, the more fun and joy it will bring.

On Monday an oversea friend of mine had her birthday. Now even living a few thousand kilometer away I think about them as good and close friends. So for sure postal services had to do some work (nothing special, just that bit of attention making the difference) lately.

Nontheless I had the idea to give her a call and so basic math dealing with time delays did start. When can you call someone at earliest on a normal working monday? Will there be a public holiday you could disturb on?

Anyway, in case there is a will some clever mind will make it through all and using a phone really isn’t a challenge at all … at least for most of us.

To dial the number was easy and then the tension reached the maximum …. to eases immediately when the exactly right person did take the call! No need to say we had a quick and nice chat then.

Just a few valuable and rare minutes though. Day had already started there… But ended with the given promise to do soon again…

It is so much of a difference to hear and speak with someone, even when you frequently stay in contact by email or chat.

But thats not the major aspect of all. At same stage it might not even possible to talk for some reason e.q. the missing ability to speak a language for example.

Often just small things make a big difference. This one second expiring the “unexpected” does make the difference. One day I still remember very well, I opened the letters shipped two weeks ago and nearly about 14000Km away. Something small for sure, but intended to honor friendship …. until today I keep it like a treasure. At least for me it is ONE!

I do not try to hide that I mostly try to work together with other experts. Working with someone on a similar skill level has somewhat relieving. And finally when you have taken the first two or three challenges together, working with them often turns out into some pleasure.

All the info and little hints you need and require for a successful and winning work and result are there! Given instantly without the need to ask  and communication in general is reducing to a necessary minimum.

My personal indicator for reaching such a level is the moment when you start to carry on second more personal conversation besides. Over all stress work is coming with, the easy chatting besides helps to deal with stress and timelines … at least for me it does!

Now since a while the audience you met when overtaking new projects has changed dramatically. Folks you know from earlier and value for their thoughtful cooperation once, today are often lost within specialities or suffering like you under a big workload not being able to help anymore.

So there more and more a new generation is coming to act. New "green" folks and so called Application Owner mostly not having any background about the underlaying system and techniques and often only being trained within their application, it’s business requirement and the general dealing and working with it

As a result out of that I often get a requests in a way … Can you do that and that for me please? Best at night when I’m at home!

Grrrr … I really hate these mindless emails! What do they think? … Nothing I guess?!

But the more I hate that their emails mostly even miss all necessary details like server, account and login details and so on.
Or best! Sometimes and even better appear like a new written bible containing 20 or so forwarded email by people which does not really more have to say …. forcing to to read through all just to figure out about you still NEED to know.

Oh damned! Give my back my loved professionals I really enjoy working with please!

Yesterday I had a customer asking me about my different rates. Sorry he said, but I really can’t understand why you offer especially application maintenance as your most expensive task to order …. When things are settled, it should be easy to do the one or other maintenance tweak later on?!

Sure I said … But try see it through my eyes please. When you order database maintenance or application developing with me, I’m able to work with things I’m already familiar with. Or at least with things I personally think about as usefully for me to know or learn about.

Especially speaking about application maintenance - Given the situation that you can come to me telingl me about some commercial appication you bought and want me to install and take care about it…. For me this glorious software might be something totally new then, forcing me to spend hours or days learning about it first. This is time, you certainly will not like to pay me for.

And the most worst point for me could be, that I only learn for you not being able to use my knew knowledge later on for any other customer except you.

Reaching this point he smiled and said: Now I start to understand you. So you want me to come to you first, telling you about my needs? …. Now I smiled and said: Yeah! You got me now!!

I have to confess that I like such customers

Lately I felt somewhat exhausted with a million of things going on actually and I used this weekend for relaxing, by sleeping nearly endless and taking things easy.

Sure, as you might guess feeling exhausted was not forced by too much physical work. In a difference, it was mental work like planning things and solving technical issues all against some deadlines making me feeling tired recently.

Processing a lot of different stuff lately, I one more time was able to see how different people can cope with stress and problems. Some really can’t! Then closing down their mind and often just basically refuse to go on further. Others go on very well with stress, but do need some hand guiding them through all.

Looking at myself, I’m aware that since earliest childhood I’m able to force myself staying cool when needed. Then going on processing things further on just seen by facts and emotion free considerations and often working best especially under pressure.

Honestly this seems to be nothing special for me and personally just I see it as just the way I work. But often it turns out in stressful situations , that others start to look at me, awaiting my decision about how to go on with things …. like actually for a lot of work issues.

The point for me is just about not to do too much then …. and therefore this weekend, I decided to do widely …. nothing.

I recently have given someone a helping hand. For a few days I had fun playing with some stuff. First it needed me to get familiar with it. Then I started tweaking things here and there and did run in some issues for sure … mostly caused by misunderstandings and trying to change stuff not originally written by me and already coming along containing some inherit issues and problems in it.

After a pretty short time of just a few days and even for my feelings surprisingly,  I was able to say … I’ve done - Just finished something within a testing environment and later on bringing it in place are two very different things. And therefore I was not really surprised about the guy had trouble using it directly.

It needed me 3 or 4 days to get a feeling for it and now there are already new changes made by him!

Anyway it is just a question of time, a few more tweaks here and there and most important!! about to build up a common understanding between him and me about how things work together first.

Soon you will see!!