Productivity is crucial when you are in AV and in any job for that matter. You only have so many hours in a day during the week to get tasks done. Maybe there used to be fewer distractions but staying focused on the job at hand can be challenging. We want to address mental health this month because this topic seems crucial and relevant to each of our lives. We hear it on the news and we talk about it as we chat with the tweeps on #AVinTheAM and in person this year at InfoComm 22. Work flexibility has helped normally with some of this stress but most higher ed AV jobs require you to be on campus for some part of your week. You need to answer that call or design that space or visit that class. Even worse your team needs to upgrade a room so we can’t do it all from home but how do we make the office feel more like the warmth of being at home? First, let’s chat about a few areas that can trigger our bad state of mind.
Fire, fire
This has not just recently started because of the last few years but AV always seems to be about handling fires or last-minute requests. Poor planning or bad design can sometimes be at play but it also can just be bad luck. Stress is easy to build up, especially if you are early in your career and have not experienced job confidence. Having a mentor to lean on and a boss that can give good direction is very helpful but these situations can be tricky. My suggestion is to learn from failure. I always tell my students: “The reason I make this suggestion is because I already made this mistake three times and wasted time or got frustrated because there was a better way to do something.” Learn how to limit your heartburn, though, by giving yourself boundaries. I usually get to a point in the summer when I tell folks that all new requests will have to be dealt with after school starts. People have to learn that we can’t always perform magic!
Plans that change
Another familiar foe in our AV day-to-day is unexpected changes or should I say expect changes to projects along the way. This has always been the case but during these last few years, it just seems like you can’t ever have something go according to plan. It might be because tech is not here, money is not approved, or even people are sick. Delay, delay, delay. This might not be true but it can seem like we spend twice the amount of time planning a project than it use to take. This is demoralizing. This is deflating and all of this lack of knowing when a milestone will take place is just self-defeating. We are slowly learning to manage but it takes time. I believe after this year we all will keep more products on the shelf. The other strategy I hear is that you decide you need to have two of each product you are okay with installing. Whether it be a display, projector, sound bar, etc. Then you don’t limit your options and end up waiting months to finish a room which is a great segway into my next point.
Incomplete projects
The long list of unfinished business is a new reality I believe that has also created mental stress. It feels like an act of god to be able to get completely done with a project finally. The toll of having your feet in so many installs or upgrades at once is nearly impossible to sift through. This situation is very hard to manage and prioritize as well. It seems like you should be doing everything at once but you can’t. Those in AV also derive satisfaction from a job well done and a happy customer but if none of it ever can be commissioned and finalized that aura is lost which does not help the team’s self-confidence and worth. I hope this predicament ends soon and we can start closing tasks out but again you should be aware of the fact that this reality is weighing on the people working with you.
So how do we allow ourselves to find a better, healthier place? As we close, my suggestion would be just to start by admitting these stresses are part of your group’s life. Be aware of this. Try to be intentional about finding ways to help manage this toll. You should address the hard times and ask how you can help. It won’t be easy and it won’t just go away but showing that you care is key. Let’s have the world see that our mental health is something that we take seriously and with as much passion as how our installs look and perform!
