Repetitive Behaviours & Tasks (work problems)

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I work in a sort of production line (but not one in the classic sense - i.e. like those for making cars). The job I do is the same small number of steps, maybe half a dozen processes to complete the task, over and over again. I have always liked my job too.

We have to do a certain number of units an hour. We are supplied work to process by a team of other workers and sometimes I am not given enough to keep me going for the next hour - in other words my "work to do next" runs out. The other operators are kept fully stocked with work to do. This causes me anxiety/stress.

Anyway this morning I am sat at my computer, at home, editing photographs from my last holiday. Many are coastal views and I have to go through each one and make sure the horizon is straight on every picture that you can see the sea. The task involves "straighten picture"/"crop"/"save" and I do is this same small number of steps over and over again. I would think there is, on average, 1000 pictures to do every time I go on holiday.

Both of these are repetitive tasks aren't they? I try to keep the process steps exactly the same (and in the same order) for both situations. Editing photos I find lets me chill and not think about too much.

In the work situation I have thought that the stress/anxiety is being caused by not being treated the same as the other operators (verging on the B word).

Could it be, in fact, because I am being stopped from doing my repetitive task?

If repetitive tasks let you chill and quiet your mind, then yeah, maybe you get a burst of anxiety coming back to the wider world around you. When I'm reading, writing, or in the middle of a game, I often enter a state of flow so that if I get interrupted, I get a burst of anxiety or anger and might snap at someone in that first second. As time goes on, I'm remembering more and more to breathe and let the intense feeling pass, which it does in another couple of seconds.

Since you like repetitive tasks though, you might chuckle at the other side. My thoughts go something like this: Great, I'm stuck doing this again. I feel like a zombi. Why do intelligent people get stuck doing this stuff? Can't the robots/machines take over already? Is this really going to make a difference to anyone? I'm so bored/frustrated/whatever. Oh wow, I've only been at this for five minutes?

Are you actually working faster than the others? It may not be that you are not kept stocked, but that you get the same number of units but just finish faster.

Speak with your supervisor about having some busy work task to do when your queue of work runs out.

Like you, I also enjoy repetitive tasks. If you can do them well, smoothly, and fast, I can see how they could be a type of stim, calming your mind and soothing your nervous system. Maybe you can switch to another stim when you have run out of work.

I'm working at the same speed, as we have to hit a target, and we all shout out similar numbers. Having said that if I hit my target early in the hour I then count the work for the following hour (not sure if the others do that).

Having said that (again) it is clear when work isn't being supplied as I never see them at my work station.

Doing something else is a work around and it does work to an extent. But I shouldn't need a work around....

My thoughts this morning have certainly has given me something to ponder about going forward.