That Time I Stayed At The Office Until 11 PM

There are so many differences between you and me, but maybe those differences come with years.  You were a 40-year-old desktop engineer, and I was a technical writer, fresh out of college.  You worked at home most of the year because it helped you focus.  I worked at home sometimes so I could be more comfortable.  You took this job because you wanted a challenge.  I took this job because it paid the bills.  You stayed until you wanted to leave, and I left after my nine hours were up.  You loved your job, and I did mine.

Sometimes changes take time.  Sometimes they sort of creep into your life, slowly infiltrating whatever rut you happen to find yourself in, settling in a warm and comfy corner of your agenda.  But sometimes changes happen overnight.  Sometimes, you meet the right people at the right times, and something incredible happens.

You were a remote employee, working from the safety of your own home somewhere in Oklahoma, and I was a DC-based employee tired of the business-casual way of life.  I’d seen you around the office a few times, and I think you were hired a week or so after I joined the firm, but we’d never really talked much.  Our work never intersected, and I had no reason to reach out to a member of another team, especially if you weren’t in the office for most of the year.

But by some chance of fate, we shared a cubicle this week.

The last man to sit where you sat made a lasting impression.  Maybe it’s the spot, or maybe it’s the people we choose to hire, but that seat has yet to produce someone who hasn’t taught me some kind of lesson.

The week started off with a series of new assignments, like any other week.  On Monday, I did my job and left after 9 hours of work, like any other Monday.  You were there when I arrived and you were there when I left.  Jokingly, as I left, I told you to not work too hard, and to get back to your hotel to rest up for the next day of work.

On Tuesday, you were there when I arrived and you were there when I left.  That morning, you told me you had been in the office until 10 PM the night before, and I told you I had never heard of such a thing.  I left after 9 hours of work, and I told you not to work too hard.

On Wednesday, you were there when I arrived.  You told me you had worked until 9 PM the night before, and you gave me another heart attack.  I told you that on this particular Wednesday, you would not be there when I left.  I vowed to stay and work however late you happened to stay.

We ended up staying in the office until 11 PM that night, and I regret none of it.

At first, you thought I was joking—everyone thought I was joking.  You were known for your insanely high work ethic, and whenever you stayed late, you braved the empty office alone.  But when my 9 hours of work came and went, you began to see that I was serious.

Soon, the office was empty except for the two of us.

Throughout the evening, I made a point to make conversation, and got to know you a little better because of it.  You never graduated from college, which I found incredibly surprising given how brilliant you were.  In the 90s, you started your own computing company out your garage, convincing a major tech company to acquire you.  You learned everything you knew by reading on your own time, and your thirst for knowledge was limitless.  You moved your way through the ranks at the tech company, eventually creating one-of-a-kind software that made you invaluable.  And you left your old company to join ours because you wanted more challenge, more knowledge.  You were perpetually searching out the unknown, and it seemed you wouldn’t stop until you learned everything there was to know.  Your backstory alone was fit for an inspirational monologue, but that wasn’t all I got out of the night.

You were working on finding a fix to a problem that had been unsolvable for the past two days, and the focus you possessed was otherworldly.  I had never seen anyone come up with so many possible ways to solve a problem, persevering throughout the late hours of the night when each potential solution was met with failure.  I had never seen anyone start talking to themselves out loud whenever they were reasoning through why a solution failed and what the next steps they wanted to take would be.  I had never seen anyone insult themselves out loud when they became frustrated with their work, pumping themselves up for the next round of trial-and-error.  I had never seen anyone pace back and forth with such vigor, calling his boss in 30 minute increments to provide status updates.  I had never seen a boss so receptive to an employee calling at such odd hours of the night.

And I had never seen anyone display as much triumph after finally figuring out a solution that worked.

That time I stayed at the office until 11 PM with you, I learned a valuable lesson.  You get so much more out of a job if you look at it as more than a job.  If you invest more than simply the 9 hours you are required to work, the rewards are noticeable, and not just the monetary ones.  If you buy into the work you are doing, you get more of those triumphant feelings that you got at the end of the night.  You care about what you are doing, and you start to do it better.  Work stops becoming a chore and starts becoming something you enjoy.  If you are thirsty for knowledge and experience, you will drink the whole lake.

So I’m turning over a new leaf.  I’m staying late when I’m on a roll, and I’m not counting down the minutes until 9 hours of work have passed.  I’m starting to care about what I’m doing and take pride in the work I complete.  I’m taking on more responsibility and buying in.

And that’s why you should stay in the office until 11 PM sometime.