I just logged my 500th spreadsheet cell check and felt weirdly proud of it.

I work in data entry for a supply company in Boise, and my main task is verifying part numbers. Yesterday, my counter hit 500 cells checked in one sitting. On one hand, it's a sign of how repetitive my job is. On the other, hitting a round number like that gave me a small, stupid sense of achievement in the middle of the monotony. Has anyone else had a boring task milestone that actually felt good?

3 comments

3 Comments

robinb382mo ago

Totally get that feeling, I used to count pallets on a loading dock. Set a goal for the next hundred cells, maybe 600, and give yourself a small reward like a better coffee break. It turns the grind into a game you can win, which helps more than people think. Those tiny wins are what get you through the day without losing your mind.

xena88611d ago

Hold up, that's 100 cells not 600, unless you meant to say 1000. Just don't want anyone setting themselves up for a letdown when they miscount the goal.

susan_hall2mo ago

My buddy at a call center would track his average handle time and try to beat it by 10 seconds each week. Same idea, but with numbers only he saw.