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Rarely is Monday ever as bad as you think it is going to be. After two cups of coffee and a cold glass of water at the old desk on Monday morning I’m pretty much over the anxiety that cripples me on Sunday evenings.
But this Sunday evening/Monday morning dynamic is interesting because no matter how many Mondays you go through as a person in the workforce Sunday never really gets better. Repetition and routine usually makes us more comfortable, but in the case of going back to work it’s different. And that’s because it’s fucking work. Nobody really likes going to work. I mean some days you’re fine with it but most of the time you’re waking up and going – “Eh, I’d rather not be showering and getting dressed to go into this place right now.”
There’s always going to be a little bit of anxious energy on Sunday night even if you are doing really well professionally, and nothing exacerbates that feeling like getting a text message from someone while you’re getting ready to crawl in bed for one last episode of The Larry Sanders Show or some trash Netflix original that has caught your attention.
There’s an older episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry and Sheryl are arguing about the cut off time for calling people at their home. Home phones were still very much a thing when that episode was made, and Larry lobbies for a 10:30 p.m. cut off. Sheryl argues for 10:00 p.m., and as with all episodes of Curb, this snowballs into massive issue. I always fell in line with Sheryl on this one – after 10:00 p.m. I don’t want anyone calling my phone.
But phone calls nowadays are few and far between. I’ll get on the line to call my parents but other than that I operate mostly in the texting universe, despite the fact that making phone calls would be a better use of my time. It’s faster but I know that none of my friends like talking on the phone so I tend to text. If you polled twenty somethings a majority would say that they prefer texting to making a call. That’s a fact. A phone call can be triggering in a way that a text message is not.
The phone call puts a millennial on edge because there’s a lot more commitment involved than there is with a text message. So last night I’m finishing up my recording of 60 Minutes and I feel my phone vibrate on the couch. It’s a text message. It’s right around 7:30 p.m. and it’s from a friend of mine back inquiring as to when I’m coming back for Christmas and whether or not we might be able to grab a beer while I’m home.
Any other day of the week this text message would have been met with an enthusiastic reply, but because it was Sunday night I just couldn’t deal with it. I don’t like to get into texting conversations past 4:00 p.m. on Sunday because it’s too much for my brain to handle. And you know how some people are faster text messagers than others? Like some people you can text them back, cook yourself dinner and there still won’t be a reply from them 15 minutes later? This was not one of those people.
With others it’s rapid fire, and the person texting me most certainly fell into that category. They’re texting back 20 or 30 seconds after getting your text and then you get into this situation where you feel like you have to reply instantly to keep up.
I just wasn’t in the right headspace to do that. I need to be left alone with my thoughts for the last portion of Sunday. I need to mentally prepare for work, and I can’t do that if my phone is going off with text messages about God knows what.
And on top of that, anything that you need to tell me on a sleepy Sunday evening can more than likely wait until the following day. Unless someone has died I don’t need to know about it. And I’m also just realizing this but if you text someone to notify them that another person has died you’re probably a serial killer. This is beside the point, though.
Just hearing the noise and/or vibration that your phone makes when you get a text is stressful for some reason on Sunday night. I don’t need that evil in my life after an episode of 60 Minutes. No notifications of any kind on my screen is how I like to have it. The cut off time is 4:00 p.m. on Sunday and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. .
Respond
jduda@grandex.co
What does Blaire want on a Sunday evening?
Probably the same as Duda.
They’re both like WASPy Kawhi Leonards that are always moody and don’t want to be bothered by anything.
Imagine thinking Kawhi Leonard is moody. He’s literally the most low maintenance superstar there is, the Spurs just completely disrespected the man, and mishandled the situation. They couldn’t just let the man take a year to rehab in peace? It’s his body, and his prime NBA playing window, and you have to respect that. Was glad to see him disengage and look elsewhere because any other organization in the league would’ve let him be. Front office, Coach Pop, and Tony Parker should be ashamed of themselves. Couldn’t be my organization.
Completely agree. I don’t need my phone going off every 5 minutes from some group with play by plays of every NFL game Sunday night.
Not knowing how to turn your phone on Silent or DND mode, DudaProbs ™
Hey guy, you know you don’t need to comment on everything right?
You got a better idea to do between the hours of 8am and 5pm ? Sure as hell not reading the news or actually working…
Bedtime has changed my life. Automatically goes into Do Not Disturb, tells me when to go to bed for a full night sleep, and the alarm is some cute little birds chirping
Super solid (and very relatable) take. The only person I might want to hear from after 4:00 on Sunday is ol’ girl telling me “Goodnight” or “Have a good day at work tomorrow!”.