It's funny how performance reviews can bring you down.

They're meant to improve performance.
But when's the last time you actually thought: "Wow, I'm so glad I know how much everyone hates my work! I'm going to try so much harder NOW! Who cares about those recruiters who keep calling with offers of more money - I want to try to please THESE critics."

Does anyone really need to hear anything bad about themselves or their work at their review? I mean, certainly, if you are clueless and you totally suck at your job, but they just can't fire you, then of course they should try to help you stop sucking. Usually, however, these slackers are really not interested in improving. They're just fine going on their merry sucking way. They have a job that they don't work hard at and they get paid. It's perfect.

These are the people who read and live by SpreadtheSlack.com. Read it. You will be converted, I hope.

The thing is, I am NOT a slacker. If someone actually told me that I could do something better when I was doing it, instead of saving everything up until the moment they could blind-side me with it, I would probably try to change what I was doing.

And yet, if I were a slacker, perhaps I would not be expected to do everything in the entire universe and be perfect at it.

Actually, come to think of it, I at least "meet expectations" in everything, am "better than expectations" on many other aspects and even "far exceed expectations" on some other, very special, occasions.

So why wouldn't I be strongly rewarded for that?
I could be a slacker and still be "rewarded" the same.

This weekend I will likely spend a lot of time putting together a case for myself on why I deserve more than the generic "you're OK" reward package. Yes, I said it, I will do it on my precious weekend.

And why?

Because I just spent an 11.5-hour day at work and didn't have time to gather these facts, stats and write them up in a persuading manner, using all the right non-confrontation language.

Sometimes I wonder if perhaps I wouldn't be better suited to running a hostel in some obscure corner of the country where I could read my books, update my website, go for bike rides in the sunshine and make yummy healthy dinners instead of eating a chocolate bar beside my designer's desk at 8pm.