Every morning that I'm in the office, I make coffee, then settle down to catch up on the news. I churn through my Saltmine U email, turning the flood of emails I get from 4 pm - 6 am into items on my to-do list. On sunny mornings, I watch the sun hit the Getty Museum on the hill across from my office. It almost makes up for being at my desk by 6 o'clock. I'm not a morning person at all; it takes an immense amount of willpower for me to get up at 4:35 a.m., and get my butt in my office chair by 6.

Sitzarbeit is a great word. Not only does it mean sedentary work, but it also means 'the effort it takes to keep your ass in the chair and working.'

I read about 100 RSS feeds every morning in the time it takes to finish my first cup of coffee, before my minion gets into the office. I don't understand why anyone would want to sit through a barrage of useless 'news' during the dreck that passes for television journalism in the mornings, these days -- why put up with all the segments on celebrities' latest liasions, when you can read exactly what you want to know more about in the world? Madness.

In the morning's news gazette was an apropos article in AIGA's blog: "Embrace the Strain," by Andrew Twigg.

Fewer resources, limited time, slashed budgets, rising costs. These restrictions require we work faster/harder/smarter to deliver the same results as before the economy collapsed in 2008 and ever since, while it’s struggled to gain traction. Add to that the competition of “name your price” logo operations and so many websites soliciting spec work, and the idea of delivering successful work while still managing to pay the bills can be daunting—and even a bit depressing. … Since 2008, I have heard many designers bemoan limited budgets, clients who hire the owner’s cousin’s teenage daughter to build their website, clients who opt for a pre-designed logo purchased anonymously online, or timelines that are unrealistic (“I know it’s Thursday, but can you have a 16-page brochure released to print on Monday?”). But these are the same kinds of challenges we’ve faced as designers for as long as there has been design. Even as close friends are laid off or design firms close up shop, the same challenge applies: Make do with what you have. There is no other option.

I imagine Twigg intended that to be inspiring, but it hits too close to home. Fewer resources? Check. Limited time? Check. Slashed budgets? Rising costs? Check. In the last couple of months, my client base has doubled because of a division merger. As a result, my group's workload has shot through the roof, as we rebrand… oh… everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything from technicians' trucks to fax cover sheets to service level agreements, not just the website and logos.

As a result, there's an awful lot of sitzarbeit lately. Which is killing me, according to this infographic: