Order from chaos

My physical workplace is, as usual at this time of the month, becoming cluttered with printouts and notes about the new module, vying for space with all the normal desk chaff - receipts and expenses claims, IT stuff, music CDs, crockery from lunch al-desko, and more. 

It's much the same with my virtual workplace too as my mind fills to the brim with thoughts, many part-formed, some tantalizingly close to crystallising out while others remain chaotic. This is a curiously appropriate representation of my brain right now - or at least it would be if it were constantly shifting about:

It's time to focus on completing the materials, discarding half-baked ideas and letting go of threads that aren't likely to mature in time. It's not entirely wasteful though as the notes, threads and other memories will be there the next time we work on a related security awareness topic. 

In infosec terms, there are risks in our way of working. We're on the critical path now, so any incidents that threatened completion and delivery of the next module would be magnified due to the impact. On top of that, the timescale pressures make us more vulnerable to issues. 

On the other hand, we've been through this situation so many times now that I'm confident we will hit the deadline, come what may. Thanks to several years of experience, the month end is more galvanising than stressful. We have ways of coping, well-practiced methods and, most of all, a tacit understanding in the office about priorities. We pull together to pull it together, as a team.

And being infosec pro's, we have contingency plans too, just in case.

So, with that, I must get on with the day-job. But first, another cup of tea and some calming music is called for.