My boss gave me a task list

[cwoodgold]

I don't think you necessarily have to assume your boss is trying to fire you. It's good to take precautions in case, as others have suggested. However, he may just be trying to get you to work harder, or trying to prove you're not better than him or something.

When he looks over your shoulder when you're typing, you might try stopping (maybe closing the document) turning to him and saying "Did you want to talk to me about something?" or if he asks you to type so he can watch, you might keep saying "I'll email it to you in half an hour." or maybe even "Actually, it makes me nervous when someone watches while I type. I'll email it to you in half an hour."

Cathy

 

[Candid]

Thanks all, very good advice here. Sorry I've not replied earlier, but I was too upset even to read the forums! I started working with my boss Feb 2008, and realised 6 months later I couldn't work well with him and started actively looking for more work. Another 18 months later I gave up and then started looking around for ways to make my work situation better, and hence found GTD. The task list is only the list of high priority work, we are supposed to specialise in two areas of expertise, his way of reducing my workload was to reduce the focus on one of them. I have known other people I have worked with previously come into my company and leave because of the huge workload that seems to be expected on a regular basis.

I wanted to pull this out. You started to work at this job at the very beginning of the horrible period of the 2008 economic mess. You started to look for another job, also still in that period. I don't know what came before this job on your resume, but whatever it was, it was probably offset by the relatively short amount of time you had been at your job.

The economy is still tight, but not as bad as it was then. You may want to retool your resume with your four years at this job. You also, now, should have more contacts from this very job (remember the private contractors? you could go to work for them).