It was Dec. 9, 1999. I had just recorded my 140th hour of the month, my monthly minimum before bonus dollars kicked in. Nine consecutive 15-plus hour days, no weekend. We met our deadline. Despite the intensity, I recall little about the matter or why it was imperative that we accomplish so much in so little time (likely the “my poor time management becomes your emergency” phenomenon, but I digress).

At the culmination of the project I was simultaneously exhausted and energized. My bonus potential was a great incentive in my early 20s. I was ready to rock the month. I sat down with the staffing coordinator to tackle my next assignment. “Well, we’ve assigned most everything out to those who weren’t on the [brand name energy] takeover project. Why don’t you just take some time off and enjoy the rest of the month?”