Leaving Early Guilt

by Working Girl One

And by early, I mean I reasonable hour like 6pm.

I hate working late. Hate it. Some people don't mind it, some even like it. I totally get it, at the end of the day, when everyone else has packed up and gone home, you can finally have some peace and quiet to get your work done.

I am not one of those people. I never was. I prefer getting in early or working through lunch. And with an hour or so long commute these days, I am so not one of those people.

Over the last few weeks, I've gotten pretty good at getting my work done at a reasonable hour. Could I stay later and get even more work done? Sure, there is always work to be done. But it's summer and I just want to get to the train and get home.

So, I leave. And I feel guilty about it. I am usually one of the first people to leave and while I know others are only 15 or 20 minutes behind me, I hate being the first. I hate the idea of my boss calling my name from her office and realizing I'm not there. Would she really care if I wasn't? Probably not. She's one of those people who doesn't mind staying late and she knows I have a commute.

I was raised Catholic so I blame it on my Catholic Guilt. But it's something I have to get over. If I complete all my work, I deserve to leave at a reasonable hour, no?