Volunteering for work at work?

It sounds like an oxymoron.

Volunteering for extra work at work? What sane person does this? And no, I am not passionate about this task and dying to perform it. No, it is not a fun task. No, it is not a prestigious task (any task that includes going to the post office as this one does is by definition not prestigious). Do bear in mind that I have two post graduate degrees, so this task is “beneath” me if I cared about things like that.

So why on earth did I volunteer?

1. The person doing the task sucks at it
2. The person who should be doing the task is even more incompetent at it
3. I still get the complaints when it is done wrong/ late
4. I may get fresh air

This type of volunteering is what I not so fondly call “volunteering in self defense.” The task was either going to end up in my lap anyway, or was going to continue limping along with more and more complaints in my lap. If I volunteer proactively for the task, I look helpful. Finally, it means that I can do it the way that suits me instead of being told how to do it in a manner that will be annoying.

However, as per sod’s law, this means that something will go wrong with this….