What did you do today?

[Willy]

Back in the early 70's I did a lot of long haul trucking. 4 or 5 AM to 11 PM-1 AM. Sleeper on the truck so this was my world all week. I remember a few 28 hour shifts, sleep for an hour then another 8 before I got out of the truck. Work on the truck Saturday or Sunday depending on when I got home, then back in the saddle 5 AM Monday morning. I'm glad those days are over and that there are laws and better enforcement nowadays.
At the time folks told me it was a good life for a young single man, I told them it was a good way to get into a coffin. Never again.

After that twenty years of 12 hour shifts seemed like a picnic. The quality of life is more important than the quantity. Life in the slow lane suits me just fine.

[PStechPaul]

If those work hours are in any way typical, it is no wonder we as a society, in the US, have become so dysfunctional, angry, and unhealthy. We spend the best years of our lives, destroying our health, accumulating wealth, power, and possessions, then quickly spend that wealth desperately trying to regain a modicum of that health after we quit the rat-race. I have only occasionally pulled long hours and all-night marathon work sessions, and after a few years struggling to get to work by 7:30 AM, I opted for a 10-6 schedule. As a design engineer, I often worked a bit past my normal hours, then played volleyball, and sometimes returned to work to get more done on a project, or did work at home. I greatly enjoyed my job, until I designed a product that the competition found so valuable that they bought that division and I was out of a job after 15 years.

Then in 1989 I satisfied my long time dream of self-employment (or, perhaps, self-enjoyment), working according to my own schedule, rarely more than 6 hours a day. A few years ago I reached the age where I qualified for SS and Medicare, and that was just about enough to meet my minimal needs. Now I will will soon be 70-1/2 at which time my annuities will kick in and I can fully retire, although I will still do some engineering and consulting jobs occasionally. I never fully signed on to the corporate "rat-race" and thus avoided much of the stress of competitive conspicuous consumption.

So what did I do today? After staying up late on the computer and watching TV, I slept until 3:00 PM, made coffee, watched the last of the Ravens game, and now once again watching TV and playing on the computer. I'm a bit stiff and sore from doing some concrete work yesterday, so today I'll take it easy.

[vpt]

Buddy of mine was telling me of a guy working doubles every single day for 10 years strait just to retire early. Didn't spend anything because he wasn't doing anything but working and sleeping. I guess his retirement was coming up within a year or so at 40 years old.

[1-800miner]

Work your self to death and the company will have the help wanted ad posted long before the obituary is printed up.

[Cenedd]

I once did a 10 to 4 shift.....am to am. But to be fair, it was only a one-off. One of those 'it opens in the morning, we HAVE to be finished!' efforts.

Did enjoy forcing my last boss to wait for me on-site when he suggested that I get a taxi, four trains and a bus home while I was on crutches. Site was literally a 20 mins drive before you got any sign of s mobile signal. It was merely poetic that I didn't finish the job until 2 or 3am.

Having recently hit 41, the idea of retiring at 40 is more appealing than perhaps it should be.....just need more space for the new mill that's been released! :-D

[vpt]

Along the lines of "one time"

I once put in 48 hours strait. I slept on the job (well on a boat) while at work for an hour here and there as we waited for trucks between loading. That was a long day!

[J Tiers]

Drove 10 hours back from MN. Zero machining content again.

From Rockford to Bloomington-Normal, it was raining like a cow pissing on a flat rock. Could not even see the lanes, had to slow down drastically, wiped out all my saved time.

[DennisCA]

That kind of work schedule is why I retired at 62. I spent 40 years in a truck transmission plant on the machining area. Overtime was an expectation not an exception. Basically 7 day work weeks and asking for 12 hour days. When you’re younger one can stand it but as you get older it’s tougher. The tough thing is you don’t have any spare time, for the shop, the house, to do things with the family. Just work eat and sleep. That stinks

I am 37 and I refuse to work more than 40 hours a week because I value my free time. I got one life, one family and that's it. As long as I got enough income to live decently there's no point hunting more money.

Not that it's expected of me at work really, there is a general understanding in Finland and Germany too (efficiency central of the world) that keeping people at work more hours just means efficiency goes down the drain, people sit and do nothing as the human brain simply can't be efficiently operating that long every day, ergo as a business owner you are just loosing money doing it that way.

You also stay home when you are sick and don't come in and get your coworkers sick, sinking productivity that way. Work smarter, not more.

[danlb]

It's funny that we have such disparity. As a programmer, I often worked very, very long hours voluntarily. I did so simply because once I was into the code I was able to visualize the logic flows and needed transforms. My coding speed was phenomenal when I was in that zone.

By contrast, when I was working as a communications technician testing and fixing hundreds of circuits per shift a 16 hour day was less productive than two 8 hour days.
Unfortunately my boss realized that two 16 hour days were more productive than two 8 hour days.
Fortunately, we were union with time and a half for everything over 8 hours in a day. We got the same for everything over 40 in a week. On top of that we got double time for anything more than 48 in a week.

I really loved working special projects with 7 day weeks at 16 hours a day. Sunday was time and a half and we were on double time by Tuesday.

That was 40 years ago. I like being retired even more.

[PStechPaul]

Over the last few days I've been doing some masonry work. These are piers for the small 4'x8' yard tool shed:


I also have been working on the old foundation for the original shed. It is about 12' x 7', and needs the front lifted about 6" to make level.. I may extend it to 12' x 8', but that will require removing much (or all) of the big wild cherry tree stump to the rear.


Most recently, I have been working on the brick steps to the porch on the front of the house. I unknowingly had used some indoor brick from the old chimneys and a few winters caused them to disintegrate.


But first I am finishing the left side of the steps to make them full width to match the front entrance. I'll probably finish that part tomorrow, and also tackle removing and replacing the bad bricks. I enjoy masonry work, although I'm not really very good at it, and it is hard on my back and knees.

[CCWKen]

Wow! Looks like you can add mason to your list of talents.

[3 Phase Lightbulb]

Wow! Looks like you can add mason to your list of talents.

As long as Mr. Mason doesn't mind you claiming him as your talent

[gambler]

Over the last few days I've been doing some masonry work. These are piers for the small 4'x8' yard tool shed:


I also have been working on the old foundation for the original shed. It is about 12' x 7', and needs the front lifted about 6" to make level.. I may extend it to 12' x 8', but that will require removing much (or all) of the big wild cherry tree stump to the rear.


Most recently, I have been working on the brick steps to the porch on the front of the house. I unknowingly had used some indoor brick from the old chimneys and a few winters caused them to disintegrate.


But first I am finishing the left side of the steps to make them full width to match the front entrance. I'll probably finish that part tomorrow, and also tackle removing and replacing the bad bricks. I enjoy masonry work, although I'm not really very good at it, and it is hard on my back and knees.

do you ever take a break?

[rock_breaker]

Turned down an arbor to hold a an anti theft lug wrench for the SIL. Was able to single point 1/2" x 20 TPI so the nut fits snug. Making the "opposite" of the A T nut is a thinking challenge.

[PStechPaul]

One more course completed:


Finished, just as dusk fell, making the flash necessary:




This is how they looked almost 20 years ago when I first started working on them. Originally, there were just some concrete blocks.


I'm taking a break now...