Preserved Topic: Occasional boring days at work. . . . (Page 1 of 1)

I'm having one of those days at work where I just can't get motivated, and unusually I'm not overloaded with work. Normally I don't get time to stop for more than 10 or 15 minutes during the day so I'm kept busy and I enjoy it that way, it seems to make the working day go quicker.

However on those very occasional slow days (like today) I find myself with not as much to do and consenquently really bored. I think that I work best when I know there is a stack of work still to do, so it keeps me focused, but when there's not much to do during the day, I loose interest and find myself scouring the net, chatting, etc. If I put my mind to it there is plenty I could do to get in front for the following week etc. but even that is too much trouble. The problem is, I feel guilty about doing this, (even though I work my ass off most of the week and do extra hours for free)

Does anyone else have days like these? and do you feel guilty about them.

Don't mind me, just having one of those days. It wouldn't be as bad if I could install photoshop at work, then at least I could use the time constructively.

I tend to try and get away with as much as possible at work, while still keeping up my responsibilities.

...was supposed to be a nice relaxing week for me and my co-workers...
shouldn't have had more than 2 things to work on and test....

then came tuesday morning.... BAM.... all of a sudden we get swamped down with all sorts of testing to do.
And of course... as luck would have it....
some of the shit has to fail the testing and be sent back to the manufacturer....

such a pain in the ass.

Good advice Timothy, I had been thinking about something along those lines this morning. I use Excel a lot at work for all sorts of crap, and am being asked by a lot of my co-workers to write complicated macros for them, I get by with the little I know about writing macros, but I had been thinking it would be good to learn "the next level of macro writing" which would help us all in the long run. Anyone know of any good excel macro writing sites on the net that I could check out?

Oh and by the way Tim, I thought I was doing long hours at about 10/day. 15hrs is freaky man! Are you actually at "the office" for all that time or do you work at home after the days ended?

Silence, I used to be exactly the same man, don't know when it happened, but I guess I got a conscionce (spelling?) over the years and decided to nuckle-down. Damn, now I sound old.



[This message has been edited by TheTrixter (edited 06-27-2001).]

Some times your brain just needs a day away.


I pretend to work.... they pretent to pay!

nj

Ya, hate that feeling. I try to look busy but there just isn't anything that needs done. Cant go home because you need the cash, and what if something came up? So you hop on your computer and surf the net a little bit, and your boss walks by and it looks like you are just slacking off. So you run over to whatever you were doing last and pretend you are working vicious cycle!




-It never hurts to always be right-

Most of my work days are slow. I do Tech Support. I work in an incoming call center. I work the graveyard shift. there are really not a lot of calls coming in. On weekends I will take 4-5 calls a night. total work on the phone....an hour to an hour and a half out of an 8 hour day. I know what its like to be bored. I am SO glad I have Photoshop here!

Wooaaahh! That must really drag sometimes Cartlon. Yes, I bet your glad of photoshop during those long boring stretches. How the hell do they pay you for a job like that? Hope its not based on the number of calls you take. By the way, what exactly is the graveyard shift (sorry I'm a Limey, not heard that term before). It sounds like it means working through the night, but then you said "8 hour day" and I got confused, which is not hard to do.

Graveyard

usually a shift running from approx. 11pm-7a Midnite-8am... or there abouts.

"Graveyard" label because most usually office staff and brass are nowhere to be seen... thus place is quiet quiet quiet like a....

nj

Yeah...I work 11pm to 7am. They pay me by the hour. There are usually only 3-4 ppl staffed that time of night. We take calls from all over the world tho....So the time of night I work I get calls from Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, and sometimes Germany.

I AM thankful for Photoshop. I usually work on something every night to kill time.

Graveyards and afternoons...

sleep cycles fucked less as an individual you can cope.


lower wages than days or afternoons.

benefit

fewer assholes.

you win.

nj




[This message has been edited by NoJive (edited 06-29-2001).]

Ah got you, I thought you meant a night shift, just never heard that term before. Thats strange about lower wages NoJive. Over here (UK) you get more money for a night shift, slightly less for afternoons, and the lowest for day shifts, they say you get more for night shifts because its classed as "anti-social hours". Its never affected me because I've always done day shifts. I used to work "office hours" 8.30am-4.30pm and that sucked because I always felt the the morning was wasted just waiting to go to work and then the day was nearly over when I got home at night. These days I do an early day shift 5.30am - 2.30pm (officially) and I find that a lot better. No wasted time in the mornings, just up and straight to work to get it over and done with early in the afternoon, rest of the day is my own (well not my own because the wife or my son always want me to do something).

"Graveyards and afternoons...

sleep cycles fucked less as an individual you can cope. "


yep.... pretty much....
UNLESS of course you have been working those shifts for a loooonnnggg time....
then when they move you back to day shift..... you can't sleep when it's dark out.

THEN, you have the people like me.


-who just don't sleep at all.


-Michael

I have the hardest time staying on a sleep cycle. With the hours I work...and on my days off. I tent to sleep nights on my days off and sleep days on the days I work. Look at this sleep and tell me if this is not messed up. My off days are Mon and Tue.

Mon: Come hom at 7:30 and go to bed....sleep until 6pm. Am up with ppl until about 2am and then go to bed again.
Tue: Get up about noon and then go to bed at 2am.
Wed: Sleep until 3 or 4 (Yes...I can sleep 13-15 hours straight) and THEN go to work at 11.

I am SO messed up when it comes to sleep.

P.S. If this makes no sense or no one cares please disregard. I have a splitting headache right now and its still an hour before I get off work.

Actually, I know exactly what you mean Carltoncig. There was a thread on something like this earlier. Like you, my sleep patterns are nowhere near regular (I stay up as much as possible and catch up when I can), and this is hard when I work regular hours (9-5 usually). For as long as I remember, I have been sleeping erratically. In fact, the only time I ever get enough sleep is during the summer months when there's no school.

I figured it's because my body runs on a 36 hour clock (22 hours awake, 14 hours sleep). Pretty weird, i think.

You're correct on the "shift differential" when it comes to being paid by the hour. On a monthly salary however it's most usually the opposite, depending on the business of course.

"...These days I do an early day shift 5.30am - 2.30pm (officially) and I find that a lot better. No wasted time in the mornings, just up and straight to work to get it over and done with."


Loud and *very* clear on that one. Absolutely best shift ever was 3:30am - 10:30'ish did that one for close to 10 years. Loved it.

When I was single & in my 20's... best shift was afternoons. 3:30pm -11:30pm.

I've always had trouble with 'dayshifts'... doesn't matter what time I go to bed. School was the same way. All I wanted to do was sleep or just be outside. I much prefer working in what might be called 'off-hours'... and have the daylight to myself.

I also liked working weekends. It could well go to that 'anti-social' thread.... Far less bs to deal with...

nj

I work 11pm-8am.

It's not so bad. I get home about 8:30, and sleep till 5pm.
When i don't have to work the next day, i stay awae as long as possible, then sleep when i'm tired. best time was: 40hrs awake, 16 hrs sleep... then back to normal.