How tf do people who work 8-5 M-F get any life done?

Submitted ⁨⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Tower@lemmy.zip⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

I’ve worked 2nd (afternoon), swing (evening), and 3rd (overnight) shifts for the majority of my life. I recently moved into a training position where I’m Monday through Friday, 8am to ~5:30pm (I get OT while I’m cleaning up and writing reports).

As much as the 2nd/swing/3rd shifts screw with your life in other ways, the difficulty in scheduling any kind of life services outside of working hours is maddening. Doctor’s appointment? Nope. DMV? Maybe Saturday, if you’re lucky. Chaperone your kids field trip? Hahahhah no.

I don’t want to burn sick time for a doctor’s appointment (I need to save those for when my kid is actually sick), and I sure as hell don’t want to use up a “vacation” day for it. How tf are you supposed to get anything done?

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Steve@communick.news ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
When I tell people I work 3 days, 12 hour shifts. They say something like “That’s way too long I could never do that.”
They don’t think about the fact that I get a 4 day long weekend… EVERY WEEK!
I could never go back to a 5 day schedule.

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- myrmidex@belgae.social ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  I did that for 10 years and it was great indeed, but it was a cushy job though. I reckon I couldn’t do manual labour or serious thinking for 12 hours a day. Just to say, it’s probably not optimal for any profession.
  
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  - Steve@communick.news ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    I’m an X-Ray tech at a University hospital with Level 1 trauma. It’s a lot of physical work. A few miles a day of walking, pushing x-ray plates under patients, moving patients to and from the table. It’s also cognitive work, problem solving. Deciding what order to do exams in. Coming up with a way to get the image when the patient can’t move properly. Do we need extra images due to a fracture, or fewer images because the patient says only this part hurts, not the whole arm that was ordered?
    
    I can say to everyone, any job you can do for 8 hours, you can do 50% longer. It’s surprising.
    
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farmgineer@nord.pub ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
As someone who had to take tomorrow off to visit the vehicle inspection place, I’m getting a kick…

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W3dd1e@lemmy.zip ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I don’t get anything done.

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sznowicki@lemmy.world ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I’m too European to get it

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- Tower@lemmy.zip ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  media0.giphy.com/media/…/giphy.gif
  
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lietuva@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
For me its the other way around. I worked 3 different shifts, including weekends, all the holidays and my shifts would be so random up to 6 workdays in a row with one or two days off in between. Most weekends I’ve worked, and my friends were available only on the weekends, so I missed on many stuff. My sleep schedule was non existant and I’ve felt constantly tired - i couldn’t recover after those night shifts with 2 days off. I wouldn’t get to spend time with my gf, even though it’s daily routine - cooking food, watching series before bed, etc, cause most time when she was free i would be either sleeping or working.

Getting the stuff done, your appointments is nice, especially in the mornings when you got evening shift later, there are definitely upsides to working in shifts. But definitely not for everyone, the random sleep patterns caught up to me and since then I’m working in office hours, feeling much better even though the pay is less.

I guess where are working matters a lot. My current workplace let me leave earlier if I need to, or WFH, there’s no pressure in time-keeping and I love that. So many places feel like you’re working in ER, but you’re just making someone rich :D. Also the city I am living in is a 600k European city, where distances are smaller, most drive <1h here to work. But I would move to smaller town for sure of we had children.

I don’t want to get into American vs European labor laws, but I’m getting 4week/year PTO as much sick days as I meed (with reduced pay) and child care days off, meaning 1 day off/2 months whenever you want.

Sensible employer, decent sized town, and good enough country.

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Iconoclast@feddit.uk ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I don’t consider work separate from life. I wasn’t happy in my previous job so I started my own bussiness and now I do what I like to do. I still wouldn’t work if I didn’t have to but because I do, might as well do something that I enjoy and feels meaningful. Admittedly I probably work more hours now than I did before and I took a paycut as well but for as long as it covers my expenses it’s all good. Atleast I don’t need to ask anyone’s permission for… anything.

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IWW4@lemmy.zip ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I am sorry you don’t want to burn up sick time or PTO… you have no choice, or find a care giver that works on weekends.

It really sucks.

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Randelung@lemmy.world ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I moved six weeks ago. I installed my first ceiling light yesterday. The pile of todos is slowly shrinking. SLOWLY.

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jqubed@lemmy.world ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Sometimes it’s using PTO or sick time (normally I’ve been able to take the time in 2 hour blocks), sometimes I’ve just been able to arrange with my supervisor for an extended lunch break, or just taking an unpaid break during the day and making up the hours later in the day or the week so that I’m not hitting my income or not completing my work.

Also, there’s reasons dentist offices often open early, or work on the weekends. Other necessary services like that may offer extended hours on certain days of the week.

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leadore@lemmy.world ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
My favorite working years were in the '80’s when I worked evenings (4pm - 12:30am). I was in my 20’s. I took classes, taekwondo, easily scheduled any appointments, went to the store when it was less busy, etc. I’d get home before 1:00 am, relax for 30-45 minutes and go to bed, then awaken naturally in the mid-morning, no alarm clock needed! I’ve always been a night owl so it was the perfect schedule for me. I’ve also worked overnight shift which was the worst, not good for sleeping (during the day when it’s bright light and hot and people making lots of noise).

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Bakkoda@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I recently (3 years ago) changed gears employment wise to a 2 week rotating schedule, working 7 days out of 14 plus and flex time usage. 10 years of house projects done in 6 months. New roof, kitchen renovation + new flooring/paint/trim throughout the house. Raised beds built and in use. Vermin proofed half the block to ward off woodchucks. I go fishing whenever.

60 hour work weeks simply aren’t worth it to me.

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- Tower@lemmy.zip ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  That sounds amazing…
  
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  - Bakkoda@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    There’s no way i would have gotten any of it done working Mon through Fri as I typically did 10-12 hour shifts. No time and no motivation and def no energy.
    
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Elting@piefed.social ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I don’t get this either. Good fucking luck getting to the bank when you work bank hours.

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Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I worked an average of 12 hours a day last month, 251 hours. Had zero life.

Make up for it in the winter when I work 4 days a week 😆

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- Tower@lemmy.zip ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Still, doesn’t sound like it’s worth it…
  
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BassTurd@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I’m fortunate enough that my last and current jobs have been accommodating if I need to duck out for an appointment. In general the expectation is to make up the time, but that’s flexible depending on how much time is missed.

Other than that, I decided to not have children, so it’s just my wife, me, and our dogs. My wife is 100% wfh, and I’m wfh 3 days a week, so we always have someone here when needed.

Before that when I worked retail and there was no leeway, I neglected things I need to do like going to the DMV, doctor and dentist appointments, and other things that technically could wait, but shouldn’t. In emergency situations, I was expected to find coverage, and one time when I couldn’t, I turned in my two weeks because they weren’t budging.

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Beth@piefed.social ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I end up taking half days off or working slightly later to offset leaving earlier on some days.

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- innermachine@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Same, thankfully I have a boss that is lenient about that sort of thing. Not everybody’s boss is good, but I think you’ll find if you talk to them about it you can at least loose the hours to get shit done. Need to have ur car registered to drive to work, and need to get to ur docs apts to stay healthy enough to work.
  
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Bratosch@lemmy.world ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I’m with you (although I’m Scandinavian, we have better systems in place for sick leave and childcare etc.). I’ve worked afternoons 14-23:30 M-T or nightshift 23:30-6:30 T-F + every other Monday to fill out the hours, almost all my life. Dayshift colleagues ask how I can stand it, but I wonder how they can stand it. If I’m going to the dentist, barber, shopping, or any other errand under the sun, I have no issues getting a time slot within max a couple of days, usually the day after.

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- birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Likewise. I hate getting up early.
  
  If it were me, I’d work 10-18, 4x a week instead.
  
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Pika@sh.itjust.works ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I’ve always wondered this as well. Everyone I know swears by the 9-5/8-5 day shift and im like “but you can’t do like anything adult wise after or before work”

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UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I spend all my sick days and a non-negligible number of vacation days on the kind of chores you can only get done during work hours. Back when we had “Work From Home”, I would also squeeze these tasks in during my lunch break.

I don’t want to burn sick time for a doctor’s appointment (I need to save those for when my kid is actually sick), and I sure as hell don’t want to use up a “vacation” day for it.

Well, good luck with that. My mother-in-law helps a lot with my son when he’s ill. And we can juggle my son between our individual sick-day allotments such that I haven’t run out yet. But yeah, eventually they’re all just “hours to spend that my boss won’t gripe at me for when I use them”. That’s meant dipping into vacation days when I needed to justify not being on the clock.

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Barley_Man@sopuli.xyz ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I have a well paying job, not overly so, but around 20% over the national median. I also have a wife and 1 (soon 2!) kids. I work 8-17 with a 30 minute commute. After work I’m too exhausted to want to do much of anything except some gym and maybe some gardening. Before I even got together with my wife she suggested that she be a stay at home mom, which I accepted. Because of that we are far far below the national median family income to the point where we technically are just below the poverty line.

But oh my god I don’t think I would want it any other way. My wife can take care of most of the domestic tasks and the brunt of the child care and none of us are overly stressed or burned out. I gladly take that hit in income in exchange for the huge quality of life increase compared to if we were to both work full time. I still help around the house on weekends so my wife can have some time off from her duties as well.

I constantly get more confident in our choice when I listen to colleagues and their constant complaints about how hard it is to keep your life together. Full time work, 8-9 hours a day, was designed in a time when a stay at home partner was the norm. It just doesn’t make sense if you’re single or if both are working. Maybe we two are lazy but I honestly don’t think we could manage it mentally and energy wise.

I do understand however that I’m very privileged to live in a very low cost of living area. Our lifestyle, with my wage, would be impossible in most of the country I live in. Living close to poverty is alright with me. I don’t desire much and we both have cheap hobbies. We cook all the food we eat. My wife repairs clothes that break. We only have one old shitty car. We don’t travel internationally. But we still manage just fine.

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mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I worked 6-6 M-F for a year, and 6-3 M-F for a few years

social life existed because of having no kids and getting little sleep. I didn’t waste time with doctors appointments or important stuff like that. I’d pop out “early” at 2 or 3 pm if I needed to for appointments.

now, I’m an office worker, but with a flexible schedule that lets me get that “business hours” stuff done when I need to. it’s wonderful and benefits both me and my employer.

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xylogx@lemmy.world ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
We have an “occasional absence” policy where you can take a few hours in the middle of the day for a doctors appointment or such.

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- FireRetardant@lemmy.world ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  My work has this policy too, i just don’t tell anyone when i use it and I’m honest with my hours off the clock to cover my ass if anyone asks.
  
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- Tower@lemmy.zip ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  That sounds awesome!
  
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socsa@piefed.social ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I don’t have kids so I just work like 6-2 and the occasional weekend in order to keep afternoons open. It also helps that I’m basically unsupervised and nobody really keeps track of what I’m doing. Maybe once every six weeks I intentionally work like 4 hours on a Saturday and make a big fucking deal about it to give the perception that I am both busy and productive.

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- Tower@lemmy.zip ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  Yeah, I’ve done early morning shifts like that before. I loved being done so early in the afternoon, but I’m a night owl and always had trouble going to sleep / waking up on time. I can do it for about 2 weeks before I crash out lol
  
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Photonic@lemmy.world ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I’ve had both sides as well, I’ve had jobs where some weeks I worked 7 insanely busy night shifts in a row from 10.30pm to 9.30am. Those weeks you don’t get anything done because you’re just sleeping all day and too tired to do anything after. Not to mention having a commute that was 50 minutes to two hours. That is where I learned I did not want to do that.

And then I also worked 5 days a week working only day shifts 8-6, which bored the shit out of me.

And then I had a much calmer job where officially I worked 8-5, five days a week, but I had to had to figure out how to keep myself busy and I could basically do what I want because my supervisor was fine with whatever because he only cared about the results and I kept those coming. But that was too little structure too.

And I worked part time shift work because that is what was offered at the time and shifts were much more doable. Then I had a little too much time on my hands.

So now I have something in between, where I do work some weekends, evenings and nights, and I’m compensated during week days, but most of my job is 8-5:30.

And lastly, I want to mention how crazy it is that there is a cap on your sick days. If you get sick, you get sick, right? It’s not really a plannable event, but maybe I’m too European and weak-willed for that.

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- SparroHawc@piefed.world ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  For some reason, companies in the USA are deathly afraid of someone using sick time when they aren’t actually sick, so they restrict it as tightly as possible. Never mind that this means people are either coming in to work sick, or taking unpaid time off.
  
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  - farmgineer@nord.pub ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
    Not exclusive to the US. Here in Japan (and I’m sure plenty of places) as well.
    
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HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Most appointments get handled with sick time or talking to the manager to see if they will let you adjust your schedule to accommodate your appointment.

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- Adulated_Aspersion@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
  If the work is hourly, sure.
  
  If it’s salary… they get a notice that i am stepping away and that I plan to return at xxx.
  
  Salary buys flexibility, not unlimited hours.
  
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Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Late shift— no social life but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t make appointments a breeze

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ParlimentOfDoom@piefed.zip ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
That’sTheNeatThing.jpg

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gointhefridge@lemmy.zip ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Same question. I just recently started an 8-6 job and I have NO time. I’m out the house by 6:45 AM every morning and end up getting home close to 7:30PM every day. I used to work a far more “unorthodox “ schedule for 1/2 the pay, but this “normal” work schedule ain’t worth it, even at almost double the pay. I won’t be doing this forever, just long enough to find something more flexible that pays at least similar.

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fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨21⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I just tell them I’m gonna be late one day. No PTO necessary.

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theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
You don’t you have to be constantly exhausted and have no time for everything because you have no choice in capitalism.

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pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Yeah fr, I don’t have a “real job” yet, currently in an internship doing 30hr a week and I’m kind of sick of it. More so, I might be sick of the work and environment itself but during my free time, I just barely have enough time to do all the chores and stuff I want to do (I do a lot of stuff). I feel like if I were to work 40 hrs a week, I would need to time out every minute of my week out.

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