Half-Assed Half Day
We work nine-hour days Monday through Thursday so that we can work a half-day on Friday. It’s kind of hard to keep your mind on work when you know you’re getting off early; it’s weird.
My theory is that the first half-hour and last half-hour of every day, regardless of the length of the day, are wasted. I think this is true no matter what job you have; it’s just human nature. We need some time to get going in the morning, and we need some time to wind down at the end of the day.
If we assume that my theory is true, then as an employer, it makes sense to have your crew work fewer days with more hours in each day. For example, if we waste the first and last half-hour of every day in a five day week, we’ve lost five hours of work. On the other hand, if we waste the same amount per day on a four day week, we’ve only lost four hours. That’s a 20% improvement no matter how you look at it.
From the boss’s standpoint, it should make sense to let us work 4, ten hour days instead of making us roll out of bed for a half day on Friday. Unfortunately, he feels that ten hours is too much to work in a day so we have to be thankful that we at least have a half Friday.
I’m hoping that when winter comes, I can make a deal with him to work an eight-hour Friday every other week. That way I can have three-day weekends to snowboard twice every month. He’s a skier so I think there is an outside chance that he will recognize the beauty of my plan.
I finished the day out at 174 pounds again. After five weeks, my hands are riddled with small cuts, scrapes, and splinter holes. I have a tar stain on the back of my elbow that won’t go away, and one of my toenails is black from a smashing. My legs are covered with small bruises on my knees and shins.
All and all, it’s worth it. The body takes a lot more damage than working in an office, but I haven’t gone home in a bad mood yet. Maybe the newness still hasn’t worn off, but I still find building stuff to be more like I’m pursuing a hobby than going to work; it’s great for the mind.
My theory is that the first half-hour and last half-hour of every day, regardless of the length of the day, are wasted. I think this is true no matter what job you have; it’s just human nature. We need some time to get going in the morning, and we need some time to wind down at the end of the day.
If we assume that my theory is true, then as an employer, it makes sense to have your crew work fewer days with more hours in each day. For example, if we waste the first and last half-hour of every day in a five day week, we’ve lost five hours of work. On the other hand, if we waste the same amount per day on a four day week, we’ve only lost four hours. That’s a 20% improvement no matter how you look at it.
From the boss’s standpoint, it should make sense to let us work 4, ten hour days instead of making us roll out of bed for a half day on Friday. Unfortunately, he feels that ten hours is too much to work in a day so we have to be thankful that we at least have a half Friday.
I’m hoping that when winter comes, I can make a deal with him to work an eight-hour Friday every other week. That way I can have three-day weekends to snowboard twice every month. He’s a skier so I think there is an outside chance that he will recognize the beauty of my plan.
I finished the day out at 174 pounds again. After five weeks, my hands are riddled with small cuts, scrapes, and splinter holes. I have a tar stain on the back of my elbow that won’t go away, and one of my toenails is black from a smashing. My legs are covered with small bruises on my knees and shins.
All and all, it’s worth it. The body takes a lot more damage than working in an office, but I haven’t gone home in a bad mood yet. Maybe the newness still hasn’t worn off, but I still find building stuff to be more like I’m pursuing a hobby than going to work; it’s great for the mind.
posted by fuqstik @ 6:11 PM
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