Switching Off After Work

[chrisg1979]

Friday night, the missus is out with friends, kids tucked up in bed.

Had a rough day at work and this should be the perfect time to relax, have a beer and watch what I want on telly for once,

All I can chuffing think about is how best to do tomorrow's job!

Anyone else suffer from this or do I need to get a life???

 

[ProDave]

I never think about tomorrows job on a Friday.  I don't work weekends.

But I do often spend time at weekends doing the books and ordering stuff for next weeks jobs.

 

[Andy™]

yes and yes. just part of working for yourself...

 

[Manator]

I have been known to work into the early hours of the morning doing drawings and paperwork for the upcoming day or week. I appear to get around 4 to 6 hours sleep per night and this weekend is my first off for 6 weeks. Though I know I will not relax, as I am on call for tomorrow.

 

[Adrian]

yes chris until it started to affect my health. I would go to bed and dream about tomorrow then I would wake up in the morning exhausted and had to do the day for real. I started to suffer from headaches a lot and my gp sent me for an MRI thinking something was wrong.It wasn't until I got into to paragliding that I stopped thinking about work and instead of the wind and weather. I didnt realise that I was under stress and it creeped up on me. So now I work to live and not live for work .we are a long time dead. 

 

[Manator]

After the first bottle of vino i tend to forget about work…...

and everything else!!

 

[NozSpark]

I've been very lucky that I've never really thought about work when I'm not working... however occasionally I do work late (paperwork etc)

Even before I went se, working in a workshop environment (maintenance), I always used to be able to put work behind me as I left the building... I knew of loads of other lads that used to think about work a lot after work - through the evening and through the night

 

[NozSpark]

I can understand what you mean..

Before I became self employed I used to repair/modify/pm/adjust avionic equipment for the MOD.. I did a load of fast jet stuff... I've worked on loads of equipment from items that can be turned around easily in just a few hours to stuff like inertial platforms which take a lot longer (maybe 100 hours). Like I said, thankfully I never went home thinking about work,, now and then though a solution would pop into my hea, that's natural..

 

[M107]

I've just got in from work .................... one very long day I don't think i will have much trouble switching off.

 

[Blue Duck]

Three words...

GRAND THEFT AUTO

 

[Evans Electric]

yes chris until it started to affect my health. I would go to bed and dream about tomorrow then I would wake up in the morning exhausted and had to do the day for real. I started to suffer from headaches a lot and my gp sent me for an MRI thinking something was wrong.It wasn't until I got into to paragliding that I stopped thinking about work and instead of the wind and weather. I didnt realise that I was under stress and it creeped up on me. So now I work to live and not live for work .we are a long time dead. 

Just needed to highlight that line of Adrian's post .

 

[steptoe]

I know a lot of people that aren't switched on when they are at work. 

 

[Evans Electric]

Friday night, the missus is out with friends, kids tucked up in bed.

Had a rough day at work and this should be the perfect time to relax, have a beer and watch what I want on telly for once,

All I can chuffing think about is how best to do tomorrow's job!

Anyone else suffer from this or do I need to get a life???

Hi Chrisg,   There is an element of Self-Employdom involved here and most of us are the same .   Someone asked me once how many hours a day I work and  what time do I start  .  I just shrugged  :C   As it had no bearing on my lifestyle or workstyle TBH .   

One builder I do elects for can't get around the fact that I'm not onsite at 8.00 every day ,  when sometimes I've worked until 9.00pm on a quote or doing the VAT return.   How he works is his choice ... I just say .. you have my quote .. I don't hold you up ...it will be done on time ....being here at 8.00 has sod all to do with anything ..... 

You can't ........go out to view a job..  design it ...quote it ... order the materials ...collect them ...do the job ...test it ...certify it ...notify it ....  raise an invoice...post it ... recieve a cheque...  bank it   ...all while working 8.00  - 5.00

However I now I do very little industrial  the cell phone is switched off at 6.00 pm .

 

[chrisg1979]

Think there have been some very good and reassuring points made in response to my initial post, in particular Adrians, I like your outlook!

I was certainly not suggesting that everyone should shut off every day at 5pm, think I was just annoyed at myself on Friday as it was a rare opportunity to relax and I simply couldn't stop thinking of an awkward cable run, which as it turned out yesterday wasn't even necessary in the end!!!

 

[Sharpend]

There is a reason why we are told not to worry about tomorrow! Think of all that stress you put yourself under, when the reality is it wasn't necessary had you just waited till you got there, and you'd of probably enjoyed your Friday night more too!

Lesson learned?

 

[Evans Electric]

Think there have been some very good and reassuring points made in response to my initial post, in particular Adrians, I like your outlook!

I was certainly not suggesting that everyone should shut off every day at 5pm, think I was just annoyed at myself on Friday as it was a rare opportunity to relax and I simply couldn't stop thinking of an awkward cable run, which as it turned out yesterday wasn't even necessary in the end!!!

To be honest its what I'd expect from a "Good" sparks ,as long as it,s not the norm  ...the opposite is the guy who just switches off...goes to the pub ...turns up next day and thinks  "  Ooo  I,ve got no cleats  ...Ooh dear got no glands and its Sunday AND I forgot the ladder "    

Plan the job ..sort the materials ...THEN go to the pub !!!

 

[Andy™]

 AND I forgot the ladder "    

few weeks ago on a job there were some others there doing some work. they had a look around the place before deciding they would need a drill to remove plaster etc and some ladders / steps for access. they then went to go get them. their base is a 3 hour drive....

 

[kerching]

I do not think that I ever sub consciously switch off.....never have.

I can be doing something totally non related then something will leap into my mind , it is just the way i am wired

I do not think about work all the time , but it is always there ticking away.

I have been doing it so long that I now always have a back up plan

I think that good electricians should be good chess players as you have to be two or three steps ahead.

Having said that, i do not play chess

Just saying

 

[OnOff]

Chess? A bit too highbrow for me what with the short attention span issues etc! 

Friday night = curry + beer and I also look forward to raiding the kids sweet tin for those Maoam chews..............though not keen on the cola ones.  :lol:

Seriously though I'm an idiot as I'll keep dipping in to drawings in  Dropbox or the drafts of work's emails just to "tweak" them when the thought comes in to my head. Have a week off, still thinking about things. At the end of two weeks it's just fading. Did manage 3 weeks in a row once and it was the only time I managed to "forget" i.e not have work thoughts keep popping into my head at all hours!

Must drink more.

 

[Sharpend]

2. My kids lock up their toblerones now as i have a fetish for them :slap

Now that just doesn't sound right!