How to kill boredom on the job (credit, profit, owner)
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The company has a big ticket item that will be running through the year. They asked if I was interested in working 2nd shift to keep the job running, while doing other work in between. We never had a second shift before so I am going to be working alone for about 1/2 a year. The job is rather fun but it get's kind of lonely working by yourself all that time. Sometimes when things are slow, I just browse the internet or read a book, but there is usually something to keep me occupied. Outside of that, the isolation can take it's toll.
Does anyone know an effective way to deal with this? I can't talk on the cell phone when things are slow because the building is literally like a vault where signals cannot pass. They were talking about hiring a helper if we decide to take on more work, but that's further down the line. Either way, looks like I'll be working commando for the foreseeable future.
I had a colleague who spent his "free time" at work on another project. He told nobody about that project until the local paper ran a story about it. It tuned out to make him a very wealthy person who now no longer has to work.
so take advantage of the free paycheck and do something great!
Well, that's somewhat difficult to do in my profession. I am always coming up with ideas, but taking that a step further has numerous challenges. Aside from that, I know others like me who have designed awesome concepts, only to have some company in China order a copy, reverse engineer it and sell it for a cost no American could make money on.
I stick to making specialty tools that are professional grade, but that's difficult to make money on and very time consuming. It's especially difficult to make much money unless you're making hundreds at a time, which I don't have the capacity to do.
The company has a big ticket item that will be running through the year. They asked if I was interested in working 2nd shift to keep the job running, while doing other work in between. We never had a second shift before so I am going to be working alone for about 1/2 a year. The job is rather fun but it get's kind of lonely working by yourself all that time. Sometimes when things are slow, I just browse the internet or read a book, but there is usually something to keep me occupied. Outside of that, the isolation can take it's toll.
Does anyone know an effective way to deal with this? I can't talk on the cell phone when things are slow because the building is literally like a vault where signals cannot pass. They were talking about hiring a helper if we decide to take on more work, but that's further down the line. Either way, looks like I'll be working commando for the foreseeable future.
I know you're as anti school as they come, but it'd be the perfect opportunity to take classes and do studying during that time.
That's one of the things I used to do with downtime at work. I've also studied for standardized tests.
I'm also a musician and have done things like ear training software.
But mostly, I just surfed the web a lot. I haven't really had significant periods of downtime at a job since probably 2006. The last time the economy was good. What a coincidence!
I know you're as anti school as they come, but it'd be the perfect opportunity to take classes and do studying during that time.
That's one of the things I used to do with downtime at work. I've also studied for standardized tests.
I'm also a musician and have done things like ear training software.
But mostly, I just surfed the web a lot. I haven't really had significant periods of downtime at a job since probably 2006.
Ha, anti school? Hardly. I just think we're sending way too many down that track, and inflating a bubble. I have thought about it but the costs associated with attending classes during the day are astronomical around here. That is, to attend any school worth going to. One of my coworkers is sending 2 kids to college and I believe he says it's costing him around 25K. Northwestern is incredibly expensive. I only have 2 more years to complete a bachelors degree so someday it might be worth it. I doubt many entry level professional gigs would match my current wage starting out though. I'm also at a point where most certifications simply won't do much to improve my income, so it's kind of like money down the drain.
I'm also doing a side project during the day which I might turn into a business if I feel it's worth the risk. Online classes might be worth considering, maybe one or two at a time. The only problem is I would honestly like to get out of this state if the opportunity presents. Our state income tax just doubled, and I'm sick of Spanish being a requirement for every job. No sense starting something here and finding out the classes won't transfer. I'm already maxed out on the number of credits most colleges would accept towards a degree at their school.
I have thought about bringing my guitar to work, but that might arouse suspicion from the owner. I mean, I'm the only one in the building, so there is a trust factor to consider. Kinda sucks cause I just bought a very expensive acoustic guitar which I now have a rather limited time to play
I kinda hope they bring on an apprentice or helper. I know they can be a headache, but it's nice to have someone to complain about politics with. The nice thing though is I have the morning available to daytrade, which was always my favorite part about working second shift in the past
I have long and consecutive periods of high stress, high activity schedules, followed by a month or so of just lull, with very little going on. I do get fairly bored. Can you ask them for other projects you can help with, or get cross trained? Can you take up another skill (as in an IT training course to help you with the company/career path you want), or study for some relevant certifications?
I normally find time to go scan the million files we have leftover from when we first went digital. If that doesn't work, then I go redo some files and forms or self-audit my and my partners' work.
I'd take up something odd like learning a new language. Exercise a different part of the brain from what you do during work.
It's possible, but in my experience, that's something that is much better learned by conversing with someone else. I've tried learning just by reading, but that didn't help much. I've learned much more, much faster by having folks to speak with in their language.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaCelestina
I have long and consecutive periods of high stress, high activity schedules, followed by a month or so of just lull, with very little going on. I do get fairly bored. Can you ask them for other projects you can help with, or get cross trained? Can you take up another skill (as in an IT training course to help you with the company/career path you want), or study for some relevant certifications?
I normally find time to go scan the million files we have leftover from when we first went digital. If that doesn't work, then I go redo some files and forms or self-audit my and my partners' work.
Certifications are an option, but in most cases, they will not increase my potential income. I already have quite a few anyways. They might improve my odds of finding work, and I always enjoy learning new skills, but I feel I should utilize my time as effectively as possible. I would rather complete my degree than pursue more certifications.
I have talked with the foreman and the owner about bringing in more work. They have been turning down a lot of work actually. Part of the problem is we just went from paper records for work completed to digital. There is always headaches involved in such a process. Without getting too much into detail, our problem is jobs are not being closed out even though the work is completed. This is part of the growing pains, and mainly due to people forgetting to close out work when they finish the job.
So, right now, we don't have as much work as we could accommodate. We should be getting more work in time, but that requires quoting/bidding, which requires time to analyze and draft estimates. So, it's gonna be awhile. They also bid conservatively. They would rather turn work down and have things run smoothly than take on too much work, much of it being lower profit margin stuff, and have work completed late for the customer. Customers pay considerably more when they can count on the quality and timeliness of the work. So, I expect there to be periods in the future where I will have down time.
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