Working too much

[max_boost]

Just curious how many of you guys work 70+hours a week? If so, how do you manage? Do you work multiple jobs? Run your own business? How do you stay motivated? Is your job physically demanding? Is it the money you are after? How's it affecting your health? Are you always tired? Stressed? Sore? etc.

For myself, I work 10 hours and sleep 10 hours but I'm still fairly exhausted. Any insights?:dunno:

[Lennon]

What do you do?

[EnRich]

heh I work like 5 hours and I'm exhausted for some reason... I goto school full time though, and I work out alot too, and I work two days a week... btw I'm in sales ... haha

[Shaolin]

Go get some physical exercise.. i find that helps alot.. plan your days so that you can at least get to do something you enjoy (that's not work related). I pull 13 hour days including school 3-4 days out of 5 and i just plan on doing stuff I enjoy that's not work related on days where I have more time. But yeah, I find physical activities help alot.

[xrayvsn]

I work around 70 - 80 hours a week. That does not include time I need to study, and try to be a husband and father. I am chronically not getting enough sleep, which is part of having young kids.

It is stressful, because I feel like I am unable to devote myself to any of those things, and really be good at any of them.

I think the only way I can manage is to have a supportive spouse. I would be unable to do any of it, if not for her. She runs our household, and raises the kids. I try to be the best dad I can be, given the circumstances.

[hockeybronx]

I'm only 18 but I can totally see what you guys are saying, it's all about trying to prioritize what you really want to do and not wasting any time at all.

You spend one night wrong and you've screwed up your whole weak.

I always try and do things 110% which is impossible when you are trying to do like four things at once.

There comes a time for me when you have to make a harsh decision and cut something out of your life. Right now I work 30 hours a week (three days), play hockey two nights a week, take an EMR course on Saturday and Sunday eight hours each, have about 10 hours of EMR homework each week, go to church sunday night, I workout 1 hour one day, two the next, one the next... and I'm trying to get my golf season started.

Oh well I wouldn't have it any other way.

[SoSlowDx]

You definitely need to exercise especially in the morning where it's most effective; keeping you awake and energetic. And instead of 10 hours of sleep do like 8 MB.

I work in the evening as a package handler so 15-20 hrs/week not much then I got school in the morning. For me working out in the morning and doing cardio helps.

[benyl]

10 hours of sleep?!?!??! hahhahhaha I wish I could get 10 hours of sleep.

Most people only really need 8. work out 3-4 times a week and you will get more energy... gets your metabolism going.

[QuasarCav]

More and more as I get older I see sleep suffering the most.

When there isn't enough time sleep usually gets cut first.

I'll work 6 days a week and get to sleep 6-7hours on those nights. For the one day off I try to sleep for 9-11 hours but that isn't always the case.

If I dont get that one sleep recovery day i find the rest of the week is slower and sucks more. But as we all know if you want a social life than you have to sacrifice your down-time.

It's all about balance people. It's easy to say and damn near impossible to achieve.

Hope that brightens everyones day!

[Khyron]

I could work 70+ hours a week, but I choose not to. It's about balance and what you want to do in life. I work 40ish/week, and I have time to spend with my wife, do work around the house and basically lounge around. I have enough money to buy what I need - sure I could work more and pay for a nice M3 or a bigger house, but is that worth the hell? I see so many people talking about how much they have to work, yet most of that is being driven by the need to buy toys (ie, keeping up with the Joneses).

I respect those who are working hard to pay for school, or get out of debt so they can get a decent paying job that will allow them to not have to work 70 hours a week.

One thing that everyone learns sooner or later is that life is short. Years go by faster and faster - at some point you need to say enough is enough and start living.

Khyron

[max_boost]

I sleep a lot because I am so tired at the end of the day, I don't feel like doing anything. I'm 22 and starting to give serious thoughts into my future. In some ways, the 70hours is a given (no choice, family business). The short term trade off is social time for financial gain. I figure if I can hang in here for a few more years, I'll secure myself financially where I can start a family and change careers etc. There are somedays I just feel like it's a drag, searching for that motivation to continue chugging along.

[ZorroAMG]

I work 6-7 days a week in real estate and mortgage brokering. I have odd hours, usually totaling 60hrs then I have my acting which involves another 10-15 hrs per week. I work so much cause I try to increase my standard of living and I am building a foundation to retire EARLY. Fuck it, i'm young and can still have fun while working really hard...when I am a bit older, i'll be able to chill and do whatever I want...

[benyl]

tell me about it.

I have a full time job, family business (mother has a lunch kiosk downtown), and two other restaurants that I own with my cousin. What is the point in having money if you can't spend it? hahaha Some weeks, I wish I could only work 70 hours.

I took a up a new hobby to give me excuses to get away a little.

I am at a point now where I have lost a lot of motivation to do things... like I haven't done my tax return yet, even though I will get some cash back... I am not in dire need of that cash right now, so I don't put the effort into getting it back.

Give it some time and you will get back into the swing of things... my life has been hectic like this for the past 5 years, and I have had my share of ups and downs.

[QuasarCav]

What motivates us guys with no kids and no wife??

I just find it hard to arrive at every day with a positive attitude. I know working will eventually work out and i will be happy with the outcome.

It's just the day-to-day monotony that I think kills most of us.

Anyone agree?

[benyl]

trying to get 6 figures in my bank account before I am 30 (without investments, etc...) is what motivates me...

monotony is a killer...

[Shaolin]

I actually enjoy work, but like most of us.. I'd like to be paid more for what I do. Like benyl said, monetary value is a big motivator for some (myself included).. we're a family that's well off, and hopefully I can be like my dad where at 53 he still loves what he does and doesn't ever want to quit. I hope I can be like that when I'm 53.. my retirement goal is 40-45, but who knows what'll happen when I hit that age though.. work my ass of now, and maybe i'll try out for the Senior PGA at 40 if things go well :D

[max_boost]

Originally posted by benyl
trying to get 6 figures in my bank account before I am 30 (without investments, etc...) is what motivates me...

monotony is a killer... I Agree! Money is a huge motivating factor. I guess it's all about balancing everything and having the mental toughness to do what you have to do.

It's weird, I have buddies who have graduated with degrees, owing $30K in debt, yet are still unemployed. They seem to have no sense of urgency to do anything?

[QuasarCav]

Yeah, it's like they are happy being a debt on society.

If one more of my friends loses a job and spends the next month sulking and bitching i'll lose it.

If i was fired today I would be working be the next morning. If not for cash then for my self-esteem. I just dont feel good sitting around wasting my life.

[E36M3]

I'd sleep 10+ hours a day too if given the choice, but I found that if I keep it to 8 or less, I have more energy. Diet and exercise play a huge role in this, so give that some serious thought.

I've been working 70+ hours per week since I was 16 (including school until I was about 19) and I haven't had any bad effects health wise.. I think that if you are careful not to let yourself burn out (ie. take vacations, have outside hobbies) you can do it just fine.

Once I started making money, it stopped being a motivator for me. I find my work really interesting, and that is what motivates me.

Ultimately, if you don't enjoy what you are doing, you'll hate it no matter if you work 30 or 100 hours a week.


Originally posted by max_boost
Just curious how many of you guys work 70+hours a week? If so, how do you manage? Do you work multiple jobs? Run your own business? How do you stay motivated? Is your job physically demanding? Is it the money you are after? How's it affecting your health? Are you always tired? Stressed? Sore? etc.

For myself, I work 10 hours and sleep 10 hours but I'm still fairly exhausted. Any insights?:dunno:

[Ben]

I work anywhere between 30 and 50 hours a week, and I am on call as well, so that's 24 hours. Something goes wrong and I need to come in at midnight, such is life. Working in National Business Voice and Data repair for TELUS, banks and large corporations cant wait till 9am to get that stuff back online.

Sure it plays a bit of a wierd one on sleep patterns, but I think money as well as job satisfaction plays a large roll in why I do it.

I like what I do, presents a new challenge every day, and has good perks.

I also work another 20 or so unpaid hours, doing portfolio work for my business and researching various areas.

Right now I'm on a rebuild mode, giving up much of my social life and concentrating on work and rebuilding a depleted savings from not having any work for a third of the year. I want to travel, buy a new car, and get back on track with my currently dormant portfolio.

I am a big fan of short term pain for long term gain, but working is not even a pain, I have no problem working 12 hour days.

Generally I get 6-8 hours of sleep.

I certainly do not want to be working till I'm 65, I would like to work my ass off now (I'm 21) and broaden my outlook and skillset at a young age so that I can get things rolling.
I have the same outlook at Benyl, would like to save a bunch of cake and have a large savings, not including investments by 30. Not much in life that is worthwhile comes easy, and so working hard for the things you want at a young age is what I see most important in the grand scheme of things.

[Lennon]

Originally posted by QuasarCav
I just dont feel good sitting around wasting my life.

Me neither, feel like shit when your home doing absolutly nothing productive.

As for the rest, I'm pretty laid back when it comes to "worrying" about money, don't get me wrong, sometimes it gets the best of me and I'll be stressing all over the place... but when you look at the big picture, whats more important, family, and friends, if your rich and have niether, you got NOTHIN! Possesions are second. Work work work till your grey in the head and your dong is down to the floor. Fine. But just remember, money ain't everything. IF your coming home everyday pissed off, and grumpy as hell, and making your home life miserable..... sorry, but thats not the way its supposed to be. Just remember why you work, simply to support your family, and nothing wrong with having some fun on the side.

And at the same time, I don't have any fancy degree or anything, just my high school diploma, and thats it. So you have to take what you can get... and if you work in a whole. Its completely understandable. Just don't take it out on the fam. They are why you work.


Thats just the way I see it anyways.

Peace.

[Hakkola]

Max you are sleeping WAY too much, 10 hours is ok if your in you're mid teens maybe. After 20 you only need to get about 7 hours of sleep to function properly, no matter what you're doing.

[SleeperD]

Health, Family and friends, bla bla bla bla....then work....i mean u got nothing if u dont got your health and your family and friends...work can come later.....and working to much can be bad for your health....sooo everyone just take a few mins to your self....and dont swet the small stuff...


KEEP FIT AND HAVE FUN!!!

"those to health junkys we see on TV"

later

[nosegrindR]

Originally posted by max_boost
I Agree! Money is a huge motivating factor. I guess it's all about balancing everything and having the mental toughness to do what you have to do.

It's weird, I have buddies who have graduated with degrees, owing $30K in debt, yet are still unemployed. They seem to have no sense of urgency to do anything?

it's easier to say this if you're basically already rich IMO

[benyl]

Originally posted by max_boost

It's weird, I have buddies who have graduated with degrees, owing $30K in debt, yet are still unemployed. They seem to have no sense of urgency to do anything?

I came out of school with 40K of debt. I worked hard and saved and saved and paid it off in 18 months. Debt gave me stress like no other! I couldn't imagine sitting on my ass with that much debt, I think I would go insane.

Our society has made it way to easy to live a debt filled life. Credit companies giving out credit left, right and centre. With all my credit lines, credit cards, etc... I could borrow it all at once, run to a third world country and live like a king for a few years. I think that our society has made it "cool" to be in debt. Look at all the people getting luxury cars that really can't afford them.

To each their own. When I am 45, I plan on having something, not having had a "fun" life. A lot of people plan on having kids and whatnot. Think about how hard it will be to say "no" to your child when they ask for a toy, game, etc... and you can't really afford it cause you spent too much when you were young.

E36M3 said it best... diet and exercise... eat some salad! hahaha

[EnRich]

I dunno guys, having money as a motivational factor isn't that great of an idea, and it prob the reason why so many of you are so tired and dragging your asses... What I did in the past, was imagined something I was working for, a goal if you will.... Some of you might want to buy a house straight up, or some of you might save for that new car you've always wanted... Money isn't a goal, your goal should be what your going to do with that money... If money is your sole motivation, for most of you, it wont get you very far... Like for a year I worked straight and saved for a brand new 2001 prelude... My account wasn't my motivation, every morning I woke up, I had that car as my sole motivator for waking up, and doing what I had to do to get it... You know what, in 2001 I baught the car straight up... As soon as I get outta school, I will go house shopping, I wont buy a house, but I'll know exactly what I want, and how much I have to save to get it... Fuck money...

Rich

[MoNKeE]

yes fuck money.... you know because we can live off of dirt and rocks. with the money you spent n that lude and some saved you could have a nice little down payment on a house. but hey fuck money right you can do without right;)

[max_boost]

Originally posted by nosegrindR


it's easier to say this if you're basically already rich IMO Are you implying that I am rich?:dunno: Not sure what you are trying to say

Some interesting points in this thread, my goal is to make as much money as possible. Perhaps to some that is the wrong goal, but if you think about it, when I have that money, I can easily purchase a car/house/electronics/vacation which some of you state, should be the actual goal, not monetary value.

I know for myself, I already set the limits of how much money I want to have and at what age. In many aspects, seeing how many people who are in debt is a motivating factor. I tell myself how I want to live well and not having to worry about money.

[Loose]

Max, do you ever take vacations?

My grandpa used to own a restaurant where he'd work 9 am to 2 am each day (~120 hours a week) and his doctor told him that if he didn't slow down, he'd have huge health complications. He ended up retiring at 40, getting bored and openning another resataraunt for another 15 years.

[max_boost]

My vacations are no longer than 3 days:rofl: and I've only had two in the past 9 years. Everytime I want to take some time off, something always comes up.:banghead: Everything is so redundant, I do the samething every single day. I just tell myself, hang in there and there will come a day when I can do whatever the hell I want!!! I just hope I don't go crazy before then:nut: :dunno: All this work is making me become more and more anti social and fatigued. At the end of the day, all I want to do is sleep and I end up sleeping for 10 hours and the next day is the same thing over again..........I lose track of time and just notice the days blowing by quickly, maybe that's a good thing? It's my sacrifice for a better future and I hope it pays off......:thumbsup:

[Ben]

Originally posted by max_boost
My vacations are no longer than 3 days:rofl: and I've only had two in the past 9 years. Everytime I want to take some time off, something always comes up.:banghead: Everything is so redundant, I do the samething every single day. I just tell myself, hang in there and there will come a day when I can do whatever the hell I want!!! I just hope I don't go crazy before then:nut: :dunno: All this work is making me become more and more anti social and fatigued. At the end of the day, all I want to do is sleep and I end up sleeping for 10 hours and the next day is the same thing over again..........I lose track of time and just notice the days blowing by quickly, maybe that's a good thing? It's my sacrifice for a better future and I hope it pays off......:thumbsup:

Definatly not healthy, wayy too much effort being expelled there.

Work smart, not hard :thumbsup:

[benyl]

I guess I am lucky that my job(s) have enough variety to keep me out of monotony.

and what Ben said :thumbsup:

[nosegrindR]

Originally posted by max_boost
Are you implying that I am rich?:dunno: Not sure what you are trying to say



by having rich parents or by being spoiled helps out a lot, since they can help you with many things, they can help you buy a house, help buy your first car, help you with paying insurance, anything helps because it's stuff you DON'T have to pay for when payday comes around ---> which in turn you can put in your saving account ---> which in turn gets you a larger disposable income for luxuries

and the more your parents help you out, the more you should be able to save (theroritically) because you have things paid for already, and for most people payday results in paying people off, paying bills and etc because they don't get assistance from their parents.

it's just my 10 cents because i see a lot of rich kids thinking they've made themselves so successful when in reality their parents are the ones giving you the most assistance. with this in mind i have no respect for people like this because they personally did not earn their fortunes -- i have way more respect for the individuals that start from scratch and work to be successful and most of all happy and become humble of their fortunes

[E36M3]

On a related note, I was reading a great book on an airplane yesterday, and came across the following equation, which I happen to agree with:

h = f^3

happiness = family * friends * food

I don't see work in there :)

[benyl]

Originally posted by nosegrindR


by having rich parents or by being spoiled helps out a lot, since they can help you with many things, they can help you buy a house, help buy your first car, help you with paying insurance, anything helps because it's stuff you DON'T have to pay for when payday comes around ---> which in turn you can put in your saving account ---> which in turn gets you a larger disposable income for luxuries

and the more your parents help you out, the more you should be able to save (theroritically) because you have things paid for already, and for most people payday results in paying people off, paying bills and etc because they don't get assistance from their parents.

it's just my 10 cents because i see a lot of rich kids thinking they've made themselves so successful when in reality their parents are the ones giving you the most assistance. with this in mind i have no respect for people like this because they personally did not earn their fortunes -- i have way more respect for the individuals that start from scratch and work to be successful and most of all happy and become humble of their fortunes

if you think that anyone has made it on their own, you are surely mistaken. any successful person is that way because of the support structure that they have around them. Some people start with that (parents), others build it (friends, networking, business partners). To do anything, you always need a "connection." I am lucky, I can still live at home. I don't look down on people who stay at home, I think that it is smart. Why blow $500+ on rent when you can save that to put a down payment on your house? You give up a tonne of freedom when you life at home, does that count for nothing?

[nosegrindR]

oh by all means take advantage of that, living at home is a privilege for sure. :thumbsup:
i'm talking about kids that have their parents buy their cars for them and claim they've worked for it, or kids that have their parents help pay their bills or still buy them clothes and material goods...etc, cause these kids have an advantage over the most people in the working class because they're working to save money instead of work to live.

[Kamen]

I used to work anywhere from 9-15 hour days depending on the day and no matter what I would get owned and have to sleep it off and say bye to the social life. It got so bad that I was working 5 days and using the 2 on the weekend to recover so I could go at it again...this was like manual labour for Coca-Cola last summer.

On the bad side of things...my mom works in the florist (family business) 9am -9pm everyday, no breaks or holidays; sometimes working even longer because of special orders.
She just had a stroke and will be hospitalized...so I have to take 1 year off school to help the family till things get better...

[max_boost]

Originally posted by Kamen
so I have to take 1 year off school to help the family till things get better... I admire that very much. All too often I hear people say, "why don't you just hire someone"? If it were only as simple as that, most people are looking for exciting jobs and there are a lot of things when running your own business, they will not do. I refer to this as 'grunt work'

I'm taking some time off school right now as well, when I can find more reliable sources to help me out, then I'll go back and finish my education. :thumbsup:

[max_boost]

Originally posted by nosegrindR
oh by all means take advantage of that, living at home is a privilege for sure. :thumbsup:
i'm talking about kids that have their parents buy their cars for them and claim they've worked for it, or kids that have their parents help pay their bills or still buy them clothes and material goods...etc, cause these kids have an advantage over the most people in the working class because they're working to save money instead of work to live. It's true that some people have an easier way to a good life than others. How many times have you heard those who came from absolutely nothing but now have everything they want? REally, it comes down to taking advantage of what you have, knowing what you have to do, and taking actions to get where you want to be.

I've always been a big advocate of living at home. Mind you I get along great with my parents and we work together 10 hours a day. Do I plan to keep this up forever? No. In a few years, I'll have the foundation set to tackle the next phase of my life. Changing careers, moving away, traveling, starting a family etc. All this while most of my buddies are still paying off their student loans. :rofl:

[lam-boy]

Originally posted by Kamen
I used to work anywhere from 9-15 hour days depending on the day and no matter what I would get owned and have to sleep it off and say bye to the social life. It got so bad that I was working 5 days and using the 2 on the weekend to recover so I could go at it again...this was like manual labour for Coca-Cola last summer.

On the bad side of things...my mom works in the florist (family business) 9am -9pm everyday, no breaks or holidays; sometimes working even longer because of special orders.
She just had a stroke and will be hospitalized...so I have to take 1 year off school to help the family till things get better...

wow man, hope your mom's doing okay.
9am-9pm is crazy..

my mom works in her own store from 10-7 but sometimes she stays later..one days i come out and help her i know i can't do much but you know take the load off her..she works hard enough. i can't really do much but clean up and ...ah...lets see here how would i say it..umm sew things.. haha well anyways enough about that.

and max, yeah i see that 10 hours of sleep is a tad too much. im only getting 8 hours and im always full of energy. maybe when you wake up in the morning go do a quick lap around the nieghbourhood.

i only work about 20 hours a week. sometimes less sometimes more..3 hours a day isn't too bad. im learning how to manage my money now, and on days where i have free time i come help my mom. i was about to apply at mount royal..but i guess i did it too late cause all sessions are closed..:( i have to wait for january to start ahh..life is slowly disappearing..

[max_boost]

Yah it's starting to get pretty bad/sad, however you want to put it. All I do is work and I don't even go out anymore. There isn't much that interests me in this city anyway, might as well save the $$$ for vacation or something! It's weird, my priorities have shifted so much in the last while, not sure if this is a short term or permanent thing........:dunno:Or maybe this is just part of 'growing up':nut:

[Z_Fan]

Originally posted by max_boost
I've always been a big advocate of living at home. Mind you I get along great with my parents and we work together 10 hours a day. Do I plan to keep this up forever? No. In a few years, I'll have the foundation set to tackle the next phase of my life. Changing careers, moving away, traveling, starting a family etc. All this while most of my buddies are still paying off their student loans. :rofl:

When I was in my early 20's, I worked for the "family" business. There was a time when I worked for 3 months in a row, every single day (Sat/Sun/Holidays) -> Usually 12+ hours average. One week in this 3 month period, I worked 7 days straight of 18-21 hours each day. At the time, it was all for the big paycheck. But when I look back, I wouldn't change it, but sure as hell wouldn't do it again for anyone other than myself. Working for 'other' people is so completely over rated. LOL. Even if it is a family business. If YOU don't own it outright, don't work like you do. IF you think there is a pay back down the road, think again!

If you live at home, you should be able to really pack the cash away. So that's a good thing.

BUT back to the original topic of sleep. When I was working crazy hours, basically it was work until you get home, sleep, get up and work again. There is no 'time' anywhere in between. And that would mean sleep of 6 hours maximum. I've worked too much, and am happy to have realized this while still in my early thirties. I used to just laugh at people who worked 40-50 hours a week and thought they had it rough. Hell, I considered a 50 hour week part time, and 40 hours was just a piece of cake. I'd hit 40 hours in the first 3 days of a work week, no problem. Hell, 70 hours was a light week if you were working 7 days. :rolleyes:

If you are only working 10 hours, and actually NEEDING 10 hours sleep, something is wrong. Most likely just a mental thing - it is unlikely your body actually requires that much sleep. Although, must admit you are LUCKY if you can actually stay asleep for 10 hours in the first place. Even now I am lucky if I can string 4 hours in a row. :-) Bottom line, set strict times for going to bed, and for getting up. Shouldn't really need more than 8 hours. Get up when that alarm goes off, and eventually your body will just know what it's doing, and you won't feel sleepy. If you stay in bed too long, your body just will feel lazy when you get up. So don't be doing that. Good luck, and most of all, don't work too hard. You'll regret it later! *OR* if you must work hard, start your own company and do it for yourself. :D

[max_boost]

It must be a mental thing. I think I've gotten use to the workload now and everything is routine. I was exhausted for a little while there but it seems my body has adapted. My sleeping schedule is usually 12am-10am and you are right, I actually sleep, really well too:D

Yes the paycheque is awesome. It's true, I don't want to ever work like this again. I don't know if I ever want to run my own business either. When I think about it, you either work really hard when you are young before you have kids, or work really hard after your kids grow up. I choose the first one, I want to spend time with my kids. And when they grow up, I want my investments to mature so I can enjoy life after.

Somedays I just wonder what it is like to have a weekend off and work a 9-5 job without much responsibility........hmmmm

[Shaolin]

you'll be doing what i'm doing.. trolling beyond while i'm at work.. and have to weekends to do my schoolwork and extra curricular activities :D