40 days without having a day off and I think I've hit the wall

[bbhaag]

I'm going on 40 days now without a day off. My day starts at 5:30am and I don't get home until 7 or 7:30 at night. I think I've hit the wall and am having trouble getting any motivation.
Has anyone here had a similar situation? If you have how did you find the strength to get up in the morning and do it everyday? I've got three more weeks left and I just don't know if I can physically or mentally do it......I'm so tired.

 

[Chaotic42]

Yeah, I've done it quite a bit and it's hard. In 2002-2003 I went a year with three days off and I only had them off because I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed. I've done several runs of 30-90 days without a day off, it's just how my career has gone. My motivation was not letting my team down and the fact that it was my job and I was free to quit whenever I liked.

It sounds like I'm about to start another round of this in the next few weeks. C'est la vie.

 

[IronWing]

Does the job involve physical labor?

 

[clamum]

Yeah, I've done it quite a bit and it's hard. In 2002-2003 I went a year with three days off and I only had them off because I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed. I've done several runs of 30-90 days without a day off, it's just how my career has gone. My motivation was not letting my team down and the fact that it was my job and I was free to quit whenever I liked.

It sounds like I'm about to start another round of this in the next few weeks. C'est la vie.

Ugh, man. I definitely don't have the drive towards a job like you do. I mean I work when I'm there and stuff but when I walk out the door I'm done and I don't care to have anything more than 40 hours a week.

 

[Chaotic42]

Ugh, man. I definitely don't have the drive towards a job like you do. I mean I work when I'm there and stuff but when I walk out the door I'm done and I don't care to have anything more than 40 hours a week.

It's rough. I think I've had two scheduled vacations in the last 14 years that didn't get cancelled. I love my job and I have a hard time saying no when things need to be done. I've been trying to take more time off and find some concept of a life outside of work. Even when I'm at home I'm often just sitting around thinking about work-related things. It's good and bad.

 

[bbhaag]

Yeah, I've done it quite a bit and it's hard. In 2002-2003 I went a year with three days off and I only had them off because I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed. I've done several runs of 30-90 days without a day off, it's just how my career has gone. My motivation was not letting my team down and the fact that it was my job and I was free to quit whenever I liked.

It sounds like I'm about to start another round of this in the next few weeks. C'est la vie.

Yeah I'm in a similar situation. I have to be the leader so I have to show strength that I can preveal no matter what. It just I don't know if I can do it for three more weeks.

Does the job involve physical labor?

Yes it's a very physical job. It's also very hot and humid.

 

[MrSquished]

It's rough. I think I've had two scheduled vacations in the last 14 years that didn't get cancelled. I love my job and I have a hard time saying no when things need to be done. I've been trying to take more time off and find some concept of a life outside of work. Even when I'm at home I'm often just sitting around thinking about work-related things. It's good and bad.

What do you do? Even if you are making total bank what's the point if time for any kind of life is just flying by? It doesn't sound like you are doing this for some years to work your way through school - 14 years is a long time.

 

[ponyo]

About 4-5 years ago, I did that kind of schedule. I pretty much worked all the time, regularly putting in 80-100 hour week. It was torture but I did it because the money was good and it was my business. Most days, I was dead tired but I still plowed ahead because I wanted to provide for my family, and I didn't want to disappoint my clients.

Now, I've become fat and lazy but I still have periods where I have to bust my butt for weeks at a time. Current project is like blast from the past and I'm getting up at 5 am and putting in 12-16 hour days. Luckily it's only M-F at the moment. But it still suck hard and double suck that I have live out of hotel in another city. But it'll be over in about 2 months and I can go back to being fat and lazy.

 

[Chaotic42]

What do you do? Even if you are making total bank what's the point if time for any kind of life is just flying by? It doesn't sound like you are doing this for some years to work your way through school - 14 years is a long time.

The 2002-2003 thing was radio. I was the news and sport director and worked two board operator jobs as well. I worked 11pm-2pm M-F (not counting occasional 6pm board meetings), 12am-6am Saturdays and 12am-9am Sundays. I was making $7.25/hr. I did similar hours from 1999-2004 at McDonald's. From 2004 on I've been essentially a cartographer. I put myself through my Associate's and Bachelor's degrees working 40-80 hours per week for $10-20/hr as I got promoted.

I make good money now and work less, but I'm salary and I've been slowly working on my Master's. I did several weeks of 60s at the end of last year. I just do what needs to be done - I like working and going to school. I've been a lot better about using my time off to take a day fishing or just hanging out. Last year our unit shut down and I got transferred to a group who just works straight 40s doing pure software engineering. I hated it and got back into mapping, knowing full well what I was getting in to.

If you love what you do, it's a lot easier to work crazy hours.

 

[Mai72]

The 2002-2003 thing was radio. I was the news and sport director and worked two board operator jobs as well. I worked 11pm-2pm M-F (not counting occasional 6pm board meetings), 12am-6am Saturdays and 12am-9am Sundays. I was making $7.25/hr. I did similar hours from 1999-2004 at McDonald's. From 2004 on I've been essentially a cartographer. I put myself through my Associate's and Bachelor's degrees working 40-80 hours per week for $10-20/hr as I got promoted.

I make good money now and work less, but I'm salary and I've been slowly working on my Master's. I did several weeks of 60s at the end of last year. I just do what needs to be done - I like working and going to school. I've been a lot better about using my time off to take a day fishing or just hanging out. Last year our unit shut down and I got transferred to a group who just works straight 40s doing pure software engineering. I hated it and got back into mapping, knowing full well what I was getting in to.

If you love what you do, it's a lot easier to work crazy hours.

Yep. I follow guys like Gary Vaynerchuck on YouTube and he works like 16 hour days and he's unfazed. I just think there are some people who are born to work and they don't have an issue with it. Then again, his dad owns a wine store and he worked 18 hour days, 7X a week and Gary says that he hardly ever saw him when he was a kid. Loving what you do is a blessing. Because many people don't like there jobs and it weighs on them day after day.

I'm currently working on passive income streams so I can have produce money when I'm asleep and away from my work. Active income vs. passive income.

 

[ch33zw1z]

No. I require downtime at one day per week, or I'm not going to be my best, give it all, and start to not care.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Without a day off? As in including weekends? Hope you're getting compensated for it.

I can understand the drive if it's your own personal business or if you get paid by the hour, but if you're standard salary I would tell people to go fuck themselves.

 

[Exterous]

I did it but I worked a full time job and an almost full time job. One was a desk job and the other was more active. I don't know if I could do either one for that long a day or that stretch and do a good job. When I hit a wall with my current job I change up whatever I am doing. If I have been sitting all day I go for a walk. Maybe a jolt of coffee too. Or I'll switch projects. Or sit down and just zone out to music for like 5-10 minutes. If I haven't been getting enough sleep, going to bed early helps me refocus on the next day. Or I'll break down my task list into smaller tasks and focus on things one at a time

 

[IndyColtsFan]

It's rough. I think I've had two scheduled vacations in the last 14 years that didn't get cancelled. I love my job and I have a hard time saying no when things need to be done. I've been trying to take more time off and find some concept of a life outside of work. Even when I'm at home I'm often just sitting around thinking about work-related things. It's good and bad.

The 2002-2003 thing was radio. I was the news and sport director and worked two board operator jobs as well. I worked 11pm-2pm M-F (not counting occasional 6pm board meetings), 12am-6am Saturdays and 12am-9am Sundays. I was making $7.25/hr. I did similar hours from 1999-2004 at McDonald's. From 2004 on I've been essentially a cartographer. I put myself through my Associate's and Bachelor's degrees working 40-80 hours per week for $10-20/hr as I got promoted.

I make good money now and work less, but I'm salary and I've been slowly working on my Master's. I did several weeks of 60s at the end of last year. I just do what needs to be done - I like working and going to school. I've been a lot better about using my time off to take a day fishing or just hanging out. Last year our unit shut down and I got transferred to a group who just works straight 40s doing pure software engineering. I hated it and got back into mapping, knowing full well what I was getting in to.

If you love what you do, it's a lot easier to work crazy hours.

I’ll never understand people who willingly work crazy hours when they don’t own the company. When I was in my early 30s, I did work a ton of hours but then I woke up and realized it got me nothing.

There is so much more out there in the world to do and see. Now, I work as close to 40 hours as possible (with a rare exception for deadlines) and make sure I indulge in my hobbies and travel as much as I can.

 

[purbeast0]

Why would you even work at a job like that? I can understand if it's your own business and you're grinding, but if you're doing it for someone else you're insane.

 

[DigDog]

i've been in the same spot. back in 2006-7 i was working 10am-8pm seven days a week, plus opening and closing the restaurant, plus all the associated paperwork etc., over 80 hours per week. at one point i hit a wall and my productivity just plummeted, and honestly i don't think i have ever fully recovered. just .. don't do the same thing.

 

[OutHouse]

The only time I've had to work that much was during Desert Shield/Storm. I'll never give my employer that much of my time. I work to live, I do not live to work.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That's brutal, hopefully you're being well compensated for that.

The longest stretch I ever worked was 4 weeks straight, well, I did get like 3 days off in the middle of that, but 1 day is simply not enough. Our summers tend to be crazy schedule wise because when people are on vacation everyone else is doing OT to cover the shifts. Some years are worse than others, just really depends how the scheduling/vacations work out.

Since I work shifts I'm used to working 4 or less days at a time and then getting lot of time off in between, but I recently switched from nights to days as it was starting to affect my mental health and the downside is working day shifts I work more 8h shifts instead of 12h shifts, so I get less time off. I would hate going back to a 5x8 job, 2 day weekends are just not enough. Life is too short to spend it at work 5 days out of 7.

 

[Ns1]

Yeah that's basically my life right now. Every few weeks my body will just give up on me - randomly start to throw up, feel like death, fetal position in bed status. I call in sick and then start it up again the day after.

 

[MrSquished]

Yeah that's basically my life right now. Every few weeks my body will just give up on me - randomly start to throw up, feel like death, fetal position in bed status. I call in sick and then start it up again the day after.

wtf. what the hell do you do for work?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Yeah that's basically my life right now. Every few weeks my body will just give up on me - randomly start to throw up, feel like death, fetal position in bed status. I call in sick and then start it up again the day after.

Why would you work a job like that?

 

[zinfamous]

Why would you even work at a job like that? I can understand if it's your own business and you're grinding, but if you're doing it for someone else you're insane.

This

 

[madoka]

Every few weeks my body will just give up on me - randomly start to throw up, feel like death, fetal position in bed status. I call in sick and then start it up again the day after.

wtf. what the hell do you do for work?

I believe Ns1 eats bull penis in bulk.

 

[Ns1]

wtf. what the hell do you do for work?

Why would you work a job like that?

This

Any entrepreneur who needs to work a 9-5 to pay for their side gig and/or health insurance can relate.

So the lesson here is don't take on multiple 40+ hour/week commitments.

I mean there's a solid 168 hours in a week, if you sleep a luxurious 28 hours you can cram in 3 full time jobs and still have 20 hours to breathe.

 

[madoka]

I go months on end without a day off. I do it because I work for myself and Lego and guns don't pay for themselves.