Depressing thought

[accountingsucks]

During a boring stint at work, I figured out that I spend 40% of my WAKING hours at work. I work 8 to 5 and work thru most lunches and have one hour of travel time total to get to/from work each day. If you assume 8 hours of sleep each night, 3 weeks vacation, and 10 STAT holidays, it works out to 40% of our waking hours are spent at work. Factor in 300+ hours of OT for many people out there and it's an even more depressing realization.

 

[maddythebeagle]

That's why you need to find lots of entertaining things to do there...

 

[packrat44]

How about 100% of the waking hours at or traveling to/from work.

While in college I spent 1 summer (1968 ) as a driller's assistant on a large rotary drill on the Hanford nuclear site checking for radioactive material. We had 2 crews that worked around the clock. The closest motel to the job site was 90 miles away. Driving 180 miles each day and work a 12 hour shift in the summer sun with no days off takes it toll.

I do agree with you 100% - accounting sucks; even if you only put in 1 hour a day.

 

[youbet]

it works out to 40% of our waking hours are spent at work.

You do so by your own choice. Think about your options. If you have no other, then you're lucky to have the job you have. If you have others, go seize one and live your life the way you want to live it.

 

[chinaco]

Yes it is depressing. Thanks for reminding me.

 

[DJRR]

Beats having 0% waking hour

Actually one of the key insights of "Your Money or Your Life". Figuring out your actual hourly wage if you add all of the hours involved with w*rk and commuting and decreasing your income for all the expenses related with w*rk.

Really eye opening to see what you really make and it can open up your mind to more creative opportunities/options.

 

[RunningBum]

Are you forgetting weekends? There are 8760 hours in a non-leap year. If you work 47 weeks (3 weeks vacation and 2 weeks worth of holidays), even with 10 hour days * 5 days/week 2345 hours. Even with your 300 overtime hours (6/week), that's only 30%, not 40%, unless my calcs are wrong.

Is that any better?

 

[RunningBum]

Oh, never mind, you said *waking* hours.

 

[accountingsucks]

Are you forgetting weekends? There are 8760 hours in a non-leap year. If you work 47 weeks (3 weeks vacation and 2 weeks worth of holidays), even with 10 hour days * 5 days/week 2345 hours. Even with your 300 overtime hours (6/week), that's only 30%, not 40%, unless my calcs are wrong.

Is that any better?

My calculation only took into account waking hours assuming 8 hours of sleep per day. In other words we only really have 16 hours a day to really do what we want since sleeping is a necessity and not an option.

 

[CuppaJoe]

During a boring stint at work, I figured out that I spend 40% of my WAKING hours at work. I work 8 to 5 and work thru most lunches and have one hour of travel time total to get to/from work each day. If you assume 8 hours of sleep each night, 3 weeks vacation, and 10 STAT holidays, it works out to 40% of our waking hours are spent at work. Factor in 300+ hours of OT for many people out there and it's an even more depressing realization.

Good thing I'm not good at math, AccountingSucks! I'm at work 38 hours a week. Here's the bright side: I've pretty much mastered the art of leaving work at work.

As others have said, hone up those skills of escape on the job; the worst (or BEST) that can happen is, they might fire me.

 

[W2R]

Good thing I'm not good at math, AccountingSucks! I'm at work 38 hours a week. Here's the bright side: I've pretty much mastered the art of leaving work at work.

As others have said, hone up those skills of escape on the job; the worst (or BEST) that can happen is, they might fire me.

I have to admit that for some of us, getting fired would not be such a bad turn of events!

 

[Gumby]

During a boring stint at work, I figured out that I spend 40% of my WAKING hours at work. I work 8 to 5 and work thru most lunches and have one hour of travel time total to get to/from work each day. If you assume 8 hours of sleep each night, 3 weeks vacation, and 10 STAT holidays, it works out to 40% of our waking hours are spent at work. Factor in 300+ hours of OT for many people out there and it's an even more depressing realization.

My own total is about 62% of my waking hours.

 

[Sandy]

I have done this type of calculation in the past. Mostly when I was trying to figure out why I couldn't get anything done at home.

You are right, it is depressing and in the interest of sustaining my mental health, I'm not going there again.

 

[unclemick]

I have to admit that for some of us, getting fired would not be such a bad turn of events!

The polite version - aka layoff - badda bing badda boom - ER. Ok so it was a little more complicated - some temp work, selling and eating some rental RE, she worked a year longer before she quit/retired.

Plus I was an old phart(49), a really cheap bastard, and the the 90's market helped my 401k rollover a lot.

heh heh heh - it was even more messy but you get the general idea - and it worked.

 

[maddythebeagle]

Good thing I'm not good at math, AccountingSucks! I'm at work 38 hours a week. Here's the bright side: I've pretty much mastered the art of leaving work at work.

As others have said, hone up those skills of escape on the job; the worst (or BEST) that can happen is, they might fire me.

Best to have an office near the backdoor

 

[ziggy29]

As far as including commute time, I guess it depends on the stress of the commute. When I lived in California, my commute was rotten. Now I only drive the 75 miles each way to Austin 1-2 times a week and telecommute the rest of the time. Except for about 10 miles getting out of the city, I actually like my drive (at least in the afternoon on the way home when I can see the scenery and I'm awake). So I don't really see this as "time w*rking," but if it were an hour of stop and go crap on a clogged city freeway, yeah, that might be worse than w*rking.

 

[jambo101]

I spend 40% of my WAKING hours at work.

Add 30% of your life sleeping.
Add another10% because you are too young or too old to do anything.
Add another 5% sick time and rain outs.
Add another 5% for household chores-Cleaning,washing,bathroom stuff,etc.
Add 5% for waiting in lines.
Doesnt leave much time for quality living so if you are having fun enjoy because you wont have a lot of time to be doing much of it during your life. Have a nice day!

 

[daystar]

Do you really need to sleep 8 hours a night though? I seem to get by ok on 6-7, although I would like to have 8. I just don't have the discipline to make sleep a priority.

 

[oliverdickens]

That is why I finally called it quits. Was working 14 hour days M-F, about 6hrs each Sat. and tried to take off Sunday. Final straw was when my boss said I wasn't doing enough and needed to take over yet another persons job. That would have been the third person's job I asorbed. And without any thanks on top of that.

I negotiated a severence package and have been out of work, RE mode for 14 months. Love every minute of it, probably will miss the dollars I would have accumulated, assuming I would have lived thru it but can not put a price on this lifestyle,

Money is tight, but health and sanity is much more precious, so do not regret the decision at all

 

[Nords]

Do you really need to sleep 8 hours a night though? I seem to get by ok on 6-7, although I would like to have 8. I just don't have the discipline to make sleep a priority.

You probably have to be ER'd to truly give sleep its proper priority in the scheme of things.

Sleep needs vary with the individual. There's just no way to fool oneself that it can be treated as a habit that could be modified. I can rarely stay down for longer than six hours and some nights I'm up after just four or five hours. However I managed to marry a woman who cannot function on anything less than an absolute minimum of eight hours of sleep, and sometimes more. After 28 years I'm pretty sure this isn't gonna change, although any further attempts to do so could dramatically affect my lifespan.

I also work out 5-6 hours a week more than she does and eat way more seafood than her, yet her bodyfat % is lower, her cholesterol numbers are lower, and her blood pressure is frequently in the double digits. [-]Genetics[/-] Life is not fair.

 

[Khan]

You probably have to be ER'd to truly give sleep its proper priority in the scheme of things.

Sleep needs vary with the individual. There's just no way to fool oneself that it can be treated as a habit that could be modified. I can rarely stay down for longer than six hours and some nights I'm up after just four or five hours. However I managed to marry a woman who cannot function on anything less than an absolute minimum of eight hours of sleep, and sometimes more. After 28 years I'm pretty sure this isn't gonna change, although any further attempts to do so could dramatically affect my lifespan.

I also work out 5-6 hours a week more than she does and eat way more seafood than her, yet her bodyfat % is lower, her cholesterol numbers are lower, and her blood pressure is frequently in the double digits. [-]Genetics[/-] Life is not fair.

Another joy of retirement: sleep. Deep, full cycled, eight hour, non-stressed, naturally ending sleep.

Right after retirement I found myself sleeping ten or more hours a night, tapered off to eight after a month or two.

I agree that trying to change her would be a very bad idea.

 

[daystar]

Sleep is probably the first thing I would do when I retire. That would be so nice to be in bed for 12 hours a day. At least for a few months. Then I'll sleep 7-9 hours therafter.

 

[citrine]

I cannot wait to sleep whenever I feel like it!
I am thinking of installing hammocks everywhere....on the patio, under two trees, in my living room, and in my art studio!

 

[cletis]

A little over a year ago I went form Hourly to Salary. I was working 12-16hrs a day. I slept 4-6 hrs a night. I slept extremely well. All I had to do was sit down and I'd be out. Now I mostly sit at a desk 8hrs. I have one heck of a time sleeping through the night without waking 2-3 times. The 40% pay cut may be the reason I don't sleep. I sure don't work over 40 hrs now. Cletis

 

[retire@40]

...Was working 14 hour days M-F, about 6hrs each Sat. and tried to take off Sunday. Final straw was when my boss said I wasn't doing enough and needed to take over yet another persons job. That would have been the third person's job I asorbed. And without any thanks on top of that...

A man's gotta know his limitations. -- Clint Eastwood, "Dirty Harry"