Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Schedule Update

Well aside from the drone footage, I really haven’t been up to much in the last week and a half. There were some random trail rides and scattered workouts for the horses here and there, but clearly nothing memorable enough to write about, or I would have done it. Complete with a media overload, because that’s my style. #mediahopro (Carly I hope this hashtag never dies haha) 

This week I switched to my “summer hours” at work – this is the third year my job has offered them and I’m trying out a third attempt at a schedule I like. The first year I worked four 10-hour days, cutting out one of my days commuting. I overlapped it with DH’s schedule so we both had Wednesdays off (which also meant I never worked more than two days in a row, which was nice!). But what inevitably happened was that we would cram so much into that one day off that it ended up becoming a day I kind of resented. Also I am just not cut out for 10-hour shifts – I wanted to stab myself in the eyeballs every single day around hour nine. I think it would be different if my job was super fast-paced, because being busy would make the time go by faster, but one thing I do appreciate about my job most of the time is that it’s NOT super hectic and fast-paced (been there, done that, got the t-shirt and a side helping of anxiety meds and hair falling out from stress). I think I might also tolerate 10-hour days better if I didn’t also have to add two hours of commuting on top of it, but being away from home for 12 hours a day four days a week SUCKED. 
Exhausted squirrel is exhausted.

Last year I decided to try something a little different – I opted to come in half an hour earlier than normal, and then leave half an hour earlier than normal. A big factor to that decision was that the bridge I take to get to work was undergoing massive construction and traffic was wretched – flexing my hours that 30 minutes enabled me to miss the worst of it, so that was super helpful. What was less helpful was that I had quite a bit of free time in the evenings, which I *thought* would be a good thing, but actually ended up being kind of a pain, since it was basically still broiling hot until closer to dark. So what I ended up doing was coming home, making myself dinner and doing stuff in the house until like an hour before dark, and then trying to squeeze in my riding then. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked last summer. The wrench in trying to do that plan again would be DH’s new schedule – because of how early he gets up on work days, he insists on going to bed no later than 9 – and he’d really prefer 8 (which I CANNOT DO. Physically can’t get in bed at 8. I can’t).
One of our chickens randomly laid like a SUPER tiny egg.... Weird.

So this year I mixed it up and decided to try a later start (and working a little later, obviously) to try to give myself time to do things in the mornings. Monday didn’t get off to the best start (I stayed up wayyyyy too late on Sunday binge watching TV), but I was able to run several errands and still roll into work with time to spare. Of course, trying to adjust to the abbreviated free time in the evening was a little rough. Tuesday was better – I got up, made it out to the barn to lunge Ruby, and still had plenty of time to get ready for work (and catch up on some blog reading using my wifi at home instead of my cell data, #winning). 
She seemed confused by, but amenable to a 6 am workout.

The true test of the schedule will be on the days DH works, because on those days I’m responsible for all of the chores at the house in the morning, so I probably won’t have time to drive over and work Ruby. So my tentative plan right now is to focus on Cinna on the days he works (since she’s at the house and readily available!) and then try to work Ruby on the days he’s off. So we’ll see how it goes. I don’t have to stick with this schedule if I don’t like it, I can go back to my normal schedule. But it would be really nice if I could drag myself out of bed early enough in the mornings to miss the heat of the day and keep both horses in work!
While still managing plenty of down time to relax and unwind.

What about you? Does your schedule change during the summer if you're trying to beat heat and humidity?

PS. Also, this post will be going out on Miss Cinna's FIFTH birthday. Happy birthday little monster! You're getting so grown up!

 
 

20 comments:

  1. I think I am just going to curl up and cry about the heat and humidity this summer. It is already kicking my butt. Fingers crossed for the new schedule.

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    1. The first few weeks are always the worst, ugh. Makes me want to hide in the AC being a lump.

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  2. Awwww baby Cinna! I haven't typically changed my schedule but I also get a LOT of flexibility at my workplace. I can occasionally work from home and since I support WA but live in MN I can flex my hours later no problem. Earlier would be tough but I'm a night owl so wouldn't want to do that anyway. I typically just go out to ride later in the day and since I have an indoor its not unusual for me ride around 9-10 in the summer. I hope your new schedule works great for you!

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    1. I'm always so jealous of people who have the option to work and home and super flexible hours. Mine are marginally flexible within very specific parameters haha. But that's actually better than most state jobs, so I shouldn't complain! The new schedule has been decent so far, we'll see how I feel in a few more weeks!

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  3. When I used to have a job (omg I need a job) I had flex hours and it was great. I would do the go in early, leave early in the summer to ride at night and go in late, leave late in the winter to ride in the morning (bc we have no electricity we can only ride when there's sun). The only problem with it is that I HATE getting up early.

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    1. I am definitely not a morning person so I'm struggling with making myself get up when I don't "have" to. I've been successful 2/3 days so far, although my husband commented that I wasn't smiling in my ride this morning (probably because my baby horse was being a pill 😂)

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  4. My schedule changed pretty dramatically with the new job and it's taken a long time to adjust. I'm definitely a creature of habit about things like this haha. I hope this new shift works well for you!

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    1. It's so weird to have to adjust to new schedules and change what are sometimes deeply ingrained habits! I think it'll work out decently well for the summer, but I'm sure I'll be happy to return to "normal" hours in the fall!

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  5. Gooood luck! I hear you about the 10 hour shifts, they suck so bad. -_- Someday, I'll get a different job!

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    1. I didn't mind 10-hour shifts quite as much when I waited tables because there was always something going on.... but 10 hours of nothing to do? Thanks but no. Ugh. I don't know how you do it!

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  6. No changes here! Same old same old, day in and day out... Meh. It's nice your work allows you some flexibility though! I'm sure you'll find the right schedule. Always takes some experimenting.
    Happy Birthday Cinna!!!

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    1. Yes I'm super appreciative of the minor flexibility it offers -- I've actually turned down several job offers in the last 2 years because it would mean going back to a rigid 8-5.

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  7. I'm on what the gvmt calls "maxi-flex" scheduling which basically means reach 80 hours in 2 weeks however you please. I've been on 4-10s for ages, but with the new added commute it's not the most ideal. Also not ideal? The horses being where I work and not where I live right now. Mon-Thur I leave the house around 515am and don't get back home until 730pm if I'm really rushing the horse stuff. It's sucked royally. Something WILL give soon and this situation will change. Can't keep doing this!

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    1. That's really nice, I wish our state gov't offered that! But yes, commuting is really what wrecks it for me. I hate spending 10 hours a week in my car. But I couldn't afford acreage close to anywhere with a decent paying job... sooooo, tradeoffs I guess? I know what you mean about something having to give, I've been in variations of that for the last 2 years ugh. Can't seem to find the right balance!

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  8. It is broiling hot here as well in the summertime but I'm only able to go out in the evenings to ride. Typically I'll relegate my weekend rides to very early in the morning then. We'll see how the Michigan horse does in the summer. She's in for a whole new surprise

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    1. I really miss being able to ride in the evenings! Hopefully she's able to adapt to the new climate without too much trouble ☺

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  9. I would love to change my schedule. If I could get arena lights I'd go into work later to ride one horse in the morning and one in the evening.

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    1. My lights will be here tomorrow and I'm sure I'll be blogging about the process of installing them, if you need encouragement 😉 haha.

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