Work Style

[herofan]

I am one who makes it plain that I'm not a workaholic. From observing some around me, however, I don't necessarily believe time spent equals a lot of work. When I am doing farm work, or any physical labor, I don't act like my pants are on fire, but I like to do it in a steady, ongoing, uninterrupted pace. I mention this because my brother and I were talking about this lately, and we know several people who would scoff at someone who calls it a day at 4:00 and heads for the shower and recliner, mentions watching tv, or someone who might take a day of leisure here and there, but even though these scoffers are "out and about" all the time and looking very work-worn in appearance, they aren't exactly killing themselves, at least not according to the time they put in or according to what my grandparent's generation called work.

I'll use a farmer I've known all my life as an example. I decided to help put a new roof on a guy's shed last fall. I was just helping; he was the boss. He said we would start at 7:30. I got there at 7:20. He rolled in around 7:50. He then got out of his truck, let the tailgate down, and sat there and drank coffee and ate a sausage & biscuit for 20 minutes. At some point before lunch, he ran out of chewing tobacco, so he left for town to get some. He was gone over an hour. Lunch rolled around and we were off to his mother's house for lunch. We stayed there over an hour. We came back and he had to stop by his shop for 30 minutes. To be honest, I was there, but I couldn't begin to tell you what he was doing that seemed so important. As evening rolled around, we could probably have finished the job in another hour, but he decided to stop so he could do a little fence repair. He had 5 fence posts on the back of his truck, so I'm sure that was a major task. I'm sure he didn't step foot in his house until 10:00pm looking work-worn and tired, but anybody who started at a decent time and worked at a steady paced could have completed by noon what it took him all day. This is an example of this guy's usual routine. I used to help him cut tobacco years ago, and I never felt overworked, that's for sure.

When I have a day off from the public job and can work on the farm, my work style is to just to work at a steady pace and do what I have to do for 8 or or so hours and call it a day as opposed to being out from 6:00am to 10:00pm and taking a break every 45 minutes, an hour lunch and supper, three trips to town, and a couple hours of piddling.

How other people do things is nothing to me, but I mention this because some people who pace themselves like this seem to think they are really hard workers and they put someone down who isn't out all day in work mode, but as I said, it's not like they are working very hard, they are just on the scene and not watching tv.

 

[Bigfoot]

I promote 2 breaks a day. Lunch time, and quiting time.

 

[ez14.]

I promote 2 breaks a day. Lunch time, and quiting time.

And lunch is optional

 

[TexasBred]

There are days that I don't do anything considered "work". Other days if something really needs doing I have no problem getting out and getting after it. No rush, no deadline, no worry. If somebody comes by and wants to shoot the breeze that's great. If there is something else that needs doing I'll do it. Might quit half way through it to go to town with my wife or go drink a couple of cold beers with the guys. Pretty much everything I do these days is strictly for enjoyment in the long run.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

We start early, quit late, and eat lunch on our feet more than we do on our butts. Usually, we run very efficiently, as well. We have fun in the same fashion......First fish came over the gunnel at 5 this morning. Boat is gassed up and ready for this evenings 30 mile round trip for supper and live music.

 

[callmefence]

Product of salary, and hourly pay, paid vacations and paid sick time.
People that get paid based on what they produce tend to do things like Farm described above.

 

[Brute 23]

I do what I want and don't worry about others.

 

[Lucky]

It's always easy to spot the folks that spend all their time running in circles or spinning their wheels from the ones that actually accomplish something. If I have a set of task to do I can get them done efficiently (if no emergency pops up). If I'm just doing general run around the ranch and check on things I pretty much goof off and take my time. I usually get in late but mainly because I enjoy drinking a few beers and checking cows in the evening when it's cooler and they are spread out grazing.

 

[snoopdog]

Product of salary, and hourly pay, paid vacations and paid sick time.
People that get paid based on what they produce tend to do things like Farm described above.

I definitely see this in my town job, guys that have never had to drive a truck and get paid by the mile, or off freight commission , consistently log more hrs . It is frustrating watching someone make 1/3 more for doing the same job, because they aren't efficient . Years ago , I worked for a guy, temp job, getting a large sawmill ready for auction . He gathered us up , and this always kinda stuck with me, he said he didn't want to see a!@#$es and elbows he wanted it done right the first time, don't move something if you're gonna have to move it again . I think when you take a little time and think about what you want to get done , gather what you need , and then go do it , it takes less time . The space between your ears is your most valuable asset , most people anyway .

 

[M-5]

If you have to ask the question then chances are you are not putting in the effort.

 

[Brute 23]

Product of salary, and hourly pay, paid vacations and paid sick time.
People that get paid based on what they produce tend to do things like Farm described above.

I definitely see this in my town job, guys that have never had to drive a truck and get paid by the mile, or off freight commission , consistently log more hrs . It is frustrating watching someone make 1/3 more for doing the same job, because they aren't efficient . Years ago , I worked for a guy, temp job, getting a large sawmill ready for auction . He gathered us up , and this always kinda stuck with me, he said he didn't want to see a!@#$es and elbows he wanted it done right the first time, don't move something if you're gonna have to move it again . I think when you take a little time and think about what you want to get done , gather what you need , and then go do it , it takes less time . The space between your ears is your most valuable asset , most people anyway .

That's how I am. I like to go slow and think about what I am doing. For one, most of the stuff I (and most of us) do is dangerous. There are no do-overs when it comes to eyes, fingers, or your life. Two I like to get it done right and the best way possible the first time. Does that always happen... no... but over the years my percentages have gotten better.

I prefer to work by myself because I hate people rushing me or messing stuff up just being careless. That works out at the ranch but it's not an option at my real job. There I just tell them to sit tight and I will let them know when I do. It's still faster than barreling off in to some thing with out a plan IMO.

 

[Dave]

There is a saying working in the woods here in the PNW. You run in for your job and out for your life. That is literally true. It was especially true in the logging camps in Alaska. When the chokers came back if you walked toward them you would find yourself unemployed by the end of the day. You ran away after the chokers were set. If you walked you could easily be dead by the end of the day. This running was generally on a steep hillside covered with limbs, tops, and broken chunks of log. When I went to falling timber it generally paid by how much you got done. You had better pay attention to what you were doing but again it was done at a very fast pace. Job security was the amount of sweat dripped off your nose. And that was sweat on a cool even cold day. There was a large logging company down in the Grays Harbor area that had a sign over their hiring office that said "If you can't fly don't light here."
I am a little older now and no longer work at that pace. But I still show up early and get after it until the job is done. Breaks are for taking once the job is done.

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

It's always easy to spot the folks that spend all their time running in circles or spinning their wheels from the ones that actually accomplish something. If I have a set of task to do I can get them done efficiently (if no emergency pops up). If I'm just doing general run around the ranch and check on things I pretty much goof off and take my time. I usually get in late but mainly because I enjoy drinking a few beers and checking cows in the evening when it's cooler and they are spread out grazing.

Checking cows with a couple of cold beers is one of my favorite jobs when I get home early enough. My dad never had any livestock, but has come to enjoy that job quite a bit. Usually, when I pull in the drive, dad has already checked cows and has stuck around for a beer and a chat about the days happenings.

 

[greybeard]

Some folks are more ambitious than others and some are just plain lazy. Used to be, & not very long ago either, there weren't enough hours in the day for me and sleeping was a waste of time, and I never was one for lollygagging about like a bucket of stale pizz, but the older I get, the closer I come to the latter.

 

[D2Cat]

I remember my 5th grade teacher asking us to move with alacrity when we were called to go up front to the board, or a book report. She explained it as quickly, enthusiastically, and eagerly.

I learned to work with the same model, and to learn to anticipate what's next in all that I do. Saves a lot of grief and produces results others can't imagine. When I see those that move slow, I give them slack for a while but I soon get away from them. They cause me to lose my focus and cause aggravation. I find the slow ones are usually not very creative, just my opinion.

 

[BobbyLummus1]

Not me, I make a decision and plow through . Drives me crazy tossing ideas around planning. 9/10 times when i approach a situation i instinctively know what needs done . Sometimes I'm wrong but not the end of the world in my line of work

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Ask an old guy few years back when he retired, what he planned to do now..he said I'm gonna do some mechanic work... Gonna install a rear end in a recliner...

 

[herofan]

There are days that I don't do anything considered "work". Other days if something really needs doing I have no problem getting out and getting after it. No rush, no deadline, no worry. If somebody comes by and wants to shoot the breeze that's great. If there is something else that needs doing I'll do it. Might quit half way through it to go to town with my wife or go drink a couple of cold beers with the guys. Pretty much everything I do these days is strictly for enjoyment in the long run.

Sounds like a great attitude to me!

 

[greybeard]

There are days that I don't do anything considered "work". Other days if something really needs doing I have no problem getting out and getting after it. No rush, no deadline, no worry. If somebody comes by and wants to shoot the breeze that's great. If there is something else that needs doing I'll do it. Might quit half way through it to go to town with my wife or go drink a couple of cold beers with the guys. Pretty much everything I do these days is strictly for enjoyment in the long run.

I still work some every day, no matter what, rain shine, cold or heat. May not get finished or work with the same will I did before my heart surgery 3 yrs ago, but I'm not ready for the rockin chair yet.
I'll sit and talk for a little while, but if one or both my sisters come by with their husbands and want to shoot the bull, they better come out where I am and talk while I'm working.

One caveat to that tho. Nowadays, I generally have to come back to the house sometime after high noon and take a nap, otherwise, wife is liable to find me 'out there' on the ground somewhere and probably not just asleep..

 

[Caustic Burno]

I can't just sit in a rocking chair or watch tv.
I am piddling on something most of the day. Now replacement parts changed on how I approach a lot of things, thank goodness for them.