Got to ask this, How many of you self employed carpenter guys as I take breaks or ???Lunch??? (I take neither but used to at one time…) when I was an employee
Frank
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Absolutely take breaks. Even if they're 10-15 minutes. After losing a considerable amount of weight I find it necessary to eat more often throughout the day.
i have always taken lunch,if not i run out of juice about 3:00. but i will say if you don't watch it it can blow the heck out of getting something done in the pm if you let distraction's get in the way.
never take a break at a certian time,if i feel like i want to sit back and see where i'm going for a few minutes ,ok, and as i get older the more of those moments come along. larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
Self employed, don't matter..yer eating it, all day. Paid? Yup.
Employee, the big hat tells ya when to poop, and how much it will cost you.
I ain't quite from wake up/lay down yet, but I'm trying.
I'm not self employed, but I might as well be. I'm my boss's only employee. I work alone 95% of the time. I snack throughout the day. When I have to go out to the truck for a tool or out side near the truck, I'll grab something and eat/ drink on my way back to what I'm working on. I find that once I stop for lunch, all my energy goes away when I put the tool belt back on.
Yes, I eat lots and often. Keeps my energy up. I eat a good breakfast, snack,lunch,snack, dinner. I'm not overweight, but watch what I eat. I usually only take a few minutes off, maybe 10 min to eat a sandwich and drink a cup of tea or some water.
take breaks but rarely ever for lunch....
mostly 15/20 min breaks every several hours...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
we had problem with people not taking lunch. "Oh I didnt take lunch so you have to pay me for that" But they would still eat a sandwich. That would be 2 1/2 hour overtime for no reason. with twenty employee that adds up. So we have this computer time clock that automaticly deduct the lunch period time. If you work through lunch you just donated time to company."hey dont tell me, tell the computer" The computer is tied to all the other office computers, so if you mess with the time its locks out 520 employess in four states.
No lunch, don't get between me an dinner-8:30.
Break, when I absolutely say #### it I'm sitting down.
Makes figuring out the time sheet easier.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
When I was young we would never take a break or lunch.
I now take a break in the morning and lunch. Not only do I need to eat something to keep from running out of gas, but I also consider the social time even more important. It is a chance to talk to people who I trust and respect. We can go over problem areas or just tell stories.
Once your business gets a steady flow of referrals, you will have an endless amount of work ahead of you. Cutting out breaks and lunch or working nights and weekends isn't going to complete all the work. You may make a little more money but will you be enjoying your work and your life?
Breaks? Few. Lunch? Never.
Stopping work breaks my momentum, and ends up costing more production time than just the time spent pounding down a PB&J sandwich and a pair of twinkies.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
I used to be able to go without lunch, but now that I'm getting older I need that break to make it thru the day.
30-40 minutes to recharge my batteries, and I'm fine 'til I'm ready to quit at 4:30 or 5.
I don't kill myself anymore. 7-8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Less if it's really hot.
break never unless I need to pee
lunch... almost always 10 minutes for a meal and then 30 minute shut eye, I find my head stays on straight longer if I take a short nap
Being as i work by myself i do this... I might if im building a fence dig 8 holes take coffee break, Dig another amount take lunch, If i get tired i stop and sit, Im by myself always packing what should take 2, never have anyone to hold the other end of anything, So im like slow motion but to easy to get hurt anymore at 54, If im in da groove i will work through everything but its getting rare now
54?
Geez, yer an old man.
I'm only 53 <G>
53???? yes i remember being 53, the last year for romance as i recall;)
You had romance when you were 53??
Lucky dog!
Yes but i had to take the next 2 days off;)
I'm self employeed ...
take breaks ...
and take lunch.
depending where I'm working ... a regular lunch hour can be an hour and a half.
plus ... my standard work day is 8 to 4.
including that sometimes 1.5 hr lunch.
when I became self employed ... I figured I'd actually try to improve my suitation.
otherwise ... be an employee.
next week I'm looking at a coupla 10's ... if not 12's.
but that's the exception ... not the rule.
if U gotta work more than 7 - 8 hrs a day... yer unorganized.
some of my most productive days are my "half days" ... which usually run 6 hrs ...
no lunch.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Smoko (morning tea no one actually smokes)at 10.30, lunch at 1.00 my body is to tuned in to eat to miss these breaks. The 3 of us bring our food from home no buying crap from the shops.
cheers,
Johnhttp://www.johnwalkerbuilders.com
You have a valid point there.
It has been so whackka hot, I can work in my shop at night and the hell with the scorching , blazing stumidity outside during the day,time the naps properly andyer golden.
Now if I only had a better bug sceen, the mooths love my lights.
Breaks no, lunch always but not at the same time everyday. I tie lunch into completing something so at about 11AM I might say, "OK when we get these two walls up, we'll stop for lunch". That adds a bit more focus for those guys who may be running low on energy.
I believe in eating lunch together, as a way to relax, recharge and be social.
I think that needs to be repeated
when I became self employed ... I figured I'd actually try to improve my suitation.
otherwise ... be an employee
My same opinion as well. Can be a slave to the business or have the business allow you to do the things that are fun. I know that's contrary to what lots of successful folks say, something like needing to be doing 60hour work week when started. But I'm not looking to make a Fortune 500 company, not looking to be the best stock on Wall Street. Just looking for a preconcieved idea of income.
Breaks? Most definitely. Quite often the separation allows my mind to come up with a better solution to a problem.
I go with the flow.
Do whatever I feel like.
Sometimes grab something while driving for materials or such, sometimes nada, sometimes I'll sit in the Star diner and eat reeeaaaal slow.
Usually it depends on outside influences.
I try not to work for the money so the little things usually run my direction.
Remodeling Contractor just on the other side of the Glass City
Yeah, ya don't want to soak up that view at the Star too fast...could end up with a brain freeze<G> Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out but when they will I can only guess.
They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy,
She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me.
I can't help it if I'm lucky.
I usually eat lunch. Those of you who know me will understand. You can't keep a figure like this on a thousand calories a day. No matter how hard my buddy Gun tries. DanT
Absolutely lunch every day. I am S.E. so I always keep it to 30 minutes. I eat what I need within 10 minutes (keep it light), and like to read or relax for the rest. I sometimes take a 15 minute nap if my body calls for it. The miracle of the short nap is something I have only discovered in the last few years. I used to skip lunches at times, but not anymore.
I take a break as needs be. I'll take 5 and have a protein bar or something around 10:00 and lunch around 12:30. I sip water throughout the day all year long.
Like Shep, I don't bust hump like I used to. 8 hours is plenty. sometimes less sometimes an hour longer depending.
I know this one guy, great carpenter, never takes lunch really, but gets a dozen donuts and scarfs them down with soda in 10 minutes while standing up. Works 12 hour days and gorges at night. He's really packing on the weight now that he's getting older. Bad habits. What, when and how you eat is important. It'll come back to haunt.
Stress management gurus encourage a little down time every once in a while during the day to reduce stress at the end of the day. It sure works for me.
A half hour for lunch is enough time to eat and relax a little.
A midmorning coffee break makes my morning go faster and the increase in productivity more than makes up for the time spent with a cup in my hand. Same for the afternoon.
On the other hand, sometimes when I'm on a roll it breaks up my concentration and I'd rather snack while working and not take a break all day.
There's also the quality of life issue. Sometimes the type of work makes those coffee breaks priceless. At the end of the day the work was bearable, compared to something that makes me want to change careers.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
I'm an employee. We work 4 ten-hour days, 6:30 to 4:30. Break at 10, break at 2, no lunch break.
Keeps the energy level up and breaks the day up into nice-sized chunks. Guys can make their personal phone calls and we discuss what we'll do for the next few hours. Works out great.
Guys can make their personal phone calls . you mean you have a time. i have to put up when when ever they feel like it. 4am to all day long.
I let a few personal calls slide, but the guys know I don't like it.
I let a few personal calls slide
Yea thats the problem. I was sent out with a helper to sheetrock a small remodel the other day and the guy that came with me must have spent at least 10-15 minutes in the craper(phone booth) out of every 1 hour! He hides in there cause he thinks nobody knows he's on the phone.
Hard to tell everybody they need to leave the phone in the car when only a couple guys abuse the privlige.
Doug
If I feel like somebody is abusing the problem, I just say "hey, save personal calls for break time." If they have some excuse as to why they need to make/take the call I'll let it go.
Next time it happens, I'll say, "hey, didn't I tell you to save the personal calls for break time?"
I don't see any need to make all the guys leave their phones in their vehicles. I don't believe in the "everybody's equal" crap. Some guys need a daddy to tell them what to do. My 27 year old guy doesn't need a daddy. My 57 year old guy does. It took me quite a while to learn that the job is not a democracy, it's a dictatorship and I'm the dictator.
those atr my company believe that since they are paying their cell phone bill. They can talk anytime. I mean thirty calls before 8am.I'm a man, you got to respect me as a man, I'm a man
We've got a guy at work that just gets involved in the phone call. If his helper gets personel calls he just butts right in. Starts adding to the conversation, asks who it is? What they are talking abou? He does it in a way as to not look like he's trying to run them off the phone. They think he actually wants to get involved. Most guys end up avoiding calls when they work with him. Especially if their wives call. He's always trying to flirt with them. It's pretty funny. And effective.
.
"Everything is under control. I'M gonna go make some pies now." Dinosaur 07
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPONTneuaF4
That's a hilarious solution!
My cell phone remedy: Leave it in the truck. Here's my cell # in case there's a real emergency. Tell your loved ones to use my number but only if you're needed at home or the hospital, right away. Otherwise make all your calls during lunch.
You don't like it? Don't let the door hit you in the butt, on the way out.
I take breaks for lunch; I'm always close to home, and this is the last year of the youngest being home for lunch - maybe only 'til Christmas. Then we'll see.
Reminds me why I'm working!
Forrest
Self employed since 88. I take a 10- 15 min lunch and thats it. If its really hot or really cold will take a break to warm up or cool off. I work at least 8 hrs a day though I am noticing that I am more tierd at the end of the day than I used to be.
<Self employed since 88 . . . I am more tired at the end of the day than I used to be>
Man, how old are you now?
Forrest - feelin' smart aleck-ie tonite