How Many Hours do you work?

[Robert Lambie]

quote David Hammond:

My theory being starting at 6, will give me 2-3 hours where I can get things printed, plotted, weeded without the phone ringing and other distractions.
9am onwards can be spent doing artwork etc, when the customers are in their offices, along with installations.

Thats a good way of looking at it David. Those three hours are important because like you say, it gives you uninterrupted production or allows you to be productive in other ways. I say that because I depend on at least 3 hours a day of same. However, mine starts between 11pm till 3am, sometimes longer. It is often joked by folk i send emails, even our staff that emails come in from me during that period, sometimes 4am-5am. I think my body clock has adjusted though as i don’t think much of it and i have tried numerous times to shut off at midnight. 🙄 😀

12 Hour plus some, shifts are common for me also. They do not bother me though because i enjoy my job and this industry on the whole so much. However, i do intend reducing this as soon as possible. We will see! :lol1:
For me, I think its always a mixture of sign work during the day or web work at night. if i finish early or have any sort of time on my hands, i often turn to the web. vicious circle… 🙁 :lol1:

I think the early start though is good idea. When the phone isnt ringing or people walking in, its amazing what work you can get done when you are allowed to concentrate.

[Shawn Bentley]

when i started out i used to get up around 5am and do all my design work till around 8am and found that i got so much more done than during the day, plus being a one man operation it freed up valuable time during the day to go out to clients and fitting etc, i must admit the more established i got and the busier i got i just worked longer and longer hrs :lol1:, most weekdays i regular work from 8am till 12-1am (in-between dropping and picking up my kids from school and clubs etc lol) i think working smart is good but sometimes sheer volume of work takes over and you end up working all the hrs you can, i must admit though 3pm on a friday and i down tools till sunday evening then all starts all over again. that said thumbs up for early mornings 5hrs work done in 3 hrs.

[Phill Fenton]

My Daily routine consists of the following:-

1. 5.45 Wake-up Bell

2. 6.00 to 7.00 Morning Prayer (Puja [prayer] in the prayer hall with breakfast)

3. 7.30 to 9.00 Recitation and memorizing of the prayer/ritual texts

4. 9.00 to 10.00 Tibetan Language Class

5. 10.00 to 11.30 Signmaking

6. 11.30 to 13.00 Lunch Break

7. 13.00 to 14.00 Tibetan Language Class

8. 14.00 to 15.00 Revision of the day’s lesson

9. 15.00 Tea Break

10. 15.00 to 17.00 Revision of recitation and memorization of the prayer/ritual texts

11. 17.00 to 19.30 Signmaking

12. 19.30 to 20.00 Coronation Street

13. 20.00 to 20.30 Eastenders

14. 20.30 to 21.00 Evening Prayer and Recitations

15. 21.00 to 21.30 Self study

16. 21.30 Bed and light off

[David Hammond]

You’ve got a spare 30mins there Phil between sign making and lunch… :shake: :praise1: :praise1: :praise1:

[Phill Fenton]

Thanks for the heads up – I have now amended my schedule 😕

[Cheryl Smith]

fousands and fousands…

[Unknown Member]

Great post.

I would say 12 hour days are normal day for me here at 101…

15 hours more realistically

Probably get anywhere between 80-90 a week.

[Iain George]

Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o’clock at night, half an hour before I went to bed, (pause for laughter), eat a lump of cold poison, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad would kill us, and dance about on our graves singing "Hallelujah."

Courtesy of Monty Python.

[Simon Worrall]

quote James Sahota:

Great post.

I would say 12 hour days are normal day for me here at 101…

15 hours more realistically

Probably get anywhere between 80-90 a week.

Is that pounds or dollars James? 😀

[Martin Cole]

quote Iain George:

Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o’clock at night, half an hour before I went to bed, (pause for laughter), eat a lump of cold poison, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad would kill us, and dance about on our graves singing “Hallelujah.”

Courtesy of Monty Python.

Luxury !!

$this->BBvideo_pass(‘$8’, ‘$4’, ‘$7’)

😀

[Tim de Beir]

Up between 6.15/6.30 work 8-13 (lunch) 13.30-19.00, then office work; designing lettering making offers untill midnight.

Friday stopping at 18h (girlfriend) always working on saturday (8-18h)

Sunday wake up and then 8-10 = invoices

[Stephen Morriss]

I stopped doing silly hours a few years ago and just settled into a steady routine so I do a normal working week with some weekends to do the jobs that can’t be done during the week such as trucks.

I think your quality of life suffers if you do too much and you forget how to relax or how to do anything other than work.

Steve

[David Hammond]

We were doing OK and trying our best to stick to office hours. Things got busier and busier, stuff got forgotten, promises broken, rushing jobs.

Even starting an hour early gives me time to do soo much more. I’m quite happy doing a 10hr day, much more relaxed and I get home usually for 5, so can relax before the Mrs gets in!

[Phill Fenton]

quote Stephen Morriss:

I stopped doing silly hours a few years ago and just settled into a steady routine so I do a normal working week with some weekends to do the jobs that can’t be done during the week such as trucks.

I think your quality of life suffers if you do too much and you forget how to relax or how to do anything other than work.

Steve

I couldn’t agree more with what Steve says.

I try and work nine to five – but within that time I try to make my day as productive as possible.

A particular gripe of mine is friends and family that turn up unannounced and expect you to spend the next the next 45 minutes chatting. They assume that because you are self employed you can please yourself and have all the time in the world, whereas in reality you have deadlines to meet just as any employee in a large company has.

I don’t work weekends – but will do if it suits me to do so – or if I’m paid a premium for doing so. I’m fed up with people telling me their vans are too busy to be spared the time during the week to have signs fitted – could I do this at the weekend? (how do they get them serviced , maintained and MOT’d if that’s their attitude!)

Worse still are sales reps that turn up unannounced. I usually try and be polite and speak to them – but anyone that overstays their welcome (5 minutes or so) are not doing themselves any favours!!

I suspect that the problem many have with having to work long hours is a lack of discipline. Get rid of all the chaff and deal with the stuff that makes profit for your business. If you have to work 12 hour days your probably doing something wrong and should be employing others to help out. If you can’t afford to employ someone to ease your workload you’re probably not charging enough for your time.

I work to make a living – I don’t live to work

[Simon Worrall]

Ditto Phill.
Its the reps who drive me nuts, specially the ones who leave you with piles of literature on their way out, leaving me to cart it to the recycling, thus eating further into my time.
There is one rep in particular whose personality is such that you can feel the air being sucked out of the room when he arrives!
That said, I usually manage to keep it to 9am to 6pm, and most weekends too.
Simon.

[Martin Cole]

quote Phill Fenton:

If you have to work 12 hour days your probably doing something wrong and should be employing others to help out. If you can’t afford to employ someone to ease your workload you’re probably not charging enough for your time.

I work to make a living – I don’t live to work

My thoughts entirely Phill, couldn’t agree more. I was going to say what Steve said and he beat me to it.

I start at 8.00 and try to knock off at 5. Occasionally If the work load is very heavy then I put the hours in.
I very rarely work weekends.
I’m an old man now so have settled down to a comfortable routine like Steve. 😉

[David Hammond]

We worked religiously 8-4, had the odd van in early/late but were compensated.

During the busy spells, I’m quite happy to start at 6, just to shift jobs out the way before the phone starts ringing. If we’re doing it for a prolonged length of time, I think we’ll revisit the employee route again.

[Vince Francis]

I used to do 12hrs a day & sat mornings, plus quoting at home. I since realised there is more to life than just work, so I do 8-5 & no weekend work, but do if I really have to get something out. I also limit the amount of overtime my guys work as too much can be counter productive but expensive. I now have a life, after all…..its only a sign. Apart from that, im getting too old for long days 🙂

[Michael Kalisperas]

Well in pretty sure I don’t sleep!! One man business severely disabled son 24 hrs round care and stressed out with couple of jobs but slowly intend to team up with someone and get a healthy 12 hour shift in lol
It’s hard and I get forgetful but I’m proud to say I have 100% happy feedback and customers.

How do you take the plunge to expand is my question. It’s my biggest fear any one want to team up west midland lol no I’m serious 😉

Mike

[Ian Jenkin]

Hi all,
This post made me come back to want to post.
Its quite encouraging seeing everyones enthusiasm for their job and company etc.
I work fairly long hours mon – fri, but never take holiday – other than Christmas and Easter!
You become a victim of our own success i feel, losing site of your family and social side of life!

[Tahsin Niyazi]

Im with you there Ian, need to make more time for family and friends and a social life.

Have not been abroad for few years as i always worry about leaving my business on standstill, but the time is coming now this year where im going to have to bite the bullet…. Or lose the mrs haha. 😛

[Iain Pearson]

This is a great thread, and interesting to see everyones differing working life.
Im all for the early morning starts, as most of you say, you get a lot more done in the wee small hours than you do after the dreaded "9am"
i do work long hours, mostly 15-18 hrs a day, but unless my life depends on it,or its a 30k order, i refuse to work weekends.
I have a loving and very supportive wife, and an 8 yr old daughter, so i make sure the weekends are for them and we can have some fun together.
Its fantastic having an overflowing order book, but you also need a life. – thankfully i have both.
of course, the customer is the priority, as they are the ones that pay the bills, but they also have time off at weekends, so why shouldnt you ??

All in all, most important is getting the balance right IMO

[Tahsin Niyazi]

I totally agree lain.

[David Mitchell]

i went full time with the business beginning of December 2015, so really still settling in hours wise.

Previously it was , 3am – 11am at the bakery then 12 noon til 7pm with the business

now i try and start between 5 am and 7 am. and finish 5pm

the luxury i have is i can do a bit of running around and start and finish when needed within reason, i do not have a shop/unit to run as i work from home office, so its not as if the general public see me open one day not the next etc.

i also put in extra hours if and when required, sat mornings, sun mornings, when the wife and kid are still sleeping, just keeps things ticking over.

Although i agree with phil. people thinking you are self employed they can come and yap away for ages, i park my car round the corner, close the gate and pretend im out if they ring and say they are looking for me.

[David Hammond]

I really need to stop wasting time chatting to customers, and spending my time on the internet!

I’ll put the hours in if it makes my life easier, and I hate customers waiting too long for orders. I actually enjoy working before/after hours when I don’t get any interruptions.