I’m not off today, unfortunately. And I wasn’t off on Friday, either. But Toney and I had this conversation over the weekend and agreed for once. Having a Monday off is better than having a Friday off. What do you think?
My reasoning: Fridays are the best day of the workweek because people are powering-down and going into weekend mode. There’s hope and the looming prospect of rest and relaxation, and adventures that generally don’t come to fruition. But it’s like opening day of the baseball season, anything is possible.
And Mondays are the worst day of the workweek, right? I mean, can that even be argued? So, it’s only logical to avoid the shittiest of all days and work on the least painful. And I can’t put my finger on why, but a Monday off feels like a true three-day weekend. But a Friday off doesn’t have the same emotional impact.
What are your thoughts on this important matter? Please tell us about it in the comments.
Of course, the population now works 24 hours a day on bizarre schedules. Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, is quite rare, I think. Just go to a Walmart or a grocery store on a Tuesday at 2:30 or whatever, and you’ll see evidence of it. I’m always shouting, “Doesn’t anybody work anymore?!” Of course, the answer is yes, they just work wacked-out hours.
And that’s the second part o’ the question: what schedule do you work? I’m Monday through Friday, but the official hours are from 2 pm to 10:30 pm. So, there you go. What’s your current schedule?
Most difficult schedule I’ve ever worked? Overnights with no set quitting time. That was at a Food Lion store in Greensboro. We started at 11 pm (I think) and finished when the work was done. That’s no good… Often we’d work 12 hours. It was exhausting. I was tired all the time, without exception. I dreamt about being tired while I slept. It sucked a big bent one.
So, I guess we now have three questions:
- Which is a better day off? Monday or Friday?
- What’s your current work schedule?
- What was the worst schedule you ever worked and why?
My Kansas City trip was canceled at the last minute. Do I look upset? I’m not upset. It would’ve been fine and might’ve generated some stories, but I’d prefer not to do it, thank you very much. We are, however, going to Cleveland next week. It’ll be a quickie guerilla strike, in and out. Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and some other odds and ends… Should be fun, I hope. Oddly enough, Toney and I will be returning to Ohio in August to see a Reds game, and also attend a big tennis tournament out that way. We’re staying at a hotel that is shockingly expensive (to my cheap bastard ass, anyway), next to the baseball stadium. I mean… what the hell? What is this, Manhattan? We’ll also be visiting the Reds Hall of Fame, and plan to take the stadium tour, where they lead you into the bowels of the place, including the press box! I’m excited. I’ve never done anything like that before.
But that’s all the confirmed travel on the books for us. We need to fit another guerilla strike in there somewhere. May to August is too big of a dry spell. Ya know? Maybe we’ll hop on one those cheap Allegiant flights out of Allentown, and go back to Myrtle Beach for three days or something? We kinda blew it the first time, and need some Myrtle Beach redemption. We’ll see.
I posted a new podcast episode at midnight. I hesitate to make any grand proclamations, but I think it might be one of the best episodes yet. Funniest, anyway. That’s just my opinion. If you’d like to listen to it, click here. Or just snag it wherever you get podcasts. Here’s the summary:
In this one, I close out the category and share some more classic stories from my vast work history. You’ll hear about a co-worker who always looked like a million bucks until she got to the parking lot, the memorable character who objected to a new mandatory necktie rule, the guy who thought his car was stolen and was later caught “relaxing” at work, and an extremely memorable cookout with one of my old bosses. I also react to the first two messages left on our exciting new podcast hotline. It’s a fun episode. Thanks for listening!
Once again, I’d like to remind you guys about the new podcast hotline. You can call it and leave a message (a question, a comment, or a suggestion) and I might include it in a future episode, along with my reaction to it. The first two messages are in Episode 9, linked above. It’s fun! Call it today, if you’re so inclined.
And speaking of calls, I’m calling it a day here. I’m starving. Good Lord. Did I even have dinner last night…? Yes, a giant plate of spaghetti and two bowls of salad. WTF? It takes a lot of fuel to keep all this going, I guess. I hope you guys have a great week. I’ll be back on Thursday or Friday.
See ya then!
Now playing in the bunker
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I’d say Monday also.
I use to work a Tuesday through Saturday schedule.
Speaking of the podcast – I know someone who often misplaces things at work and then thinks people have taken the items.
I have this upcoming Friday off, which makes me look forward to this week. Maybe even try to be more productive in four days than what’d I’d do in five because it energizes me. Not saying it’s better, just an upside to a Friday off.
F-S-S-M off is awesome though. You get the short week from both ends; it’s like you’re working in Europe. Those bastards… Tough to go back on that Tuesday though.
I’m 8:30-4:30 right now, but in an event-driven (college sports) business that is a lot of weeknights/weekends during the academic year. Try not to go over 50hrs August through April by doing the flex time thing.
Currently working the “disasternoons” shift at work. Tuesday-Saturday 3p-11p with overtime available until 3a if I want it, and the option to come in at 11a if I so choose. I usually choose not to. The weirdest schedule for me was 7p-4a Tuesday, Wednesday, off Thursday and then back to work Friday and Saturday. You never knew what day it was.
Self employed so I set my own hours, which sounds great, but means I sometimes feel like I should be working and earning rather than sitting on the sofa watching a film or whatever. A 9 to 5 (and don’t bug me outside those hours) job sounds appealing but I think those are all gone, at least ones with a decent salary, I guess burger flippers just go home and remain unbugged until they clock in again.
Steptoe and Son?
They made a film of that? Why?! (I’m the wrong generation, I’ve seen a couple of episodes and meh).
Currently work M-F 8:30-4:30. Government job. Worst schedule was after I left the USAF and went to work for a contractor, in USAF Intel. The USAF crews had to have one civilian with my clearance per shift. We worked 7am-3pm for 7 days with 1 off, 3pm-11pm for 7 days with 1 off and then 11pm-7am for 7 days with 5 off. It totally sucked and you never felt like you really slept until the 5 days off and as soon as you felt normal again, it started over.
Monday is much better to take off. It’s a more relaxing day. The problem with Friday is that you may make your day too busy getting things done for your weekend.
Monday is the better day off; I like that there’s no traffic anywhere. When I get a Friday off, I feel like it’s weekend-lite, most people take Fridays off or get off early and congestion starts. I am currently working on a project where I set my own hours, so I’m one of those weirdos that’s at the grocery store at 10AM on a Tuesday. Worst hours, honestly, were a 9-5 in a big city. Tons of traffic, and having to be on the same schedule as most everyone else. Then having to go to bed early so I’m not miserable at work the next day.
Friday is a much better day off. You never really get Monday off—-you just postpone it.
Good point!
I agree. Taking Friday off makes both Thursday and Friday good days. Friday for the actual day off and Thursday for the anticipation. A day off on Monday makes Tuesday suck ass twice as much because you just know more shit piles up on a Monday than on a Friday. I’ll take my Fridays.
I’m in academia in a pretty high position so I pretty much make my own schedule unless the President of the University needs his balls polished. I still work 12 hour days and travel way too much, but I decide which 12 hours and most often where to go.
Worst schedule ever was in college when I worked in the fats/oils refinery business that served McDonald’s. 9 am to noon it was classes, a quick lunch and homework until 3 pm, then second shift doing fats & oils from 3:30 to midnight. Lather, rinse, repeat M-F for a whole summer.
Dupont rotating schedule for me for two more years. Fri-Mon nights 5-5, off Tue-Thur. Fri-Sun Days 5-5, off Mon and back in Tue-Thur nights 5-5, off Fri-Sun. Mon-Thur days 5-5, off Fri-Sun. Mon-Thur days any 8 hours you wish then off until a week later on Fri night to start it all over. Most take vacation on the 8 hour week, use only 4 days of vacation to get 2 weeks off. With as long as I’ve been there I start taking vacation and personal days in April and work the schedule so I have 3 weeks on then two weeks off the rest of the year.
I love the schedule as does the wife, we get time together and time apart. Makes for a easy marriage. Having weekdays off every week to do things without the crowd is a big advantage.
Jeff, if you are staying at the AC hotel at The Banks, check out the rooftop bar. Great views and some real high-falutin people.
Mondays off…I used to have Monday off.
Current schedule is 7 days a week, 4am to 3pm.
This is the worst schedule I have ever had.
When I’m in downtown Cincinnati (which I am frequently now that I’ve got two or three projects going on there) I stay at the Hyatt Regency or the Westin. Both are walking distance to the stadium and both are on the parade route. I found myself there on opening day, during the parade pandemonium, with a free ticket from my attorney this year. I’ll be up there again next week… try breakfast/brunch at Maplewood. It’s a good way to start a boozy day.
Today I left for work at 6:30 am and got home at 10:00 pm. But there really isn’t any schedule as such. It’s all driven by project requirements.
I found the TV station’s schedule oddly relaxing. We’d have two consecutive days for a “weekend” every week, but it might be Wednesday-Thursday or something. Every five weeks the rotation would come around so you had a Sat-Sun weekend followed by a Mon-Tue weekend, so four consecutive days off.
And yes, I’d prefer a Monday off over a Friday. Actually I’d prefer to have both, but that’s unlikely.
Here in NL most shops etc are closed on Monday as they were open on Saturday (so T-S for most small businesses, chains tend to open 7 days).
So, Friday is the better day to take if you want to ‘achieve anything’ on your day off, but if you’re gonna just crash then either is good, as long as you get a 3 day break.
Luckily with my work you can leave after 3 on a Friday as they expect many wil travel home to other countries at the weekend.
Northern Louisiana?
I don’t like Mondays. Also, who am I going to tap for a loan now that we’ve found he owes his soul to the Company Store to the tune of a billion or so? jtb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODKZGBrAtxY
Likely Netherlands where there are more dykes than Louisiana.
But, to be fair, fewer brothels. In any case, both joints have more places for an inquisitive young man to stick his finger, unlike Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) where it’s just too cold.
Damn, I’m not fond of working to an empty house. Before Grandpa Jack came here from North Lanarkshire Scotland (NL) he was broke but worked to packed houses. He was a brick mason, although at the time he was, like The Great White Whosis, just an Apprentice.
John
Not sure about the left coast but around here sticking your finger in Labradors and Newfies is frowned upon.
In the North American West, it’s considered inappropriate to stick one’s finger in a Manitoban or Albertan as well, and I think the admonition should be extended to all Canadians. The only time I stuck my finger in a Saskatchewanian was a little bit south of Saskatoon, and she had made the request, although I went a little farther south than I had intended to.
John
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaSKD1Bd11M
Sorry, Netherlands, or Holland as was 🙂
Turns out Holland is part of the Netherlands, a bit like calling the US California for 200 years, then saying “How very dare you! we’re the US, not Holland!”
Rob, it’s a great relief to have you settle this matter, because that British gentleman was kicking my ass up and down the street like it was one of those round footballs the Brits are so fond of. Americans are a little ethnocentric: most of what we know of the Netherlands is Hans Brinker and the oddity of having two names, both of which turn out to be fiction.
best wishes,
John
Monday, hands down. When I have a Monday off I can literally feel my whole attitude do a 180 degree adjustment on Sunday evening. STarted in school and continues to this day.
Joey Cora played for the Seattle Mariners from 1995-1998, was an All-Star in 1997, and had one of the most famous hits in Mariner history, a bunt single with a dive to first base to avoid a tag in the bottom of 11th inning of the deciding Game 5 in the 1995 ALDS. He was one of the best liked players on a very likable team, especially among the ladies, several of whom proposed marriage via sign nearly every home game. Joey was a class act every day of his Mariner career — a high integrity guy. Nice to see it runs in the family.
John
I prefer Mondays off. If I want to go anywhere there’s less chance of a crowd versus Friday.
I work 3 days a week, 7am-7pm and love it !!
I work the traditional day shift, 7:00 to 3:30. I’ve been at this job for 41 years, so I have a figurative butt-load of vacation time and I use it all summer long for 3-day weekends. l live in NJ so I take Fridays off due to the usual condition of the Garden State Parking Lot on Fridays. So I avoid that, get all my yard work/chores done on Friday and have a legitimate 2-day weekend to spend with the wife. Yeah, Monday still sucks, but knowing it’s only a 4-day week makes it oh so much easier.