It seemed like a good idea at the time ....
By GreenMoo
@GreenMoo (11833)
May 15, 2012 10:27am CST
As some of you may know from my previous discussion, we've been struggling with the heat recently. Our volunteers, who help us on the farm, are unused to it and cannot work in the heat of the day. In order to solve this problem, we've recently moved our working hours forward so that we now start at 6am instead of 8am. Obviously our knocking off time and lunch time have moved forward too, but our volunteers have the afternoons to do their own thing so dinner has remained at the same time.
It's been working wonderfully, and lots got achieved this morning before it got hot. Great idea? Maybe!
What I've just come to realise is that although everyone else is working the same total hours as before, all I've managed to achieve is to extend my working day by 2 hours! I now have to get up at 5am in order to have breakfast ready, and I still don't get to sit down and have my own dinner until everyone else is fed at the original time in the evening.
So what seemed like a great idea is perhaps not so great for me.
Have you ever had a good idea which has turned out not do good later on?
2 people like this
6 responses
@GardenGerty (169439)
• United States
16 May 12
That is the secret all the way around. Ask a person who cannot say no. I trust that when you go back to winter hours, you will think twice about doing the time change for your crew again. They may have to learn to adapt to the heat as you have, you could perhaps warn them in advance to start conditioning themselves.
@cotruelove (1016)
• Denver, Colorado
16 May 12
Perhaps you need to take a two hour break in the afternoon? You were doing the work at a certain time before, why not do it that way now? Sit down, have a cup of tea or whatever, and relax for a couple hours, then go back to doing what you have always done. Basically, that is what the crew is doing, why not you? Of course, if you are like me, you just don't sit once you're up and moving. It seems like I always find something to fill more hours than required to do the job. Hope you find a way to not stress out over it and get a few hours to yourself. Thanks for the discussion.
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
16 May 12
It's a sensible suggestion, but I can't sit down when there's something still pending. If I know that dinner still needs cooking for instance, or the animals need their evening routine, then I am distracted by thoughts of what I can do to prepare for that. I guess I'm just that sort of person, but I dearly would like to learn to let it all flow over me!
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
15 May 12
I've done that! Not the same thing, but for awhile, I had a lot of good ideas about some projects we were working on, so I told my boss about it. He thought they were good, too, so he said, "Do it!" And there I was, with my hands full and trying to juggle two new ideas at the same time. Any more I stop and think for awhile before volunteering ideas! 
I used to help cook for the hay crew and I know how time consuming that in itself can be. Your workers are only during the growing season, aren't they? You could console yourself with thoughts of long, easy winter evenings...
I used to help cook for the hay crew and I know how time consuming that in itself can be. Your workers are only during the growing season, aren't they? You could console yourself with thoughts of long, easy winter evenings... 1 person likes this
@bounce58 (17380)
• Canada
28 May 12
I work for a company now which I left in 2006. I worked elsewhere for 5 years, and then came back here last year. This workplace is just a couple of minutes drive from home.
I really thought it was a good idea to come back and work closer to home. Unfortunately, since coming back, I've been given more responsibilities (along with the more money, of course). Now, anything that happens after office hours falls on my lap because I'm the closest to the office.
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
29 May 12
How do they reach you? Do you get paid extra to be on call? Because if not, I would be tempted to allow my family to answer the phone in the evenings and say you're out and uncontactable. Once it has happened a couple of times you could suggest an 'on call' rota.
@inertia4 (27978)
• United States
16 May 12
I know the feeling about thinking we had a great idea but it turned out not to be so good. But here might be a fix for you. Since you have an extra 2 hours more work, why not get everyone off in the morning, then take a nap for a few hours. This way you catch up to everything and maybe you won't feel so worn out. Just an idea.
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
18 May 12
It's a good idea, but sadly I've found that I need to be around whilst people are working. Mainly just to deal with questions and queries and making sure that people are doing things correctly, but also because some people just don't work as well as they could when they know I'm not watching.
1 person likes this
@inertia4 (27978)
• United States
21 May 12
Then maybe you just need to go to sleep a few hours earlier. I know it is hard to do sometimes, but you do need the energy to stay awake to handle everything. You cannot go on like this, at some point you will start to shut down. I have been there myself. Its something you cannot help, the body just shuts down and needs rest no matter what.
