I wish I had a job

make use of my mornings got walk in !

Do small little jobs every day so that you can find a couple of hours to do the most time consuming jobs on your day off.

Yes I have done shift work 1 week 6am-2pm the next week 2pm -6pm the worst one 6pm-6am however the money was very good.it was in UK in the 50's.I earned double the wage my uncle earned & he had a wife & 3 kids to support .I was the only Australian in the whole factory.Any time I had off I visited other counties. Only 2 weeks holiday but then it was over to Europe The factory girls were fabulous We went to Liverpool to the Cavern because a new group were there called "The Beatles"It was a great era & for me "I had the time of my Life"

Every days a Sunday when you retire

I did shift work when much younger. Strange, but all I remember earning a living - nothing about how tired I was.

Did shift work for 41 years and loved it but the toll was high. Almost permanent fatigue, it’s taken 8 years for my blood pressure to finally come down. I’ve got the balance right now, work 0% life 100%…..lol

People that work in shift work placings seem to me that their hours are much longer and Im sure they must be getting fatigued because of it. They must be inclined to go home and feel exhausted from all the extra hours that are being done. It is really sad to see the 40 hours week not the same as when we were employed .

I am a pensioner. There is no balance physical, emotional or mental.

You really need 3 days to catch up.

I believe I know have Narcolypsy because of my previous work /life balance. I had always worked long hours ,but didn't bother me to much. But as I got older,got married had kids I had to juggle,so I worked around the kids,retrained so they could be with me in year round school programs. So at one stage I was a fulltime carer for my grandad* he had mobility issues and profoundly blind and deaf,worked 50hrs per week and had a full time course to update skills. Didn't sleep more than 3hrs at a time. So by the time I had my second child I was,exhausted. I was diagnosed 5years after he was born. My body's way of making me slow down. So I guess what I am saying is you can push yourself,but take note of what your body tells you, there are consequences. I should know,I can't work anymore.

The world has changed, Shift work used to consider the workers, you had 3 shifts day, night, avo, with day off in between, so you could catch up, and after the three shifts you had a week off. Today the powers that be dont seem to are for humanity

Yes. I used to work nights. The best thing for me was trying to arrange my days off in a row. It gives you a chance to catch up. Night shift is really tough on the wellbeing. It throws out your circadian rhythm...

I am retired, so I cannot relate to this issue.

Sorry never worked shift work but it is hard my dad did it

I can imagine, I've never done it myself.

Suffered a lot of this when the girls were little as I worked in a business the ex owned. No longer work these days and hubby used to do shift work and we are just so much happier now we don't have to work. He's retired (renovating our old house so he's still working but for us.) and we make do with what we get, sure times can be tough every now and then especially when unexpected costs come up. Cat going to the vet was our last huge unexpected expense but we will manage like we always do. So what if there is a little dust laying around, life is too short to stress about the little things. If you need sleep or to relax just do it and don't feel guilty about what you need as it is better than being sick trying to do every thing and that could happen if you don't look after your self. Don't forget you are number 1, don't be a shamed of putting your self first once in a while.

No problem for me as retired

I used to do a form of shift work, namely bridge watchkeeping at sea. 4 hours on, eight hours off, occasionally it would be 2 on, eight off, called dogwatches. this break up ensured you never ran for weeks on end doing the same sets of 4 hours. Nevertheless, whenever I stepped ashore for a few weeks, I'd find myself waking up at ungodly hours. After I retired from the sea it still took time to get into an awake in the day asleep at night pattern. Tiredness was another aspect

Work life balance is somewhat like beauty: It’s in the eye of the beholder (or the mind of the worker).

everybody, no matter what there is never enough time to do what you really should or want to let along have the energy

I don't work

We are just working to live. The devises we have stop us from sleeping well. Make your room really dark, find a comfy spot in your bed, take magnesium and NO devices.

I have done shift work. Ensure you must have at least 8 hours sleep after each shift. We loved to have 4 days off. Though the first day off was to catch up sleep. But. the rest of three days off is a beauty. Got my studies and assignment done. Loves it. Most shift work, their type of work involved 24/7. Just remember, you are at night but the other part of the world is the day time. I am happy to help the other side of the world when they needed a helping hand. : ))Edited 20-Jul-23 13:12pm

We are not meant to spend most of our life working, a work life balance in modern society is a load of crap.

What is Work Life Balance?

Why do people moan about their jobs just quit and get another, oh thats right there aren't any because Australia doesn't make, do or create anything except office workers.

I stopped working 25 years ago. I am still bloody tired.

NEVER TELL ANYONE YOU ARE RETIRED

No, Elizabeth, not everyone else feels the same. When it comes to Work Life Balance I find it very easy to find that balance. I think it is because my life is my work and my work is my life. There is no competition between those two, rather a Co-Operation. Anyone else feel the same?

My son is a shift worker and its 2 12 hour day shifts and 2 12 hour shifts. I can't understand why it isn't 4 12 hour shifts 1 week and 4 12 hour shifts the next week. This would make more sense and much easier to adjust to.

What is wrong with actually Working 8 hours a day, at hours which most suit our Employer? We still have 16 hours left, 8 for rest and 8 to do all the other chores. The problem today is that people simply don't want to do the hours but still expect to get paid as if they have.

Me too but sometimes we needed steps back and do something for ourselves

I do remember how great it was when "flex" time was introduced and you could work if you had accumulated "extra hours" for a day off.

Fortunately I was an office worker but we still had times of the year when work was highly challenging.

I have always been a Shift Worker. Yes, I have had to miss the odd party or two but other than that it has never impacted me in any adverse way.

I have a husband that does shift work and it is no fun for him or me for that matter. I am glad he does this as it keeps the family afloat but it is difficult. I want to say thanks for all that do this for their families.

yes

Yes ,I know exactly how you feel.

had a toxic work life and worked non stop. chose to quit and studying now for 18mths. :)

I used to work every bit of overtime I could, but not like some, I keep my lawn and garden tidy and clean.

I have never worked shift work. When I was teaching, it took all weekend to get caught up! Am happily retired now!

I worked nights for nearly 20 years,i haven't worked for about a year and a half still haven't slept a full night still wake up tired, had a friend who did night talkback radio his recipe for beating the chang from night to day was to work his but of through the day eat well at tea time and it took him about 6 months but he is now pretty good

Shift work is so hard on family and social life. The increase in pay for shift work is not enough at the present time. I believe that it should be a 25 to 50 percent increase not the around 5 percent that I have seen in my area. There are many disadvantages to shift work so much so that the pay should be drastically increased. I have so many thoughts about what people lose by working shift work and they are mostly negative. I would be willing to pay more for services that are provided just because I couldn't or wouldn't do the jobs during the times that shift workers work. Bless those that do because I did some shift work when I was younger and would never do it again.

Nothing's perfect. In my life/work there seems to be one or the other is off at times Edited 20-Jul-23 08:57am

Working shifts is always hard. Your body finds it hard to balance to the different hours. Only thing is to see if you can get a permananet shift. Maybe some one who would like to do the same and will swap with you, or get another job.

My life balance was fine until I retired, now I never seem to have enough hours in the day or days in the week. I need at least one more day each week.

Too much and getting busy and difficult interest to relate with

I always try to balance my work and personal life the same way in order for me to not get stressed out from my work and personal life.

I don’t work now, but when I did, I worked way too much. I worked more than I had to, but felt like I needed to work more. I missed out on a lot of family time because I spent more time at work and at home.

I don't work now, but when I did, the older I got, the less I could keep it balanced.

This is a problem for shift workers and it is also a problem for non shift workers when employers make you work 10+ hour days (with less than 8 hours recovery time between shifts) and when they roster you on to work a ridiculous amount of consecutive days in a row.

I make sure I get some me time each day, I do my braintraining word games each day, read at least a chapter of a book, and do some knitting.

i was always lucky in that respect, i never had that problem, now i get up when i want, unless i have an appt, and i no longer wear a watch, i don't care what time it is,, i'm now retired, i watch the fields grow from my porch for a living,, pay sux, hours are great, luv the boss,,, i shoulda retired at 17,,,😇

It is hard. I work from 9:45 am until 7 pm with no breaks nor lunch time.

Work is life.

I was the same when I did night shit it was hard but i got through it

When I worked at my last job for 30 years I was on at 9 hour day shift with no problems at all. I don't think I would have liked night shift though.

I am on a 4 day /10 hr. shift. I have no work life balance until weekend...

It depends on the situation

Shift work is really bad for your health, unless you are on the same shift all the time.

Luckily I have never had to but my wife did a few years back and she had the same problem but she only had to do it for a few months and after that she was very clear of never doing shift work again.

What rubbish. I did shift work for 40 years with no problems. I have been retired for 32 years & my balance is perfect.

Shift work is very challenging on the body and mind, and is not for everyone. I did it as a nurse, and like everything in our lives if we choose this line of work, for whatever reason ie more money, there is sometimes consequences, and we do have to decide if it is worth the toll it can take in our bodies. I think balancing work/life can be challenging no matter what line of work you are in…

Tough balancing. Whatever else take care 9f yourself or you will have a lot less to give

get up with the go down with the sun on the farm

That is why I never liked working shifts.

Shift work is hard to have a good work life balance

Yes all the time but you just have to make a list and paste yourself to do just a few things on your to do list and not try to over work yourself more. Then what happens you don’t have the energy to get anything done now.

My uncle worked third shift (otherwise known as graveyard shift) his whole working life. he said it was rough at times but got paid more

Never did Shift Work - my job (the only job I ever worked) - was a federal civil service job (which involve passing a written test with a very high score) - no overtime and got holidays off (automatic with pay) - and I did not work weekends.

I WORKED EVERY NOW AND THEN A DOUBLE SHIFT BUT FINALLY SAID THAT'S IT, TOO TIRING AND STUCK WITH MY NORMAL SHIFT...

I agree I have so many ideas on what to do on my time off but most never gets done

I've never worked night shifts myself but know several people who have or still do. It is hard on every single one of them. It's hard on the digestive system, and it's hard emotionally, mentally, physically. You never get used to it. It's a little easier on you if you can get a year of night shift so you can adjust to the sleeping hours and stuff, but most places switch back and forth every two weeks. I suggest that you change jobs if at all possible. Just make sure you have another job in place before quitting.

Change your job, simple!

THAT IS SO TRUE I DID SHIFT WORK FOR OVER 25 YEARS.AND THE HARDEST PART IS I MISS NY KIDS GOING UP IT WAS ALL MY WIFE GOOD BLESS HER MIKE

Absolutely!

yep i defenatly agree

I used to do very long hours in the office from 4am to around 5pm and then take work home each night and on the weekends for just a 35 hour a week pay. To keep the job and my kids and home I had to do this being a single mum and never say boo. At times I was so exhausted. My father worked 3 different shift hours. The cross overs were the worst for him. He worked really hard and in the open air come hail or shine and although he has been gone for over 40 years I do hope he knew we appreciated it. We often forget to say thankyou to our parents and sometimes our children and other family members for their support. I am not sure there is ever the right balance.