Labor Day
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In the US today it's Labor Day, which means most of my audience isn't reading this today. And if you are, stop and go enjoy the closing day of summer! I know after I get tomorrow's editorial done, I'm off to relax with some friends and have our Fantasy Football draft for the ex-JD Edwards crew. I'm the defending champ (by sheer luck), so the pressure is on.
We're all laborers in some sense, though as DBAs our labor isn't usually physically taxing. Carrying a venti cup of coffee or ten reps of pressing the elevator call button hardly qualify as strenuous activity. I've noticed over the years that the geeks are less and less people living in a basement playing on computers and more and more I see people with other active hobbies, which is good. Here in Colorado I try to run, life weights, play baseball, and practice karate, which help as I'm turning 40 here shortly.
However today is a day that should be regarded as a day of rest in the US. Hopefully there are similar holidays abroad and you should try and take advantage of them when they come around. Our work can be hard, stressful, and nerve wracking. There can be a lot of pressure to get work done and incredible pressure when things don't work. And when you have angry clients or customers near your desk, you may have second thoughts about your chosen line of work.
I've enjoyed being a DBA for many years and dealt with the pressure in good and bad ways. However I have (hopefully) learned that it pays to take advantage of the time off when it comes. I've seen too many people work too many hours without a break, even over weeks. Over any period of a few weeks it doesn't seem like much, but after months or years, it takes a toll.
So take your vacation, every bit of it every year. And enjoy that time off when it comes, even if you have nothing planned, get away from the wired world. And take care of yourself. Walk when you can, bike, run, play sports with your kids, heck, you're welcome to come out to the ranch and work a manure rake any day. 🙂
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Just read the CNN money report, American workers stay longer at the office, at the factory, or on the farm than their counterparts in Europe and most other rich nations, and they produce more per person over the year. I think the reason is the highly competitive in the country. Nowadays one person may have to do two people work. The company wants to save money but still has the same production result. A lot of people are afraid of layoff and outsourcing. Most people don't even dare to take long vacation. In the long run, people may get burnt out.
In my company, people are afraid of losing their job but constantly complaining their job load. The morale is low.
So if you enjoy your work, then that is good. I dare to say a lot of people out there are not happy with their company or their work.
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Good Advice Steve, Taking a break also diverts the mind to other tasks while the subconsious works on the issues that may be plaguing you at the time. There have been many a project where the solution to a problem is apparent only after a bath or a ponder in the the smallest room in the house. I vividly remember writing a two line solution on the toilet tissue during one of these visits. I know there is a joke awaiting there !!
Take your breaks, thats why they are part of the employment contract.
CodeOn
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LOL
Good to see I'm not the only one who gets random inspiration while in the bathroom or in other unsuspecting spots!
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When I was in Maine a couple of weeks ago on vacation and wandering on the beach I figured out a solution for a problem that's been plaguing me for a few months (well, minorly inconveniencing me) regarding getting my DBCCs mailed to me for one particular server. Conveniently I had my digital voice recorder in its nigh-permanent location hanging on my shirt collar and made note of my thought.
Inspiration can strike absolutely anywhere, no doubt about it!
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[font="Arial"]Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it. --Samuel Johnson[/font] -
That's odd. I heard on NPR last week, or possibly the week before, that US workers were actually working shorter hours than many other countries around the world. Unfortunately I don't remember the source that they cited, but they said Americans were more likely to leave the office after eight hours.
But I fully agree. People really need to take vacations. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, no one on their death bed said they should have worked more hours. Of course, she's now working two jobs and looking for a third.
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[font="Arial"]Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it. --Samuel Johnson[/font] -
I always wondered where people from Phoenix went for vacations. A Steven King pilgrimage, perhaps?
I think the US still tends to overwork as a culture, but we're getting better about the work/life balance. Between Gen X and baby-boomer successes, more people are cutting ties after 8 hours. Course this is likely an ebb/flow cycle that's ebbing now. We still don't have those month long vacations, but maybe one day.
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bah humbug.
I came in and installed updates on Monday that I had been putting off while waiting for some down time.
Took a whole hour to complete.
Good thing I took Friday afternoon off to make up for it!
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