The Work Day Office Hours A while back, Tripod wondered aloud what you people do all day. In particular, what's your work day like? We were curious — is it a mad dash from 9 to 5, eating lunch on the fly while keeping a half-step ahead of the boss? Do you race from one job to the next, frantically swapping your uniform and name tag in the car? Or are you one of the lucky ones, the people who set their own hours and salary, the ones who get paid to do stuff like nap? Frankly, we were hoping to hear a lot of stories from Category C: Dozing for Dollars, 'cause we care about you folks and we want you to be happy (not to mention well-rested). Unfortunately, life's not all peaches and herbs, we know that. And as expected, here in the real world, things tend to be a bit more, shall we say, hectic? Take, for example, these typical member responses to our survey:

dirtgirl: I NEVER watch the clock. If anything, I might look up from my work and realize it's 9:30 p.m. and I really need to get out of there so I can get to sleep and be up early to do it all over again. I usually show up at least for a few hours on the weekend. When I get home at night, I dial in with the laptop and respond to e-mail while I eat dinner.

EvaR: I have so much work that my typical day starts in the office at about 6:00 a.m. and I don't get to leave my desk until after 7:30 p.m.

manne: I have rarely been able to sort out all of the things that in the morning I had planned to be rid of at the end of the day.

You know the feeling? Just as you sit down in front of the 'puter to really get down to business, the phone rings. Or an e-mail drops in. Or you have to attend a meeting to give your view on some certain aspect of a project... In my opinion, at least a third of your average day goes to what I like to call "unplanned activities."

Manne, yes: I know the feeling. It's why To Do lists can be so depressing; they're always so much longer than the Already Did lists. But if you think you spend your day putting out fires, count your blessings. You could be in Tripod member mind's shoes:

I spend most of my work day looking over my shoulder; trying to get people to be quiet, listen and do what they don't want to do; repeating directions over and over; and controlling groups and individuals. I must have almost every minute planned for with no idle time and be available before and after "hours" to offer support and make phone calls (the only time I can make calls), as well as organize and even buy (from my own pocket) the materials I need.

The law entitles me to a 45-minute duty-free lunch break, which almost never happens. I often can't even find time to go to the bathroom. It's almost impossible to not bring the work home with me and end up spending some of most weekends at work at home.

Sounds like a horror story, doesn't it? It is, from what I've heard — mind's a junior high teacher. But teachers aren't the only people who spend their days dealing with the unruly, unhappy, and often unfriendly masses. How about the good folks in tech support?

wicce: As a computer tech doing phone support, there are rush times when there are network-wide problems and when the end-users have to submit their time electronically, but since the company hired some new people, I can wait for a call for half an hour or so while I surf the Net! Not being so rushed to get through calls is nice, but being just a little busier wouldn't be bad, either.

KMorrison: I am part of the tech support team for a local ISP. I love the fact that I do not have to put a customer on hold to take another call... then who really gets the quality help they need? If we are all on other calls, the call gets routed to voice mail, which we check as soon as we're free. I personally will not go home at the end of the day until all voice mail has been responded to; I couldn't leave with loose ends.

Wow, KMorrison (can I call you K?), you sound like a dream of a tech support person. I wish everyone in your field were as conscientious and as friendly as you; I'd probably just stay home and chat with you people all day! Course, if I did that, I'd have to get some sort of work-at-home deal going. You know, something cushy, like a little start-up business in my spare bedroom. Something like these people have, perhaps:

vorfeld: Like many other home-based business owners, my hours are long, but there are times I can take a few hours off to attend to family matters or run errands that are business-related. I have a pager and cell phone to stay in touch with clients and prospective clients.

TheWriter: Because I work for myself, with an office in my home, many people think this is the life of Riley. That I can work when "I feel like it." Ha! My typical day runs from 6 a.m. to midnight. From making calls and e-mail around the world to editing manuscripts into the wee hours of the morning, my life is just one bloody adventure after another. The best part is that I can pick up the kids after school and sit down to a family dinner without the work load suffering. The worst part is that I never leave work! If you are considering starting a business in your home, make sure you have a door you can close "after hours"!

Hm. Ok, so maybe I had the wrong idea about life in the home office. Clearly, working at home demands as much time and effort as working "normal" hours. But wait — in this day of telecommuting and temping, with hour-long commutes becoming more and more common, what exactly are a "normal" work hours?

Singen: Well, I believe that there is no such thing as working hours. I mean if you want to make it big, there only one way and that is through hard work. You cannot complain about long hours or over time. For me, the entrepreneurial spirit makes me work for 16-hour days when required. As the cliché goes, there is no gain without pain.

Well said, Singen. But now you've got me feeling guilty for sitting around on my duff, philosophizing with you folks. Better get going — I've got worlds to conquer!

Thanks for the chat!

— Dan Reines, editorial assistant