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One of my siblings, the best educated in our family, had what we'd generally call a good career from university until kids arrived. She then went through a cou

One of my siblings, the best educated in our family, had what we'd generally call a good career from university until kids arrived. She then went through a couple of jobs at the schools and once our parents started getting old she moved to kitchen staff & waiting jobs. Talking it through with her one day, it made great sense. At the end of her shift, once she'd tidied up and set up for the next shift, she would just walk of of the door and there would be no thoughts of work again until she clocked in the next time. When I was programming my mind was always working, even on holidays ideas would pop up and I'd follow them. I am now in a family business which is with us 24 hours a day. There are times I'm envious of her ability to completely switch off.

tonyedgecombe 9y ago
I sometimes ponder whether it would be better to accept an unskilled job or trade and leave the intellectual stuff to your spare time.
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  I ponder that frequently, too. But then I realize that to pull it off, I'd have to somehow move family into the "unskilled job" part of the schedule - so the whole scheme is unworkable.
pythonboi 9y ago
I have the ability to completely switch off after work. I put my 8 hours in and come home. I don't generally have any thoughts about programming when I am home. I switch to "relaxation mode." I guess I adapted after working a stressful job at a gas station with lazy coworkers and bosses. I was also going to college and working at the same time. So I guess I needed to be able to leave work at work and do homework at home. When I come home from work and I do some programming, the next day at work I am generally burnt out and don't do as well as a job if I had spent my time relaxing and resting.
Aaargh20318 9y ago
> There are times I'm envious of her ability to completely switch off. I’m not. For me the hardest part is the switching back on bit. I’d rather not ‘switch off’ if it means having to ‘switch on’ a little while later. I really don’t like weekends, for example. Not that I don’t like having two days off, but the fact that it is only temporary makes it somehow worse than not having it at all. Like you get a little taste of freedom and then it’s taken away. If given the choice I would rather work 7 shorter days than 5 normal days and a 2 day weekend.

tonyedgecombe 9y ago

I sometimes ponder whether it would be better to accept an unskilled job or trade and leave the intellectual stuff to your spare time.

TeMPOraL 9y ago
I ponder that frequently, too. But then I realize that to pull it off, I'd have to somehow move family into the "unskilled job" part of the schedule - so the whole scheme is unworkable.

pythonboi 9y ago

I have the ability to completely switch off after work. I put my 8 hours in and come home. I don't generally have any thoughts about programming when I am home. I switch to "relaxation mode." I guess I adapted after working a stressful job at a gas station with lazy coworkers and bosses. I was also going to college and working at the same time. So I guess I needed to be able to leave work at work and do homework at home. When I come home from work and I do some programming, the next day at work I am generally burnt out and don't do as well as a job if I had spent my time relaxing and resting.

Aaargh20318 9y ago

> There are times I'm envious of her ability to completely switch off. I’m not. For me the hardest part is the switching back on bit. I’d rather not ‘switch off’ if it means having to ‘switch on’ a little while later. I really don’t like weekends, for example. Not that I don’t like having two days off, but the fact that it is only temporary makes it somehow worse than not having it at all. Like you get a little taste of freedom and then it’s taken away. If given the choice I would rather work 7 shorter days than 5 normal days and a 2 day weekend.