The British work day rocks!
The work week at WBL is perfect for me. I'm really bad at working at one thing for a long time; I'm much better when I have multiple things to work on for shorter periods. First off, everyone gets in at 9:30am, I'm sure this is partly because the museum itself doesn't open until half-past, but still, it's awfully late, especially since I've switched my sleeping schedule to an 'early to bed, early to rise' one. Here's a breakdown of my typical day:
9am-10:30am: Work on crap tasks that everyone has given me. This usually involves messing around with databases and images. I don't mind this work at all, especially since it's a little mindless and can easily be done before one has enough caffeine. (Everyone else in the office gets in at 9:30am.)
10:30am-11am: Coffee break. I thought that only a few people did this until I realized that at about 10:30am, everyone starts peeking above their cubicles and motioning towards the door. Since the WBL is a big place, there's a dedicated staff cafeteria (that serves breakfast and lunch) with an espresso machine.
11am-1pm: Usually I get the manuscript out that I'm working with that day and finish up the 'crap' tasks that everyone has given me.
1pm-1:30 or 1:45pm: Lunch in the cafeteria. Usually I have the soup, but today I branched out and tried the hot meal (cous cous with a vegetable tagine) and it wasn't that bad!
1:45pm-4pm: Work. This is the hardest part of the day for me. Afternoons are always bad. Usually I just want to take a nap. When I'm working on something fun (like a neat manuscript) the afternoon flies by.
4pm-4:30pm: Tea. Seriously. Everyone breaks for tea.
4:30pm-5:30pm: Finish up.
I understand how this schedule could be bad for someone who works well for long stretches of time, but for me, it works perfectly. I find myself much less likely to check email and news sites since I'm usually busy at work. My internal clock responds to this workday much more than it does an 8am-5pm schedule with one break for lunch. I especially like the communal breaks that everyone takes -- it makes the office feel very friendly and laid back, which is not at all what I expected.
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3 comments:
So very very true! Can I link to this in my LJ? It explains so very much. :)
of course!
I think many people would prefer that kind of schedule. If for nothing else than for the office unity - cubicle life would be so different if you didn't feel imprisoned in your little cell for the day.
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