Workdays on Holiday Weeks are 2.5 Hours Longer
It’s a Scientific Fact
I made that up, but doesn’t it feel that way? With a holiday, you get a nice day off at the beginning or end of the week. But you know you’ll be punished on the remaining workdays. Not only has your workload multiplied while you were away, but the days seem interminably long. It takes 6 hours just to get to lunch!
There must also be a universal equation: holiday + boss’s bad mood = new projects he makes up out of thin air. It makes no sense that in a 4-day week you would actually have the time to complete tasks that it normally takes you 5+ days to accomplish. So throw in a new project and you’re doomed. Cancel happy hour or dinner out. You’re there for the duration. It’s a trade off - you get a day off, but the work awaits.
My hubby runs into a different scenario. He works 4-10 hour days. But on holiday weeks he works 4 regular 8-hour days. Since he usually starts his 10 hours early, he looks forward to going in late or getting off earlier. Unfortunately, there are usually meetings scheduled later in the day, so he loses out.
It makes me think of a couple other situations where time crawls:
* Baby or wedding showers - Most men blessedly can dodge this bullet (however unfair that may seem). But I’ve never understood the appeal of playing games that involve cotton balls, ribbons or spelling words from w-e-d-d-i-n-g. There usually isn’t any (or enough) alcohol and you have to pretend to be excited while someone opens 300 gifts.
* Dinner with new couples - You’re friends with her, but have never met each other’s spouses. If you don’t hit it off with them, the night will never end. How many times can you say, “How ‘bout those Colts, do you think they’ll go to the Super Bowl?”
How’s your week going?
This is a post by Nancy LaFever. You can read more from her at the Centre for Emotional Wellbeing blog.
Work Humor
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