Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Sometimes I call in sick because I can`t or don`t want to function.  You know those days where you think "If I go to work today I won`t be able to stop by starbucks for an hour and half and I think I`d really enjoy that.  Besides, if I go to work today someone`s child (or insert witty noun here, ie unruly dog, or jacked up software)might end up in traction(or insert your on witty prepositional phrase here, ie at the bottom of the river, or on the floor in a gajillion pieces) . . . "  Today is only sort of one of those days; my foot really does hurt (inexplicably), but I could prolly ride it out if the mere thought of going in didn`t cause my toenails to curl. 

Don`t get me wrong I love my job, just not today.

I always think that this would never happen if I had the perfect job.  I know that it`s just wishful thinking. 

Am I the only one who does this?  Do incedents decrease when it`s your own business?  Do they increase? (sorry I`m taking a statistics class and the homework questions are starting to take over my psyche. . .)

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Jonathan

Would you like some cheese with your "Whine"?

Starbucks? Gimme a break. Coffee mixtures are just plain awful...They haven`t figured out why the coffee grounds are better salted before its brewed. But it`s a good place to network.

Yes, I have those days. But when the phone rings with a customer placing an order or someone wanting truthful information about oils, it just makes the day worthwhile.

 

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Forging the Awareness of Value and Quality of AMSOIL for People and Business.

Albert Rich, ADR Oil Company, Wholesale Jobber;
Office 321-287-1981
www.ADRoil.com
Email; ALrich@adroil.com

That honestly never happened to me, however, I can see people feeling like that when they work for others and are not motivated.  [I] I force myself [/I] to put an end to my work day, if I don’t I’d stay here until midnight. As a seasoned manager I know that overdoing it is counterproductive, so, I force myself to leave and not think about the business at a predefined time. I can’t imagine opening a business were there is the potential for me feeling that way, if there was, opening that business would be a terrible mistake. 

I actually prefer the white noise of Starbucks over the nothingness of a library.  Libraries make me anxious and nervous for some reason. As far as coffee goes, I don`t touch the stuff, after I quit smoking coffee (I always drank it black) always made me jones for a cigarette, now it just burns my stomach.  I go for the Chai Tea now and only on special occasions.  Like on account of it`s today.

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Jonathan

I guess the old addage is true.  "Do what you love and you`ll never work a day in your life"

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Jonathan

I can`t think of a mental health day I`ve ever taken. Then again, I fought with just about everyone in my family, my past, and much of my adult life about "having lots of potential going to waste." It`s because I`ve always held that my own satisfaction with life and work is a higher value than how much money I make.

Oddly enough, I`ve met a large number of people like me, those who`s report cards dating all the way back to kindergarten say something like, "....if would only apply him/herself..." etc. But the end result is I never needed a mental health day, and would do it all again pretty much the same way if I had a "do-over" life. :-)

When my sister had her own business she allowed her employees so many "mental health days" a year based on how many years they had worked for her firm.  Staff didn`t need to justify simply taking a day off - and the use of sick days dropped.

My partner`s office doesn`t have specified vacation or sick days.  It`s all lumped in to PTO (Personal Time Off) and it is also based on time with the firm.  He`s got over six weeks a year now.  Again, pre-arranged "mental health days" have kept last minute absences way down since PTO was adopted.

For my own business my "office hours" are Monday - Thursday, 8:00 to 5:00.  I give myself the option of working, or doing whatever I damn please, on Friday.  I just have no client/vendor contact on Fridays and usually have a three day weekend.  My actual "mental health" break is my Thursday morning coffee group.  The five of us are all self-employed and have been meeting for breakfast each week for almost five years.  It`s great therapy!

- J.




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Jeff Fisher | Jeff Fisher LogoMotives | Tweet! Tweet!

I truly believe if you live to work you will need mental health days because you will make yourself mental.  However; if you work to live, then your purpose changes and, while not every day is peaches, your need for mental health days will decrease, if not disappear.

Sometimes you are most creative when you decide to do nothing. Sometimes you just need to do one thing to get yourself going.  Requiring mental health days means you are on overload -- so perhaps you need to reassess your goals, your desires, your requires and delegate those things you`d rather not do to someone else even if it means paying for it to be done.

Just a thought . . .

jillybeans