I work about 45 to 50 hours a week, Monday- Friday, No weekends (but maybe 3 Saturdays a year)
How about you?
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Well, I'm at the studio about 60 hours a week. You would have to define "work" for me to come up with an accurate answer. Does the time spent here typing constitute work?
Actually, when looking back over records I find that only about 50% of my time is engaged in any type of productive labor. The rest is spent on the phone, going here and there, and looking up stuff on the internet. It's part of the business, but not what I would call work. Most is necessary and the rest is fun.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Like Ray my first thought is how do you define work. I easily spend 60 or more hours per week out in the shop. But the line between work and play is blurred. If its a nice day I'll take a break and ride the John Deere mower around the yard, or walk down and get the mail.
It only 'feels' like work when I'm under a deadline and the project at hand HAS to be done.
Having employees keeps my hours more regular, but its not unusual for me to continue long after they are gone... FOR THE FUN OF IT!
In reality I 'RETIRED' from normal work about 28 years ago... the last time I 'worked' for someone else.
What I do now beats working for a living any day!
-grampa dan
Posted by Michael Latham (Member # 4477) on :
to work or not to work, that is the question. I'm here 60+ hrs a week, most saturdays and 1/2 sundays because of the other business I have here. Actual work is closer to 30, rest like dan and raymond said, just piddling around enjoying the shop and toys. (of course I don't think many shops have toys like Dan's)
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Really depends what you consider work..
Productive time only?
Handling sales calls and getting supplies too?
Paperwork and accounting on top of that?
Does the time that I'm out at the beach, yet mulling over work related ideas in the back of my head count as work too?
Or how about the time that I spend with hobbies, which might ultimately end up incorporated into a business somehow regardless of how much I try to avoid it - does that count as work?
If all that stuff does count as work, well I'd say I'm working every waking minute although I may not recognize it as work! Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Some weeks = none, other weeks a full 40 ....there are advantages to being semi-retired!
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
10 to 40 average - occasionally, up to 70.
That's sign biz hours tho' - (depending on jobs going on/weather etc. Often work 12 hour days in summer)
I would like clarification on housekeeping, washing, cooking and lawn & vehicle care, kid time. Does this count as criteria for your work hours?? If so, it would simply be easier to give you the number of hours I sleep: 30-35 hours week.
Who has a wife/husband/employee/etc., who does most or all these non-sign things to help you??
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
Lately, too many and not enough. Posted by John Smith (Member # 1308) on :
SIX (6) hey... I'm trying to RETIRE !! Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
counting all the billing & letterville breaks within the work day I'm well into the 60+ catagory for sure, probably averaging closer to 70 hrs a wk. at the shop, but I have to agree with Dan, I haven't "worked" the way that word used to feel since my last employment 10 years ago.
Posted by Tony McDonald (Member # 1158) on :
Up until about a year ago....I worked 50 to 70 hours a week at my day job and another 20 or 30 at my shop at home.
Now that I'm on my own it is really hard to say. Seems like a lot of time spent on the job is behind the scenes with bookwork, on the phone, cleaning up, bank, post office, etc...which is okay. I've picked up more work doing these tasks, and it's all a necessary part of doing business. I do spend more time checking this board, but I consider it as a learning tool.
I'm not spread nearly as thin as I used to be, but I would say usually 40 to 50 hours, but sometimes 10 or 15 when it's slow. As long as the bills get paid and we're happy....that's the main thing.
I am always telling my wife that I don't get paid till the job is done. I try to do what it takes as quickly as possible to get to that point, so I can move on to another job.
Posted by Duncan Wilkie (Member # 132) on :
I'm like si...semi-retired, except I still work 40 hours a week. Compared to before when I worked 60 or more hours a week, this is semi-retired. Plus I had 6 weeks vacation last year...Whoooooo!!!!! It took 30 years in the sign business, but I'm finally working like a "normal" person. Gonna phase out slowly, but never completely. I'm 51 and in good health, so why push it.
Posted by Bill Preston (Member # 1314) on :
Doing what?
Oh, that.
A few here and there-----semi-retired you see. One of the few "perks" of advancing years---and trust me, there aint many of those.
bill preston
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
I'm not quite as old as Bill and Si....and not as young as Duncan.
So I work somewhere in between them...Probably an average of 20 hrs/week.... But when I am working, I am working hard!
Any work is hard work at age 60!!!!! Posted by Frank Magoo (Member # 3950) on :
My formula, one I aquired from Chester Cunningham, is that for every hour billed, you've worked two. Work in my world is defined as any action related directly or indirectly to making a living, is work, period. Be it time running errands,(errand boys consider it a job); figuring out an estimate,(estimating is a job too); cleaning out the shop,(do we even have to go here?); my point is; it's all related to the final line and that is making money to have time and things to play with.
Worktimes in shops went on the average; 12-14 hours a day, Mon-Fri.; Sat till noon, unless out of town doing shows.(which pretty well take up entire weekend, time wise). We used to schedule alot of work-trucks on weekends too, so rules about weekends were not cast in concrete.
Nowdays, semi-retired, I still knock out 10/12 hour days. But!! remember, I consider almost all actions "work". Posted by John Lennig (Member # 2455) on :
"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both..."
-Mike Neuman
I ran across this quote a few years ago, and have made panels 3 times, one to my youngest son, another to my nephew....the third one is recently, almost finished.
not always happening, but mostly...
John
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
y goal is to work half days... you know, twelve hours... Posted by Jason Davie (Member # 2172) on :
I only work about 60-65 hours a week but quite a bit of it isn't what most would call work but never the less its time spent
Jason D
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
Like Dave, around 20. My poor shop, it needs me sooooo much more. But my son yells louder for attention.
(I use to work around 70 once upon a time when I only had me to think about)
Posted by Rovelle W. Gratz (Member # 4404) on :
Being retired from 2 careers and being a Sign Painter since '62...I'm almost retired again.
I don't work much anymore.
Posted by Ricky Jackson (Member # 5082) on :
40
Posted by Denis E. Renaud (Member # 4610) on :
Whatever is needed to satisfy my creative side and my financial side!
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