The 16-Hour Day

By Michael H. on March 27, 2012

photo on flickr.com, uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/photos/moriza/67817599/

Over the past two weekends I have found myself working events that have required a 16-hour work day. The first one was bar security, and the second one was a photography gig. I enjoy photography, and hope to eventually become a photojournalist, so I volunteered to work the event.

When you actually think of 16 hours, it wouldn’t appear to be a long period of time. It’s nearly the entirety of your time spent awake for a day, but it’s only for one day. It makes up a very small amount of time even considering the number of hours in a week.

However, let me tell you, there is nothing that you should do for 16 straight hours. Even the most enjoyable activity can become a chore after enough time. I managed to find two activities that were particularly draining. They both required nearly the entire time to be spent on my feet.

I feel the need to point out the difference between working for another person or an organization and “working” for yourself as a hobby. When you are doing something simply because you want to, it’s made easier simply because it is a choice. At any point you know that you could withdraw from the endeavor. Oftentimes, the ability to escape puts people at ease. When you are working, the effort becomes much more realized.

Never before had I considered the possibility of bruising my feet simply from having used them too much.

The first eight hours is never a problem. As it turns out, even menial tasks can be carried out for eight hours without any complaints from the body. Boredom and perhaps minor soreness or restlessness are the most likely symptoms. After the tenth hour, the fatigue begins to set in at an exponential rate. By the 16th hour, you’ll do anything in order to give yourself a necessary break.

In my case, my legs are often the first target. My feet slowly become increasingly sore. At one point, I had to constantly shift feet in order to maintain a small level of comfort. I even contorted my body into strange shapes in the hope that I would be able to stretch some painfully stiff muscle. You may think that after a while you will simply stop caring. That is not the case. It becomes an “itch that you can’t scratch,” and that “itch” only gets radically worse as time goes on.

Therefore, if you can avoid it, I implore you to never, ever agree to work a 16-hour shift at any point in your lifetime.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format