Do you get bored?

[Farmboy]

Coming up on having my business going for 10 years now. We don't offer the world at the shop, we keep it simple and quick. Six and four color screen printing presses, a few heat presses, a few plotters and a 30" Versacamm. For the most part we're busy with very little (if any, knock on wood) down time. We fill a need in our area. Problem is from time to time I get bored with doin the same old same old. Every now and then I get a bug up my butt and consider getting a few diff. color sheets of Sintra and seeing what I can do with it or something along those lines, but then reality settles back in and I have work to do and the feeling passes. Just me, or are there others out there??

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Coming up on having my business going for 10 years now. We don't offer the world at the shop, we keep it simple and quick. Six and four color screen printing presses, a few heat presses, a few plotters and a 30" Versacamm. For the most part we're busy with very little (if any, knock on wood) down time. We fill a need in our area. Problem is from time to time I get bored with doin the same old same old. Every now and then I get a bug up my butt and consider getting a few diff. color sheets of Sintra and seeing what I can do with it or something along those lines, but then reality settles back in and I have work to do and the feeling passes. Just me, or are there others out there??

I can usually find something that keeps it different and interesting in each job, especially if I'm also doing the design work. The one thing that always get's old though is vinyl weeding. I always get bored during that stage of production. I usually have to find a good OTR show and put it in to listen to while I do that otherwise I just dred going into the shop to do that.

 

[Avanti]

oh I agree weeding is soooo boring, I put my mp3 player on and blast the music, makes the time go quicker.

 

[Farmboy]

I don't remember the last time I weeded anything. Employees handle that task. I do the bulk (98%) of the screen printing and 100% of the sea of paperwork.

 

[James Burke]

Problem is from time to time I get bored with doin the same old same old.

Try changing your routine, or even better yet focus on refining your processes to where you can create "systems" for employees to follow. Let them do the menial (but important) work while you fry bigger fish....or go fishing, or golfing, or whatever it is that you like to do.

 

[btropical.com]

Get the bar b que grill out and cook for the employees one day a week , you can get some nice recipes going and watch employee pride go up . Also fun when clients come in a say wow what smell so good . Don't tell employees just do it . Side activity >>>> get some pumpkins and have contest with employees

 

[OneUpTenn]

I agree...music helps A LOT!!! and I get bored as well. I work by myself all day but I make sure to go out for lunch every single day to break up the day and see my husband as well. When I dont take a lunch I feel like my day lasts forever.

Also, Facebook helps me a lot to keep in touch with the real world and also to drum up a little businees here and there.

 

[mark in tx]

Sounds like a reason to close the shop on a friday, and take all your people out for a picnic, or fishing, or museum trip.
Set up and sponsor a local art show for the local school.

Or, craziest idea of all, walk into the shop, tell everybody you are bored and ask what they need help with. Don't let it turn into a bitch session, just grab a broom if nothing else.

 

[Farmboy]

I've been threatening to get a grill and cookout for some time now, I love grilling and plan to build a small shed by the house just so I can cook year round, so maybe a trip to Lowes...right now We did pumpkins last year and haven't done any yet, on a side note I grow a few 100 every year to sell. Used to sell thousands back years ago.

 

[Patrick46]

I too work alone, altho if I get a really big job in, my wife will come down to the shop and weed the vinyl for me. She likes to do that!!!?????

After nearly 30 years in this business, you can bet your boots I get bored sometimes. My wife tells me that it's just my artistic nature...(altho she blames THAT for just about everything!!)

I've got so many different interests and projects, (everything from house remodeling, to building yet another chopper & another hot-rod, not to mention the sculptures I make, and my blackpowder fascination, and my love of camping and traveling, and..........)...that I almost never get bored anymore...actually, quite the opposite. I have so much going on at one time that I get overwhelmed!! (be careful with this...it can drive you nuts!!!)

Like a few others stated earlier...look into branching your business out into new territory. You talk about buying some Sintra and playing with that and seeing what you can turn out?? That sounds like just what you may need!! Who knows...you may find you've got a knack for something you never even considered before!!

Good Luck...and don't forget to have FUN at work!!!

 

[Mosh]

That is why I let my "employees" do the boring work and I do all the fun jobs!

 

[klemgraphics]

I too work alone, altho if I get a really big job in, my wife will come down to the shop and weed the vinyl for me. She likes to do that!!!?????

After nearly 30 years in this business, you can bet your boots I get bored sometimes. My wife tells me that it's just my artistic nature...(altho she blames THAT for just about everything!!)

I've got so many different interests and projects, (everything from house remodeling, to building yet another chopper & another hot-rod, not to mention the sculptures I make, and my blackpowder fascination, and my love of camping and traveling, and..........)...that I almost never get bored anymore...actually, quite the opposite. I have so much going on at one time that I get overwhelmed!! (be careful with this...it can drive you nuts!!!)

Like a few others stated earlier...look into branching your business out into new territory. You talk about buying some Sintra and playing with that and seeing what you can turn out?? That sounds like just what you may need!! Who knows...you may find you've got a knack for something you never even considered before!!

Good Luck...and don't forget to have FUN at work!!!

Sounds like me, too many things going on at once. I don't think I really get bored, but more like burned out, I just have to get away from this shop sometimes but it is very hard to do being a one man show.
Your definitely correct about being overwhelmed, I'm going more nuts by the day.

 

[Gino]

Bored ?? Bored of what ??

There's no time to get bored. If you feel bored, you must be doing something wrong. I can watch the printer flying back and forth printing colored pixels slowly making pictures or words appear before my eyes. I still find that fascinating. I'll check out old signs and try to figure out how to make them better. In 8,000 sq ft I can always find something to be cleaning or put away or just clean out my trucks. In fact, cleaning the one truck out now. Always magazines or literature to catch up on and pricing specials. Walk around the outside of the property and deadhead some flowers or plant some new ones. Organize or make some sense out of shelves or tool areas. Log onto s101 and make a jerk out of myself.

Just leave and go visit another sign shop and talk shop or lie as to how well you're doing. Go to Home Depot and buy a new tool and put it together. I just bought a fireplace for out in the patio at home this past weekend. Now that's fun at night. Sitting on the swing, talking with the Goddess..... drinking my favorite beverage and just staring at the flames.

You just need to take a deep breath and remind yourself if you weren't bored, that would probably mean you don't have any work, thus allowing you 'daydreaming' time. Give thanks and get back to work.

 

[Sticky Signs]

Time to reach for the whiskey bottle in the desk. Getting drunk at work is sure to end the boredom.

 

[Blazingsun]

Bored.. I don't have time to be bored, To many projects going on..

 

[Red Ball]

Bored - explain that concept please!

I can relate to burn out, but a couple of days fishing and target shooting cures that quick!

 

[Farmboy]

Bored with doing the same things. Wouldn't mind trying my hand at 4 color process printing or maybe even some dimensional signs...just don't have the time because we are so busy, which is good. So maybe it's not so much boredom as it is burnout.

 

[SignManiac]

I'm bored, but I'm just practicing. I eventually will be dead and gone and I'm sure there won't be jack all to do then...

 

[Farmboy]

Mostly just rot and feed your pet worms