neck ache and stress

[jennywren]

In a way Christmas is like hard work, I seem to always be on the PC for hours doing artwork for mugs etc, getting stressed as its seems to go on for ever, I was on from 3 to 10 today and my neck is killing me, its my fault because I'm in the breakfast room using the laptop,and using a table that is far to low. before that i had to catch up on washing and house work and all things that need to be done. Its called a day of. I have yet to make the mugs etc, leaving that to tomorrow plus go shopping for Xmas gifts (which I hate) that's the stress bit I never know where to go as i spend most of the time work, its a catch 22'. My stress level is 5 and still has away to go, my neck ache is 10. yes I know all the rules to working on a PC and breaks but Christmas time i ignore them. :oops:

[JSR]

I get that at the moment, too.

In addition to the business, I also do consultancy work which is more "sitting at the computer" work. As is typical, there's either no work from anyone or urgent work from everyone all at the same time (that's why I'm working yet another weekend).

The recent debacle with delivery companies and Royal Mail not wanting to get a spot of snow on their shoes sent the stress levels higher than they should have been, due to reducing the time available to do the work. (Just today I received a Royal Mail delivery that I ordered from BMS on 29th November - that was a two-week delay I could have done without!)

Trouble is, after getting stressed and ached, you let your weary eyes fall on the orders/profit chart and inevitably end up saying "surely all that work justifies more profit than that..?" - and that just adds to the stress.

I sometimes think that only fools and idiots would do this for a living - and I must be both of them! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[bms]

The recent debacle with delivery companies and Royal Mail not wanting to get a spot of snow on their shoes sent the stress levels higher than they should have been, due to reducing the time available to do the work. (Just today I received a Royal Mail delivery that I ordered from BMS on 29th November - that was a two-week delay I could have done without!)

That's the good old postal system this time of the year! Until we get some real competition in the postal system then I think postal delays at Christmas time are inevitable.

[jennywren]

[quote="JSR"]I get that at the moment, too.
Trouble is, after getting stressed and ached, you let your weary eyes fall on the orders/profit chart and inevitably end up saying "surely all that work justifies more profit than that..?" - and that just adds to the stress.

I agree with this 100 percent, here am I at the moment still working, we are open on a Sunday till Christmas, my husband and daughter are both working on the units, we will take hardly anything, but one hopes that people see you and remember you for next time, mainly its all enquirers and with what we deal intakes ages. I have to go shopping for Christmas gifts and hope to get them in the post tomorrow, I hate shopping with a vengeance :evil: , I am going with my other daughter and three grandchildren, and trying to make sure that I spend time with them so they don't feel neglected as I am shopping for gifts ( I think its call juggling ) and trying to leave enough time to get back and start the old mug press of will be a fine balance of which I'm not very good at, as I'm always thinking of deadlines. I shall end up in my very old age where the family will ignore me as they will have forgotten what I look like. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[mrs maggot]

while you are shopping, pick up a stress candle normally in a tin, and light it and have it near you when you are working on the pc or an oil burner, with some nice scent in it - that really works

- if the laptop is too low - then get some books out and make it taller, change the seat you are using, a normally dining room chair will not be doing you or your shoulders any favours at the moment.

I must say having seen some of the snow around, i can see why deliveries have been held up even UPS and TNT who are normally spot on for us have struggled, we know of one delivery guy who spent 2 nights on a road near glasgow unable to move, he does some courier work for my husbands bike business, and has customers now saying they wont pay him, because he was late delivering - did they not see the weather reports ??

i still try to shop locally for gifts and try local gift fairs for some unusual gifts - it also helps to support smaller businesses like our own, rather than adding to the multiples figures.

[JSR]

The recent debacle with delivery companies and Royal Mail not wanting to get a spot of snow on their shoes sent the stress levels higher than they should have been, due to reducing the time available to do the work. (Just today I received a Royal Mail delivery that I ordered from BMS on 29th November - that was a two-week delay I could have done without!)

That's the good old postal system this time of the year! Until we get some real competition in the postal system then I think postal delays at Christmas time are inevitable.
Competition doesn't make anything better - it just means that everyone can provide the same shoddy service as everyone else.

While waiting two weeks for the Royal Mail to deliver something, I also had items from other delivery companies. Parcel Force 24 took five days, DHL took a week, HDNL took over a week (but at least they did deliver on a Sunday). They're all as bad as each other.

Even though the snow's pretty much gone, the effects will be felt for ages. We had a Royal Mail delivery today, but no sign of another order from BMS I ordered a week ago. They say new deliveries are delayed by the backlog and the backlog is delayed by new deliveries. Either way, we lose.

In the case of HDNL, my parcel got all the way from Wales to their depot just 7 miles up the road during the snow - but then it sat in their depot for 5 days doing nothing. A similar case for DHL.

I bet if all deliveries were "cash on delivery", they'd soon deliver quickly enough!

I recall the winters 25-30 years ago and they lasted much longer than they do now. I recall doing my before-school paper rounds with snow up to my knees, and I passed the postman *everyday*. He didn't like working in the snow, but he did it because that was his job. Today they use "Health & Safety" and "weather" as excuses to do nothing. We had more deliveries the last time they were on strike!

Apologies for the rant but, combined, the delivery services have pretty much ruined what's normally one of the best months of the year - all because of a little spot of snow that wouldn't have bothered anyone 25 years ago.

[jennywren]

Now i know that I don't get the balance right because each time i walked behind the pram with both boys on my hands Ellie my Granddaughter was screaming Nanna's gone each time I disappeared out of her eyesight. The one thing I did notice was in the mall loads of people but not many shopping bags, I think this a sign of the time and of things to come and sitting in front of the lap top and working longer and harder a smaller profit, then I will carry on as it my only means of a income. Those that do this for extra money won't be to effected. next year we are to to cut our overheads and some things that we sell, I have a plan in my head, can't do anything till after Christmas I don't really want to do it but needs must as I have to ride it through the tough times that all of us are going to have, when it's all done and dusted my stress levels will return to normal What ever that is :lol: , I sometimes think to run a business you have to have certain levels of stress and adrenalin to keep going and optimism and a feeling I'm on a winner to keep going.