Your lifeoccupations: Mental versus Physical Labor

[KittenKoder]

I used to be 30% physical and 70% mental. But I find being the other way around now is more stimulating and helps me sleep better and helps me to also think better

I am healthier for it

Ever notice how people who have to sit all day, and do all mental work, are stressed out?

Because, in spite of how much we enjoy our work ... you do get bored when it's all mental, you notice time passing, and even a tiny bit of redundancy becomes annoying as hell. With physical activity you can switch off all but the focused thought, you forget about the clock, and things change more often ... it's almost a zen thing.

For me, it is the other way around. I've had jobs where I've performed repetitive manual labor, and felt like I was dieing a slow death.


Working a factory line is living hell to me.

You have never had the pleasure of working for fast food ... that's a rush ... work during a peak time, your shift is over before you realize it, but you can't calm down for an hour afterward ... I loved those jobs ... until they started making me manager, then I hated them.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Quote: Originally Posted by Big Black Dog
Both 2 and 4 applies to me. At times, a combination of the two. I've been everything from the newest employee standing on the bottom rung off the ladder of success to the owner of the ladder.
Some folks here have spent their lives, on a nearly daily basis, performing some form of physically demanding manual labor. I put myself among those as hands on builder/developer. Though mine was not daily, and there were some fairly long periods of intense physically demanding work like carpentry, masonry, and dirt-work, and other things that went on for months with breaks of only weeks to recover from the demands, I had little choice about meeting physical demands. That might be you - please select one.

I'm no stranger to hard physical labor. I've certainly done my share in the course of my lifetime. When it becaue necessary to get physical to help out a project, I rolled up my sleeves and got right in there with the rest. Leading by example is generally a good thing.

 

[American Horse]

Same here, given a choice I eat my lunches standing. So far this is enlightening; I'm the lone mainly physical worker.

I used to be 30% physical and 70% mental. But I find being the other way around now is more stimulating and helps me sleep better and helps me to also think better

I am healthier for it

Ever notice how people who have to sit all day, and do all mental work, are stressed out?

Because, in spite of how much we enjoy our work ... you do get bored when it's all mental, you notice time passing, and even a tiny bit of redundancy becomes annoying as hell. With physical activity you can switch off all but the focused thought, you forget about the clock, and things change more often ... it's almost a zen thing.

You're absolutely right. In the trades, but especially in carpentry it's called getting "on-a-roll"; as in two carpenters working in tandem complementing each other without speaking a word. It's hard to get enough of that, and the satisfaction at the end of the day, falling to sleep for instance, is looking back on complete satisfaction. I worked for 6 years in communications and engineering, and never felt the same about my daily accomplishments; not even close. But what we fail to take into account is the wear and tear on the body, especially the joints.

 

[William Joyce]

Above-the-neck guy, as the union men say.

I'm not convinced it's so healthy for a man to just sit on his ass in the front of the computer for 9 hours straight. Lawyers, especially, should be required to hoe fields or lay brick or something at least one day a week.

 

[Old Rocks]

Mental and physical. An industrial millwright has to diagnos machinery that is not doing what it is supposed to, and perform post mortems on machinery that has done the suicide thing. Usually with some production supervisor standing nearby screaming about how much the downtime is costing the company. The work can be intensely physical, in cramped quarters and intense heat. You are on call 24/7. And often, when the economy is working, work seven days a week.

Most millwrights have bad backs by the time they are 40. Many of the older millwrights have had serious exposure to asbestos. But the pay has always been good, and much of what ones learns is applicable to other trades. In fact, most millwrights are capable in at least one other trade.

One point, I have never been bored by my job. Occasionly terrified on the job, but never bored. And now, at 65, in very good physical shape. A good trade for those that enjoy both physical and mental challenge.

 

[Arawyn]

My younger days were physical.....my later ones (last 1/3) are mental.

 

[editec]

Had a lot of different jobs, of course.

The most physically demanding jobs I had was either building roads or working as a steeplejack's apprentice.

Bartending is damned physical labor, too if you're working in a busy bar.

Mostly I sold things or taught though.

 

[JW Frogen]

Male, drunk, pummel and then negoitate.

Security.

 

[Neser Boha]

Up until my graduation, I've always been at least a part-time university student and full-time waitress/secretary/housekeeper/retail clerk. So it's been rather mixed. There have been times when I had three different jobs at the same time... housekeeping, office shit, and waiting tables... I actually really like a mix of mental/physical - it doesn't get boring or mind-numbing, and you get some exercise

 

[editec]

I like some physical labor.

The problem is, as OR notes, that much of it wears out the body such that by the time one is reaching middle age, the joints are breaking down.

Although I've done all sorts of physical and mental tasks for pay, I have come to the conclusion that I'm a tad too heavy for light work and tad too light for heavy work.

Hence I publish to keep myself occupied when I'm not helping you people wade through the news of the day.

 

[Neser Boha]

I like some physical labor.

The problem is, as OR notes, that much of it wears out the body such that by the time one is reaching middle age, the joints are breaking down.

Although I've done all sorts of physical and mental tasks for pay, I have come to the conclusion that I'm a tad too heavy for light work and tad too light for heavy work.

Hence I publish to keep myself occupied when I'm not helping you people wade through the news of the day.

I wanna see some of your work. A link perhaps?

 

[editec]

I like some physical labor.

The problem is, as OR notes, that much of it wears out the body such that by the time one is reaching middle age, the joints are breaking down.

Although I've done all sorts of physical and mental tasks for pay, I have come to the conclusion that I'm a tad too heavy for light work and tad too light for heavy work.

Hence I publish to keep myself occupied when I'm not helping you people wade through the news of the day.

I wanna see some of your work. A link perhaps?

Can't post a link directly because it's a violation of this board's rules about SPAMMING or something.

Google in "Children's Books Online: the Rosetta Project"

Incidently, we published our first Czech translations (See: "About Bunnies") a week or so ago. I'd be curious what you think of that translation if you have time.

I actually thought you might be its translator, to be honest.

Shortly after I first told you about this project our first translating volunteer in Czech manifested.

So it's not you volunteering with us?

Sychronisity, I guess.

 

[Cecilie1200]

My job isn't really much of either. I'm a process server. I talk to clients and do paperwork and bookkeeping on the computer on the one hand, and drive around delivering papers on the other. None of it requires much time or an excess of either heavy thought or heavy labor.

On the other hand, I spend the rest of my time homeschooling my 13-year-old and taking care of my 6-month-old, which is both.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

A poll on lifestyle/occupations: Mental versus Physical Labor

The poll choices:
1] A female and mine is/was mainly physical work
2] A male .... mainly physical work
3] A female ... mainly mental work
4] A male ... mainly mental work
5] Other
6] A student up to now with normal physical activity.

The purpose of this poll is discover how much of the life work of members here is physical/action or mental/sedentary.

Do you now, or for a large proportion of your life have you made a living by manual labor or work requiring a great deal of action with physical strain or impact to the body, or mostly desk and administrative like work?



PS. This poll will not be public

Well after college I went into my field and became a corporate manager for the TJX companies after AMES went out of business.

I ended up having moral conflicts with how the company did business and how I believe people should be treated. This conflict led me to confront my superiors over policy and led me to a few months of collecting Unenjoyment checks from the govt. Then I decided to try my passion, cars, for a living.

Now I bend and weld custom metal parts for cars, install them, and do basic repair work.

I like it and am happy


Thanks for giving me something to vote on :tounge:

 

[manu1959]

design buildings is 100% mental....on the weekends i build furniture which is both....

 

[Epsilon Delta]

I'm a student at a university. My physical activities include walking and drinking.