Starting a Night Shift Job Soon. Advice?

[SmaMan]

I just got a job as a Morning TV news show producer! I'm really excited, but my hours (with some flexibility) will be from 1am to 9am.

So does anyone who worked, or knows someone who has worked, a night job, have any advice for me?

[TheClash603]

My girlfriend works overnight, so we try to do a lot of dinner (her) / breakfast (me).  Also, we understand each other's schedules and do not expect anything unfair of each other.  They key for you is to be consistent going foward, meaning on your days off you should be sleeping at the same times.

[wildfruit]

i work days, afternoons and nights in rotation. trying to sleep in the day is the hardest thing imaginable. i have done this for the last 10 years and it feels horrible.
my only advice would be to enjoy the world while 99% of other people are asleep.
on the plus side your new job sounds interesting. congratulations

[Bernie]

Best advice, make your bedroom DARK.  Dark curtains or a blanket over the window, anything to fake your system into thinking its night.  I have been a shift worker for years, as well as my father and grandfather, ect...  When you get home in the morning, dont try to stay up too long.  Eat, unwind some, and then go to sleep.  If you can do that, then it will be smooth for ya.  Still leaves time for dinner with the family in the evening before work, and you will be rested.

Oh, I forgot to add.  Get a fan, like a round metal fan for the white noise.  It does two things.  1. It helps you sleep. 2. It drowns out any noise from those day people...  

[Bardoly]

Best advice, make your bedroom DARK.  Dark curtains or a blanket over the window, anything to fake your system into thinking its night.  I have been a shift worker for years, as well as my father and grandfather, ect...  When you get home in the morning, dont try to stay up too long.  Eat, unwind some, and then go to sleep.  If you can do that, then it will be smooth for ya.  Still leaves time for dinner with the family in the evening before work, and you will be rested.

Oh, I forgot to add.  Get a fan, like a round metal fan for the white noise.  It does two things.  1. It helps you sleep. 2. It drowns out any noise from those day people...  

Seconded (and thirded).
I worked third shift for 5 years, and darkening the windows and a cheap box fan helped SOOOO much.

[bartre]

well i've been working nights for a bit over a year now, gotta say I disagree w/ the "keep your sleep schedule consistent"

I couldnt' do it - just got too depressing never seeing my friends and such.

[SmaMan]

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

well i've been working nights for a bit over a year now, gotta say I disagree w/ the "keep your sleep schedule consistent"

I couldnt' do it - just got too depressing never seeing my friends and such.

That's one of the things I'm wrestling with too. I feel an adaptive schedule would work best in case I do have a meeting, work related or not, in the afternoon, and especially the weekends. But I'd imagine that all that adapting would take its toll after a while.

Smaman- Where's at?

Strive to advance to larger markets, regardless of where you're starting. Don't brown nose, but always seek to create and maintain rapport with those who may be on their way to a larger market. Wherever you may be, make sure to sleep. sometime.  And, without brown nosing, do what you can to keep amicable relations with your boss and peers, because you never know who may open the door to the next level with that field.

It's KTXS based in Abilene. It's the ABC affiliate serving from there to as far south as San Angelo, and just about to Lubbock to the east, and Dallas to the west. Abilene's the dictionary definition of "starter market," A little over 100,000 people. It's a great catapult for a larger market once you've spent some time. The man I'm replacing went on to a larger market in Albuquerque for example.

So yeah, working my way up is all part of the plan. Getting a couple years here will look great on the ol' resume.

[SmaMan]

(So for some reason, this post was just a quote of my last one... not sure what happened... carry on.)

[Bernie]

Well, as far as sleep goes, there are always going to be situations where you want to do something during the day.  Just like if you were working days and wanted to go out at night.  You just work it in.  But for the most part, treat it like day and night are reversed while you are working nights.

[roflmao]

A long time ago I worked a 6pm to 6am shift with Sony as a game tester and the only way I got through it was because I knew it was temporary.  I would get home from work, have "breakfast" with my wife and then sleep until it was time to go back to work. This was before I had children.  Nowadays it wouldn't be considered.  However, sometimes you have to take a position that sucks just to have the experience to put on a resume.

[wildfruit]

the pleasure of driving out of the city at 7am going past a queue of literally thousands of cars going the otherway is unbeatable

[SmaMan]

Well, as far as sleep goes, there are always going to be situations where you want to do something during the day.  Just like if you were working days and wanted to go out at night.  You just work it in.  But for the most part, treat it like day and night are reversed while you are working nights.

I personally love a night shift, though its been ages since I worked one.  Maybe it is just my anti-social tendencies, but it is great to get off of work and have the morning and afternoon to do things like pay bills, shop, go to appoinments (without sacrificing lunch or PTO!) without having to deal with the crowds of 9-5ers who do all these things in the evenings like a swarm of pissed off fire ants (a phenomenon through which the night shifter might be happy to sleep).

It's KTXS based in Abilene. It's the ABC affiliate serving from there to as far south as San Angelo, and just about to Lubbock to the east, and Dallas to the west. Abilene's the dictionary definition of "starter market," A little over 100,000 people. It's a great catapult for a larger market once you've spent some time. The man I'm replacing went on to a larger market in Albuquerque for example.

So yeah, working my way up is all part of the plan. Getting a couple years here will look great on the ol' resume.

I wish you best of luck!  It can be done. I know someone in the biz with a story that starts a lot like yours (only as a news photographer/editor).  She began her career in our home town of maybe 25k people (possibly 100k in the viewing area) working those lovely morning show hours for minimum wage (before minimum wage had even reached $5/hr).  But she stuck with it and did her best until eventually a former coworker who'd landed a management spot at a much larger market called her out of the blue with a job offer. Over the decade that followed she bounced between the coasts a few times, ping-ponging her way up through the markets and racking up Emmys and accolades along the way.  She's out west now and I'm tempted to remove her from my facebook feed out of jealousy over all the cool shit she's posting... media access to all events, meeting celebrities, traveling the world, yadda yadda...

Makes me wish I'd gotten into that field rather than IT.  Enjoy the adventure!

Thanks, man! Yeah I love this field. It's gone from my second love in high school to my first. And I've already done some of the meeting celebrities, review screenings, media access thing with my current radio show (check my sig, though we are currently on hiatus.) It's as awesome as it sounds. 

A long time ago I worked a 6pm to 6am shift with Sony as a game tester and the only way I got through it was because I knew it was temporary.  I would get home from work, have "breakfast" with my wife and then sleep until it was time to go back to work. This was before I had children.  Nowadays it wouldn't be considered.  However, sometimes you have to take a position that sucks just to have the experience to put on a resume.

This is another reason why I'm willing to take this on in the first place. I'm single, no girlfriend to speak of... yet.

[c0ldb33r]

I've never worked nights but I have worked late evenings (home at around 2-3 AM). The problem I had was going to bed as soon as out get home. I always needed time to unwind so I'd be awake for another few hours. I had to try to get over that habit.

Its worth spending a few extra dollars for light blocking blinds. Most blinds just darken, not actually block light.

Sounds like a neat job though.

[Mzo]

I also used to work a night shift and I completely agree with Bernie's first post.  Get some blackout curtains or a sleep mask (curtains are best, really), a white noise machine or a fan, and get ready to never see anyone you care about ever again =[

Not really, but trying to match the schedule of the average daywalker becomes a challenge.

You might also need to get some Vitamin D supplements.  Your body naturally produces it when exposed to sunlight, something you might not get enough.

[TR0N]

Get a blind fold for sleeping during the day.