One problem I did not expect to have at my new job was working too much. I don’t mean that in the “Oh man, they’re working me so hard I’m dead on my feet” sense, but rather “Wow, it’s 5h30 already? Did I remember to take a lunch today?”

Of course, this is just one part of how my new job is wildly different than working at Costco. At Costco, my time was strictly regimented. If I was working an 8-hour shift, for instance, I had to take a 30-minute lunch break before my 5-hour mark, as well as two 15-minute breaks. I also had to clock in and out at exactly the right time. Sure, there was a grace period of 3 minutes on either side, but that was often taken up by the line of other people clocking in. And when it was time to be done, you were done. Full stop, end of story (unless a manager asked you to stay longer, but that’s a different discussion).

My new job, on the other hand, is much more freeform. Most people in the office seem to trickle in around 8am, and out closer to 5h30. Other than that, we’re left to our own devices. Lunch is when we’re hungry; it can be at our desks or we can take time to go out. We’re welcome to come in earlier or stay later as needed. The only real restriction is that we end up getting paid overtime if we work more than 80 hours in a two-week pay period. This means that people often end up working short days towards the end of the week.

So as you can see, it’s about as diametrically opposed to my previous experience as it could possibly be. What I didn’t expect was the consequences of this, like being more brain-fried when I got home than I expected to be. I may also have to keep an eye on my work time for another reason: both my immediate coworkers are salaried, whereas I’m paid hourly. So as much as I may want to, I may not be able to fully model my work time habits on either of them. But of course I want to still make a good impression and seem eager to work…

I dunno. It’s an odd problem to have, and not one I expected to be facing. It may just appear much more extreme since I’m coming from something so different, but it’s definitely going to take some getting used to.