When I accepted my job in a semi-major city, the 1-10 a.m. shift was secondary to everything else. The experience! This will look great on a resume! I get to do something related to my major! In a big city! Yes, I was right about all those things, but then it started to set in that I would be waking up when everyone else is going to bed. Okay Liz, you can do this. It’s not so bad. And it wasn’t! I am now moving on from writing the morning news, but I survived the vampire hours for more than a year. Here’s how.
Snacks. Snacks. And more snacks. Waking up at 10 p.m. is confusing. Is it breakfast or dinner time? There’s only one correct answer: snack time. I think I kept Chobani and Pepperidge Farm in business.
Nap time is all the time. My mom told me I could sleep whenever I wanted. Is this particularly healthy? Probably not. But rarely was I too tired to function and it’s all because I slept as much as a baby.
Coffee is an on-again-off-again friend. Water is a real friend. Coffee is great. Don’t get me wrong. But in my time as a vampire I’ve found sometimes water does the pick-me-up trick better than its caffeinated comrade. I’m sure there’s science behind it.
Face time is important. It’s hard to have human interaction when people are at work and you’re not. So I tried to see actual people (who I did not work with) as much as possible, even during the work week. A vampire life can be a lonely life, but it doesn’t have to be.
Treat. Yo. Self. This was basically my motto every Friday. I made it through another week of this offbeat work schedule so I deserve a little something. A few of my faves: gel manis, something from Sephora, Chipotle burritos, etc.
The good news is you don’t have to work overnights forever.
