# Recuperating strategies



## eternalfire1244 (Dec 15, 2009)

I have just gotten done a very tiring and stressful show and I was wondering what others do to rejuvenate and prepare for the next production.
I have been working 12- 15 hr days for just a little over a month and today was my first day off since I started and I get about a week or so off before I work next.


----------



## avkid (Dec 15, 2009)

I suppose drinking isn't the right answer.

So sleep, a lot.


----------



## erosing (Dec 15, 2009)

I like yoga, failing that I usually end up cleaning up my home office. 

Of course I also usually try and go hang out with friends too. Nothing like a 3 hour drive to clear your head; then your sinuses at bwws with good friends. 

Spending a few days with the significant other helps me a lot too, she is effectively the exact opposite of me and can really help me cool down and relax.

If you've been living off vices and fast food. A few days without a lot of caffine/other things and some good healthy food works wonders. 

I also like to take anything from the show and spend an hour or two finishing up paperwork, archiving things, do any portfolio/resume updating and then lock it away. 

My last suggestion is to go chop some fire wood, seriously, it helps.


----------



## mstaylor (Dec 15, 2009)

I always try to kick back and relax when I have down time. Whether that means extra sleep, watching TV or visiting friends depends, but I try to just regroup.


----------



## ajb (Dec 15, 2009)

If you've got the ability, take a a few days to just do whatever you like--the key, in my experience, is to try your best to NOT think about work any more than you absolutely have to. Personally, I'm fortunate enough to have a nice comp/flex time policy here, so after a crazy week I can usually take a 4-day weekend to handle the housework that's piled up (especially if the significant other's been busy as well), catch up on some personal projects, or just sit and veg out, play video games or whatever. The remainder of the working week I'll spend cleaning and organizing at work and putting away all the crap that piled up right inside the shop after being cleared from the stage.


And as a general bit of related advice:

Whether you're a freelancer scheduling your various jobs or the manager of a shop or company scheduling and costing out your projects, you have to consider your various sources of overhead just like in any other business. Recovery time is a critical but all-too-neglected part of that. You *need* time to repair and resupply your shop & equipment, you *need* time to stop and say "hey, x was a problem on this project, let's figure out a better way for next time", heck, you and your employees *need* time to sleep, do laundry and bathe (even if only as a courtesy to your coworkers and clients!), and eat real food. So figure out how much time you need for all that, double it just in case, and build it into your schedule. Fight for it, and raise your rates to cover the overhead if you have to. You and the quality of your work will benefit greatly.


----------



## w3st0n21 (Dec 15, 2009)

im going to double on the full meals, less caffeine and hanging out with your significant other...


----------



## DuckJordan (Dec 15, 2009)

What i have found that helps me since i only generally get a total of 1 day to myself as far as in season goes. is to just take a day for completely myself significant other pushed out of the picture as well. I also find a good online game or even chess is a huge stress reliever for me.


----------



## themuzicman (Dec 16, 2009)

Be a tank.

Rest is for the dead.


----------



## ruinexplorer (Dec 16, 2009)

Healthy habits are the best. Also make sure to make preparations in life for your next run since you know how busy you can get. Make sure that your life is organized. I try to stock up on extras at home to make sure I have to run to the store less so that I have maximum time to rest during the run.


----------



## erosing (Dec 16, 2009)

themuzicman said:


> Be a tank.
> 
> Rest is for the dead.



Yes, the dead and the guys who can't go to work anymore because they injured or killed themselves because they were too tired to do the job safely.


----------



## eternalfire1244 (Dec 16, 2009)

rest is good it gives your brain time to work on problems subconciously and gives your body the rest it needs to achieve peak performance. An overly exhausted person working in a shop is usually going to generate 2 things; 1. Errors and 2. WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board) claims. I have been in the first group, but luckily have never been in the second.

As for resting post- production I have been focusing on sleep as well as home cooked meals (tonight was an asian chicken liver salad on spinach greens) and going to see other people's shows that I have had no part in ( going to see Wizard of Oz at the Grand Theatre on Friday). Playing the guitar and djembe helps a lot in terms of shifting my focus off of work.


----------



## kiwitechgirl (Dec 16, 2009)

When I can, I like to get away from the city. I'm lucky in that we have a family holiday house just over an hour away, so I often head over there for a couple of days and spend some time chilling out. Occasionally, if I want to get right away and can find someone to go with me, I'll head to the mountains and go tramping for a few days - staying in basic huts, no cellphones, no contact with the outside world, nothing except me, my tramping companion and New Zealand's unbelievable scenery!


----------



## erosing (Dec 16, 2009)

Kiwi brings up a good point I forgot, I change my voicemail to say, "...if this is an emergency please call back immediately." I don't take any calls that are work related unless they call back right away. On the rare occasion it's not an emergency and they call back, they get an earful from me, they tend not to call back after that.


----------



## Sony (Dec 17, 2009)

After a long and stressful show run I like to boot up my computer and release my frustration and anger by ether shooting zombies or annihilating the other team in a long drawn out game of Team Fortress 2 or another equally violent video game!

Also sleep...a lot...like 12 to 14 hours the night after the last run.


----------



## shiben (Dec 17, 2009)

Sony said:


> After a long and stressful show run I like to boot up my computer and release my frustration and anger by ether shooting zombies or annihilating the other team in a long drawn out game of Team Fortress 2 or another equally violent video game!
> 
> Also sleep...a lot...like 12 to 14 hours the night after the last run.



If you have an Xbox 360, get Modern Warfare 2 and hop on with Grogg and I. Great way to forget about everything.


----------



## Sony (Dec 17, 2009)

I do have a 360, however I hate playing any FPS on a console except for Halo, I'm a pretty devout PC Gamer, I may however borrow the game from my roommate and hop on with you guys anyways


----------



## shiben (Dec 17, 2009)

Awhhh i detest HALO. no HALOing in the game!


----------



## ship (Dec 30, 2009)

DuckJordan said:


> significant other pushed out of the picture as well.



solitude is nice but so is a vacation if you have someone to spend it with and cash.


----------



## ruinexplorer (Dec 30, 2009)

kiwitechgirl said:


> When I can, I like to get away from the city. I'm lucky in that we have a family holiday house just over an hour away, so I often head over there for a couple of days and spend some time chilling out. Occasionally, if I want to get right away and can find someone to go with me, I'll head to the mountains and go tramping for a few days - staying in basic huts, no cellphones, no contact with the outside world, nothing except me, my tramping companion and New Zealand's unbelievable scenery!



This is me being jealous.


----------



## Anvilx (Dec 30, 2009)

Something mindless like gardening but shooting Zoombies works too.


----------



## MrsFooter (Dec 30, 2009)

Finish up your show, tidy together your paperwork, and close down the shop. You don't want any loose ends to distract you while you're trying to relax.

Then, make sure you get at least one day for you and only you. Don't do laundry, don't go grocery shopping, don't catch up on your e-mail. Do only what YOU like to do. Game until your eyes bleed. Sleep. Sit in your underpants and watch Spongebob and drink beer. Be totally selfish. Don't deal with anyone you don't want to unless they're holding a pizza. You have to have that ONE day of total relaxation and enjoyment that focuses only on you; otherwise, it's very easy to let stress and resentment sour life.

Only then would I suggest doing laundry, washing dishes, making a giant pot of chili, and preparing to batten down the hatches for the next run.

Best of luck!


----------



## cdub260 (Dec 30, 2009)

Anvilx said:


> ...shooting Zoombies works too.



What kind of neighborhood do you live in?!:shock:


----------



## masterelectrician2112 (Dec 31, 2009)

Sony said:


> I hate playing any FPS on a console except for Halo


 YAY HALO 3!!!!

Sadly, as soon as I finish a show, I have to either work on a school project or I am back in school. On the rare occasion that I have time off, I start my workout routine again and I just do whatever I want for a few days. (within reason)


----------



## Anvilx (Jan 1, 2010)

cdub260 said:


> What kind of neighborhood do you live in?!:shock:



I'd tell you but you might be a child predator or worse a catholic priest.


----------



## ruinexplorer (Jan 1, 2010)

Anvilx said:


> I'd tell you but you might be a child predator or worse a catholic priest.



So, you are concerned on the effect of Holy Water? Been burned by it in the past? Demons to be exorcised?


----------



## cdub260 (Jan 2, 2010)

ruinexplorer said:


> So, you are concerned on the effect of Holy Water? Been burned by it in the past? Demons to be exorcised?



Demons vs. Zombies! Where can I get tickets for that grudge match?


----------



## kiwitechgirl (Jan 2, 2010)

ruinexplorer said:


> This is me being jealous.



To help you along with that, here are some pics from the last tramping trip I did - the Greenstone-Caples track in the south of the South Island....

The view from our lunch spot on the first day, about two hours from the hut:




This is from the top of the saddle which is the highest point of the track looking back down the Caples valley - we reached it at lunchtime on the second day....



This one is the top of the Greenstone valley, once we'd scrambled down the other side of the saddle....



And the confluence of the Caples and Greenstone rivers, about half an hour from the start/finish point of the track (it's a loop) - it's my little sister in the picture....


----------



## seanandkate (Jan 2, 2010)

kiwitechgirl said:


> To help you along with that, here are some pics from the last tramping trip I did



As I look from the winter grossness of my window to your pictures, I TOTALLY picked the wrong place to settle down . . .


----------



## shiben (Jan 2, 2010)

kiwitechgirl said:


> To help you along with that, here are some pics from the last tramping trip I did - the Greenstone-Caples track in the south of the South Island....



**** thats the way to relax... Someone remind me why im in Michigan...


----------

