How early is too early to get to work?

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Cutaway2AZ@reddit

I mean the key is that you don’t know what else to do with your mornings. About fifteen years ago I lived in PA and wanted to move to NYC. I decided that I needed to get a job there first which I did. Then I had a 90 minute commute (when everything went like clockwork, which I suppose it did more than half the time).

wow 😮

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StormProfessional950@reddit

Shit man, find something else to do with your life other than work.

Square-Wave5308@reddit

I'm not a morning person, but for years worked in factories. Assembly operations typically start early. I got in the habit of arriving early, and enjoyed that at least I was getting paid for a part of the day I otherwise wasted. I had no issue taking the occasional long lunch or early departure.

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Cisru711@reddit

Stay up till midnight and see what happens. Or at least 11.

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DoeBoy71@reddit

I work from home, unless I absolutely have to do something in the office which is 1.5 miles from my house.

No alarms. I get up 4:30am every day, and log in and start working, which means I'm usually logging out around 2pm.

Go to the gym. Even if you just sit in the sauna and read the paper.
Take a morning walk around the neighborhood.
Watch TV, not the news, just TV. Load up Punky Brewster or something nostalgic like that.
Cook a baller breakfast, shit, you got time, prep lunch too.
Have coffee and read a book in the living room.
Pick up the house a bit (quietly so you don't wake the Mrs/Mr)
Take up a hobby like Mini painting or even PAINTING
Learn a new skill that will help you in your job, but not directly your job (like find a painful workflow you do and use AI to figure out a better system or something)
Play video games (again, headphones so you don't wake the Mrs/Mr)
If the sun's up, go do some light gardening (pick out all the weeds, daily, that'll take a month)

Basically, ANYTHING is better than going to work that early.

If I get on at 7, I'm damned well getting off by 5 (I work a 9/80 schedule and get e/o Friday off).

SirMellencamp@reddit

Yeah my job is like that. I get in between 8 and 8:30. Come and go as I need to but I’m usually not getting out of the office till 6:30 and go in some weekends because I like the quiet and can work

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CJK_Murph@reddit

That’s REALLY early. I think thirty minutes early is probably fine, any earlier is kinda weird.

Can you have a sunrise cuppa on your front porch or read a book, or join an early morning walkers group? Or START an early morning walkers group?

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Xavelle@reddit (OP)

I need to get back into reading. The last couple of books I read were so bad though (typical romance). I need something that has depth.

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EveryFamilyhasCrazy@reddit

Contractually I must be there by 7:30 (I am a teacher). I arrive anywhere from 6:30 to 7:00 am, and I only have one coworker who occasionally beats me.

I have a 30 minute commute, with most of my coworkers having a 15 minute or less commute.

I spent over 20 years carpooling to work, and I have never been late, including the winter we hit black ice and wound up in the ditch. Carpool buddy drove, I pushed, and we made it to work on time. If I might be late (or close to it) I will have a panic attack

. Do not recommend!

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GeoHog713@reddit

I used to get in by 6 to beat traffic. Sometimes earlier than that.

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Tekon421@reddit

I only laugh at this because my brother in law is a Marine that is chronically late to everything. Like sometimes hours late.

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mtcrick@reddit

My dad was a "if you're on time, you're late. If you're 10 minutes early you're on time".

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desertratlovescats@reddit

I feel like if I’m on time, I’m late. I try to get everywhere 15-20 minutes early, but that might be the result of living in urban sprawl, where everything is about 45 minutes away.

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I work 4 10’s so in order to not be at work late, and try to beat afternoon traffic I get to work around 6am, leave at 4pm.

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specialpb@reddit

Well as former military if you are early you’re on time, if you’re on time, you’re late, and if you’re are late, you’re really late.

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Onerustyrn@reddit

If you get there 10 minutes to the time you’re scheduled, you’re already late.

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R-Voodoo@reddit

Same actually. Work starts at 0730, I'm there be 0645.

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I work remotely - log in at six my time b/c most of my team is two hours ahead, so that works well for us all. Every morning I log in with the hope of logging off by two or three - but usually it's closer to four. I'm working on fixing that about myself.

Early is on time. On time is late. Late is unacceptable.

For me, about 15 minutes early is my go to. Unless I have a long commute where the traffic can be unpredictable, then I'll build in extra time to account for that which may mean I'm arriving way early. I'll just hang out in my car for awhile in that case, or go somewhere close to work like a grocery store or something.

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NerdyComfort-78@reddit

I worked 6:45 am till 4 or 5 (pre child). After I had my kid it was 6:30-3:00 (school hours). I was a HS teacher for 27 years and the going joke was I lived at the school because I was always there.

Looking for my next job and it chafes me that if I get an hourly job (non-exempt), I can’t work as long of a day as I want. Looking for Exempt jobs….

Years ago I lost a lot of weight (from 250lb to like 180 in 6 months), and at that point my sleep apnea disappeared and I got significantly better sleep, and thus I was up and ready to roll at 6am, which had never happened before.

Stephen King wrote a book about insomnia. My guess is it was written from his own personal experience as he aged. He describes how it doesn’t necessarily hit at night, that waking up early is a form of insomnia.

Bitter-Assignment464@reddit

Am up at 4:15 out the door by 4:35 to walk the dogs. Out the door for work 5-5:15. Not really by choice. The almost one year old pup wakes me up demanding her walk.

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Unique-Fan-3042@reddit

57, still a night owl (possibly worse than ever). Can’t relate.

Is this a guy thing?

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ContributionTall969@reddit

Same experience as OP. I started using that time in the morning for working out and/or reading.

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SunshynePower@reddit

I didn't have that schedule until I was almost 30. When I did get to work "regular hours" is been a struggle.

If you are paid and can leave early, you are all good. If not, bring a book. That's what I did when my commute to work could be 1 hour or 3 hours, depending on traffic (DC traffic is horrible, even when you are driving to work when everyone is driving from work).

Find an app and learn a new skill.
Find a new way to work.

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SSolomonGrundy@reddit

I'm so glad I am in an industry that respects 9 to 5 (including a lunch break) rather than squeezing an extra hour out of us. Dolly sang about 9 to 5 not 8 to 5!

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ginger_kitty97@reddit

8 to 5 usually means an unpaid lunch hour.

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SSolomonGrundy@reddit

8 to 5 is 9 hours. 9 to 5 is 8 hours.

Dolly sang about being at work 8 hours, 9 to 5, which used to be the norm in many areas and industries thanks to unions. Many unions successfully fought for paid breaks, including lunch and other short breaks. That very reasonable arrangement (which helps with productivity and happiness) was reversed in some but not all places post-Reagan.

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ginger_kitty97@reddit

I am aware. I work 8 to 5 with 2 paid 15 min breaks and a one hour unpaid lunch break, for a total of 8 paid hours daily. It was the best my toothless union could negotiate, but at least we still have a pension option.

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SSolomonGrundy@reddit

Wait till you are retired and still get up a 4:45. It's annoying that I can't get back to sleep. I've tried going to be later, but am exhausted and sleepy by 10:30.

lemmysbetter@reddit

I get to work at 4:30am. Start at 5.

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Anonymo123@reddit

been WFH for almost 10 years.. varies but usually online at 7. Before that, was expected to get to the office by 7 or 8. I work in IT so sometimes we had late nights or early mornings, but not very often.

Its hard to get the 16 yr old son up on time.. he just wants to lay in bed and "wake up" until he has to scramble to catch his ride.

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SizzleanQueen@reddit

It’s 6.18am here and my 16 yr old just left for school. I spent 30 min waking and re-waking him up. I wake up at 5.30am just to say, “Are you up? Please get out of bed now” over and over. Thanks for letting me vent.

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Anonymo123@reddit

same! they cant fall into the trap of laying back down.. I guess they will have to experience that panic and negative impact from school\work, but damn thats an easy one to learn from us and skip.

my OCD is not being late.. so it really gets me anxious how he acts sometimes. His mom is the same way and its a miracle if she is on time to anything and I am the 15-20min early for everything type.

i feel once they are in the shower they won't get back in bed... but damn this generation seems lazy lol

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SizzleanQueen@reddit

Same! I cannot relax until my teenager is physically up and moving around. I feel like you are the male version of me. I was also raised by a military dad and I am married to a chronically late person. My father didn’t scream but I certainly learned respect for myself, and for other peoples time. We carpool with another family, so I want my son to understand that there’s a domino effect when he’s late walking out to the other parent’s car- even if it’s just 5 minutes. Plus, leaving 5 minutes later in LA can add 20 more minutes to a commute.

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DawnGW@reddit

I’m unemployed nowadays but I used to get to work 3 hours early to get ahead of the morning rush hour.
Mostly I’d go for a walk and for a while I would go to the gym. Other times, watch funny YouTube videos and/or meditate. I liked my quiet times before starting the work day.

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Horseysauce619@reddit

I used to work from 6am-230pm. I still wake up at 430am after I quit three years ago.

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Cheetah51@reddit

I’m so happy to have a flexible schedule for the first time, now at this later stage in my work life.

I just have to get eight hours a day in (at the office; we did have telework once but they took it away, sadly).

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vin4thewin@reddit

Suggestion: Get a cat. They like early mornings, too, so you’ll have company. Did not know this when one came into my life, but I learned quickly. But if you want to sleep later, follow a MLB team based on the west coast. Experience says don’t do both.

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Ok_Web_8166@reddit

I liked getting to work 15 minutes early. I never felt rushed that way.

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VividFiddlesticks@reddit

I WFH and can (largely) set my own hours. I'm an early riser too, so I usually work 6A-3P.

I like it. I have several quiet hours in the morning and enough afternoon overlap for meetings.

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WalnutTree80@reddit

I'm a middle Gen Xer and I walk into the office no more than 5 minutes before we open.

I hit the gym most mornings, take my dog on a long walk, prep some stuff for dinner that night and put it in the fridge. Maybe run an errand or two.

I get up at like 4am but don't go into work until 8:55.

I have a ton of hobbies and interests. Work is the least exciting part of my life and I'm only there during the hours I have to be.

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Jane-The_Obscure@reddit

"I have a ton of hobbies and interests. Work is the least exciting part of my life and I'm only there during the hours I have to be."

InitialIll2922@reddit

I usually show up ten minutes late.

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Friendly_Mountain778@reddit

If I could be that wide awake that early, I’d read so many books. What a wonderful quiet time.

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I’m still in BED at 6:45! I get to my desk 3-5 minutes before my official start time.

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North-Tomatillo9158@reddit

Hmmmm, sounds like a great time to start your new journey learning a foreign language, or catching up on those classic books you avoided reading in high school. I just finished an audiobook of Moby Dick (to have something to listen to while doing house chores). I really enjoyed (most of) it!

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I start the day by walking my dogs, doing chores around the house, packing my lunch, and making my wife tea before I head to work.

If I get to work a little early, I sit out in the little park by my building and enjoy my coffee. I also don’t take appointments in the first 15 or last 15 minutes of work.

ggibby@reddit

Same. I am an opening 'manager' two days a week and after a month of waiting for the other person to arrive at 6:30, I just went through at 6 and started on the list. Some co-managers meet me then, others roll in at 6:30. Doesn't matter to me.

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Happy_Confection90@reddit

Ha, me too. I'm salaried and my "typical" work hours are 8-4:30, but given there's no clock to punch, it's often more like 8:10-4:40 because the commute to the other end of the house is slow.

Ugh, I hear you. I'm already one of those older guys who's up with the sun. Sleeping in for me is 6am these days.

I'll be 51 this week. I found the secret to staying busy! All you have to do is do what I did...have a another kid!!! BOOOOM. You'll never wonder what to do next!

gif

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CommunicationNext876@reddit

Shift change is at 0715….. I try to get there before 0630, and it’s an hour commute… Couple reasons for this, like if something comes up during my commute I have some time before I have to call and say that I’ll be late. I also beat the school buses and most of the time the high as a kite landscape trucks.

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SwimmingBridge9200@reddit

My job allows Flex Time. I work 7-3 and have for most of my years year. Mostly remote now and I generally stick to that time frame.

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CaughtALiteSneez@reddit

It’s funny because I’m an immigrant in a country where it’s common to get to work at 7:00 AM.

I’ve been a 6:30-7:30 arrival most of my 30 year career.

When no one is around I can get a lot done.

At the moment, I wake up around 4am: get up, take meds, exercise, prep breakfast, shower, make and eat breakfast, get dressed and leave.

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Krishd88@reddit

Try going for a walk. It's a lovely way to start your day.

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AbsolutesDealer@reddit

On days where I do have to go to my office, I try to arrive as late as possible and leave as quickly as possible.

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jermo1972@reddit

I practice what I preach.

You haven't answered the question yet, does he get his work done?

If he's forward facing and needs to be, say, answering phones the second his time starts, then I get what you're saying. But if he's like a lot of other people, where if they show up at say 9:04 but the work gets done, then the work is done. So which is it?

oh-pointy-bird@reddit

Again, if this is a white collar role, why the F does it matter? Are they getting their work done?

If it’s shift work, then it’s probably different.

I have always gotten to work between 7am and 8am. I get an hour of very productive work time before others get there. Answer emails, do individual work, prep for meetings, finish presentations. If I didn’t do that, I would go crazy during the workday because my day would be all meetings or interruptions.

I'm supposed to be here at 8:45 and that's what time I get here.

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oopsymeohboy@reddit

When I was young & working in an office my theory was that these people hated their wives/kids/home life. It was always men age 30 & up that got to work way early and/or had an hour+ one way commute. And they always seemed some manner of dull/dead in the inside if not outright negative. My take was that it was avoidant, they didn’t want to be at home with the family/chores, either because the home was an outright unhappy place for them or the car/office was the only space of their own.

I've been an hour early for work. The bus schedules got me there either an hour early or 15 min late. Fortunately there was a cafeteria where I could eat a leisurely breakfast.

I also had another job where I was getting on site around 45 min early. I would walk around the parking lot for 25-30 min for exercise.

My current job, im usually 20 min late, but I usually stay an hour past quitting time, so I call it a flex start time. Im also the manager now so its kind of expected for me to roll in a little late 😅

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Angry_GorillaBS@reddit

When I had to go elsewhere to work I was generally there about 3 minutes before I started.

I'm a very early riser and morning worker. But I have flex hours so I love it because sometimes my work day ends by 1:00 p.m.

If you can't flex your time and use those early arrivals to your advantage? I agree with others that maybe get in the habit of going to the gym in the morning, taking a nice morning walk, jog, or bike ride. Have more leisurely cups of coffee and read a devotion or book.

Anything that will use the time to your advantage!

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edgarjwatson@reddit

My job starts @ 7:00am everyday and stops @ 5:00pm. I get there a bit early and leave a bit late every day.

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Gamecockgirl79@reddit

My hours are 8:00 to 5:30 and I'm generally here just in time. Like 7:55 and I'm just rolling in the parking lot on a normal day. I live in a college town and they just got out a little over a week ago so that's helped traffic considerably and I may be a few minutes earlier but that's it. Considering most of my coworkers, including the ones old enough to be my parents are even later than I am, I'm good with it.

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LifeguardRepulsive91@reddit

I consider my commute to be a part of my work day. I show up around 930 and leave around 430. (I work straight through with no breaks.)

If you are going in early to leave early, great. But if you're just giving your company unpaid labor, that's crazy.

Bob_12_Pack@reddit

I'm a night owl, rarely in bed before 12-1AM, up at 7:30 on the weekdays.

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ajulesd@reddit

Jog, swim, yoga, CrossFit, etc. do that before work and you’ll get to a place where you produce more in a 7 hour workday than you can “working” 10 hours.

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Everybody gets one long shift per week.

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overeducatedhick@reddit

I'm only a year behind you, but I had children later in life, so we are still on that schedule. That said I definitely understand waking up ridiculously early and laying in bed hoping for sleep until I just give up.

I used to have colleagues who would use those early hours to answer emails from home.

Personally, I would use that time for exercise if I didn't need to frear waking other people up and didn't have to shuffle children. So maybe exercise in the morning to buy time?

Finally, 6:45 doesn't sound rediculous. Back when I was growing up on a farm every around seemed to be done with morning chores and had tractors going in the fields by about 7:00 in the morning. Some guys were going significantly earlier than that (by 6:00 or 6:30). It was plenty light by 5:00 where I grew up.

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monstermack1977@reddit

8-5 my entire career as well. But I live fairly close to my office so I don't have to leave super early to get there. Meaning I can easily plan my morning around my departure time. So I generally am at my desk about 15 minutes early.

I generally wake up around 5am...but I just loaf in bed for an hour most mornings. I generally go to bed around 10:30pm.

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RhodeReddit@reddit

The hilarious thing is that “just loaf in bed for an hour each morning” could only have been a guy. If I don’t why, I knew 😅.

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awwc@reddit

Are you hourly?

Ive been waking up against my own free will around 415am so reliably that I got tired of wasting away in bed and shift changed my hours to 4 tens.

Its a bit rougher at the end of the day and im dragging ass by 9, but saving gas on the commute and having a 3 day weekend is gold.

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hashswag00@reddit

Up at 6am. Take dog out. Get to work typically by 6:50am. Rinse, repeat.

I'm also hybrid. On the two days I work from home, I keep the wake up routine. Instead of driving, I make pour over coffee. Same start time.

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earnestholm@reddit

Umm are you me typing this?

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Extra_Shirt5843@reddit

Um...I have a late start today and I'm sitting here rewatching Supernatural. No way in hell I'm showing up to work more than 10-15 minutes early.

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Reddisuspendmeagain@reddit

I fall asleep on the couch, wake up for a few hours usually between 1-3 then go back to sleep and wake up for work around 6:30 because my son is in high school.

Absotivly_Posolutly@reddit

I guess it depends on the hours of operation for your employer…

I work in flight simulation, where the flight crews train 20hrs a day. I’m salaried and can go in any time I want.

9:00 to 5:00

Go ahead. Come into work at 6:45...just bale at 3:45

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ItsLikeARewardAZ@reddit

5:30am at the latest. I work remote and my whole team is 3 hours ahead of me…

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I'm usually at the office by 7:30ish. Others on my team arrive at 6:00, 7:30, and 9:00ish. We're salaried, so as long as our work gets done and we're here for more or less 8 hours, they don't care when we get in.

Do you have any hobbies you could do in the morning? I have a friend who gets up an hour early to do art every day and another who goes to the gym every morning. Maybe take a walk when it's cool and quiet? Work in your garden?

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charitytowin@reddit

Play your guitar

design a Lego build on Stud.io

Go for a bike ride

Read Dune

roytheodd@reddit

I'm in the company parking lot at least a half hour before my shift begins. I eat breakfast there. I'm trying to develop the habit of walking for that time just to use the time productively, and to get in my steps.

05:30. Usually the first one in.

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Desperate-Ruin9481@reddit

Yeah, it really is! We were in the same training class, and then never saw each other (different offices) for 6 years. Then crossed paths again and thick as thieves ever since 🫣

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Kindly-Might-1879@reddit

I WFH. My kids are gown and moved out. I love working out before work, then walking my dog, any time between 5-8a. Shower, breakfast, then log in at 9a.

Walk to my desk at 9am (wfh). I take walks, cook, anything but start early if I can avoid it.