To often we are expected to adhere to a predetermined time schedule day in and day out with our bodies protesting all of the way. We all have a different time of day when we are most productive and our day will ebb and flow with what works best.
In Bob and I's earlier years I would be up hours before I started work-getting things done that needed done around the house before my workday started. Bob on the other hand would carefully lie out his clothes the night before, belt through the loops in his pants, pockets loaded, everything ready for him to slip his clothes on quickly. After hitting snooze as many times as possible he would burst out of bed, jump into his clothes, grab his lunch box, and run out the door and all of this would take about five minutes. About the time he was awake and really productive it would be time for him to clock out and head for home. Both Bob and I had to fit our day into the same 9 -5 schedules even though neither of us fit into that productivity mold.
When we first started team driving it took us a little bit to figure out the schedule that fit our personal clocks. Bob drives till between three and four in the morning and I drive until three or four in the afternoon. Very seldom do we need an alarm clock and both of us are productive and alert when our body’s internal clocks say we should be.
In a small living space it can be difficult when we are not moving to not bother our sleeping partner. While we are awake and the other is sleeping we pull the curtain that separates the sleeper from the cab of the truck. Our truck has swivel seats and when turned they are almost as comfortable as the recliner at home. Bob often will use the computer and a headset to watch a movie while I sleep and in the morning I will work on my computer. If we are at a truck stop I will go inside and work at a corner table while I am supplied with as much coffee as I can drink.
In the scope of things we are much more relaxed then we used to be and we very seldom have to be productive when our mind is saying we need a break. Most team drivers we know also have worked out schedules that fit their personal needs. I know Bob really enjoys not having to get up first thing in the morning and face the happy chipper world that I live in and I am very thankful now that I can go to bed before eight in the evening and that is perfectly acceptable as well.