Thomas I’ve told you this on past videos, you remind of myself from 15 years ago. Mate it’s not all about work, time is ticking away and we can’t get it back, I used to live for job, and hated weekends, now I can’t wait for the weekend, join a gym FFS or motorbike club or something, you live in London for god sake, the most exciting city in the world..... But keep up the good work and videos Colin Smith Archway Electrical Bristol
Amazes me how eventhough I have nothing to do with electricity, I still manage to find insights in your content to apply in my everyday life. Thank you for that.
Never apologize for having a strong work ethic! I didn’t come from money so financial security, self reliance and success have always been important to me. I work 7 days a week and live a very frugal life. When all my mates were busy drinking away their pay, or taking holidays abroad every few weeks, I’m out getting the next job and putting money into my business. And it’s paid off, I now have resources and freedom few of them do. But I don’t think there’s any off switch for this, I find it really difficult to power down and stop thinking about work even on holiday.
Your doing it all wrong my friend were supposed to work hard to afford a good lifestyle for weekends holidays time with family your just zooming through life
@Bill Deblahhhsio getting out & seeing the country helps reset for the week ahead gives us reason to go and put the hard work in sitting in your van for few hours on a Sunday is doing it all wrong trust me
Whilst my wife watched Britain's got talent, I got my toolbox from the van and reorganised it whilst having a cup of tea. That, was my Saturday night. Wild.
When you are the Boss (and the Flunky), you don't have the excuse that 'Joe" did not get it done. I found that I also worked at the job during my spare time because I 'might' not get it later .
Must be nice to have a job like that, every 2 weeks I'm on call and after working a hard 8 hours I have to go out at night and put another 5 hours in. Get home at 12am and have to be up at 6am
Wholesalers selling by the meter are usually not pulling from 100m drums to avoid having loads of short ends kicking about, almost always 500m or 1000m.
Love working Weekends and Stand-by. I don’t know why. I guess normally if I get called out it’s going to be something urgent and needs doing which is a bit of a thrill.
I did ducting and ventilation (nights in a different town every night, typically start 6pm-8pm and finish 2am-4am) and the gaffer was fuming with us about how dirty the van was one time in about January I pointed out that we hadn't seen the van in daylight in over 4 months ^_^
@@muzikman2008 nah in his defence me and the other passenger (not the driver) used to smash Stella and smoke like chimneys on the way back and there was sticky shit and fag ash all over the shop 😅 but like I say in the winter months when the sun goes down at 4pm and doesn't come up til 8am we never saw it in daylight once. That poxy little yellow cab light doesn't show you anything 😅 prick wouldn't pay proper travel hours either so as far as I was concerned that was my free time and I wasn't at work any more 😂 I miss that job sometimes lmao
I work Saturdays and then usually go for a walk on the beach or a drive into the mountains somewhere on a Sunday. I'm lucky though as I live in Wales and am out of the city within 20 minutes. I do find myself organising the back of my van on a Sunday evening quite frequently though.
I used to call those moments in the van my meditation time. Just to let the mind settle and try catch my breath before next week began. I took nearly a month off recently and it’s reminded me to slow down a bit. I was the exact same as you before I did Tom, spinning plates and just keeping the show on the road. Long story short I’d say most tradesmen have been or are still in your position.
I can resonate with that Tom. Pressure of work can be really hard to deal with, but twiddling thumbs at the weekend can be so much worse. I also probably spend too much time in my van contemplating, sorting stuff out, thinking and putting my own world to rights, but it does give me mental clarity. i actually quite enjoy it.
Hi fellow sparky here, pray tell what are these nail plugs you speak of they sound saintly as West Midlands is filled with shite mortar, and where do you get them?
@@tarodchaoslord www.diy.com/departments/b-q-cable-pin-plugs-pack-of-100/178098_BQ.prd Pin plugs. They look a bit different to the ones I use. Just drill the right size hole and then use like a rawl plug.
What Tom showed was not what I sent him. What I sent was like the plugs shown on B&Q web-site but are made by Schneider Electric (Tower) called "55PP1 pin plug for cable clips". You should be able to source them from any Schneider stockist. I find them invaluable where either the mortar is rock hard or just crumbles when you look at it, as you fix the clips to the middle of the brick rather than along the mortar line. www.se.com/uk/en/product/55PP1/
I run a small communications business and find myself doing many of the same things -- invoicing, looking ahead at the week, ordering, keeping tabs on incoming orders, scheduling -- and of course, keeping after the van is a full time job (when your van is 4x4 and your job sites are on the sides of mountains - stuff gets tossed around!) LOVE that sortimo system, wish they had it here in the states!
I can not wait for the weekend to come around.I was the same when I started work but now I would hate to be at work at weekends.I would leave the job if I had too.
Hey Tom, I hear you mate. I sit in the company van on sundays sometimes and sometimes I wash and organize it for the new work week and take inventory so I can restock. Have a great weekend and work week ahead bud.
i have a toolcase, and everything is organized in a way i can grab the tool that i want with my eyes closed on the first try, its really nice. especially at the end of a long job you can see what tools you miss
That van organisation is a sight to behold! I'm not a tradesman, but similarly my workspace HAS to be tidy. Seeing clutter around me makes it more difficult to think, and I don't know why this is.
I see alot of similarities. I'd suggest that you tidy your van for the reason that your van is the unsung hero tool in your kit. By keeping organised the van plays it's part In helping to maintain an income. Nothing more therapeutic than taking an hour or two to tidy over the weekend when during the week there just isn't enough time. Great video.
Yes I agree have to keep the van tidy . Put everything back in its place . 👍👍. Don't know if i missed it . Where is nom nom ..
4 роки тому
Since I have retired, I have never been so busy. When I was working 30 years ago, the weekends I LOVED! They went by so fast the 2 days felt like 2 hours. I could get to work on the house, watch a bit of telly, fix my computers (which was my passion, but there was no money in it compared to building work.) In fact, I sometimes was even more tired on the weekend than I was on the job! So, no, I LOVED the weekends. And even now I am retired, I would NEVER want to go back to work!
I used to find myself sharpening chisels. That extended to the kitchen knives. Reminded me I like cooking. For things to do, I started building things and messing about with different ideas, that's extended to different sidelines that I'm entertained by but get a few quid out of, they change as I go. It's ok to get paid for a hobby.
Its Sunday at 6 am and I'm headed to my shop and then to an emergency service call. I'm the same exact way. I love what I do and this is my passion. So I'll work until the day they pry my channel locks from my hands😊😊
With you on the mental clarity. Works two ways for me: You get a lot of pleasure out of cleaning a vehicle, tidying up etc..and when it's done, your head feels less cluttered too. 7m will get you from the iso to the cooker/ shower, etc...
I generally work weekends as access to commercial is often easier. I like a day off during the week. Thats the great thing about working for yourself. You can give yourself the day off.
Another great video Tom! Weekends a perfect for light jobs and very therapeutic for clearing out the mess of a van at the end of the week. Thinking time and makes next week easier to use the van. 😃👍
Hi tom , like the new vid lol , well I’m a 39 yr old electrician , at weekends I go racing at Angmering raceway in West Sussex , it’s great fun and u forget about work for 5 mins , much recommend + good way to release the tension when I’ve sat in traffic all week !
I'm a painter I always like to keep my van super clean and organized, so when the misses sees her sister on a Saturday afternoon I'll often be out on the drive cleaning out my van sorting paints and brushes etc, but if not most the time I'll just spend 10 minutes each night after work doing it so that when Friday 2pm rolls around I can just pull up , lock up the van and then Monday morning I'm getting back into a clean van
Hey Tom I was just like you and was known to be still in the shed tidying out toolboxes at 1am on a Friday night or Sunday morning or refilling organiser boxes of screws and then 9 months ago along comes a baby and that was the end of that, now I've barely time to pit the drill batteries on charge in the evenings 😂😂
Usually I clean my house in the weekend. Vacuum, clean the bathroom and the toilet, sometimes wash my car or the windows. Sometimes little DIY in the house. Sometimes learning (for exams). Many things to do in the weekend for me. I also take walks.
U love your work so its your passion. If you have a Mrs then she must be a very understanding women. Once you have kids you will have no time at all. Enjoy it while you can, keep up the good work!
as an ac engineer working in London I do enjoy the weekend calmness to sort my van out. i do get a bit restless but i go mountain biking and am in a band so I'm kept busy that way
When I have left over cables, I roll it in 1m loops. So when I grab any cables, I count the loops. ( six loops means roughly six m of Cable there) . Saves righting length on cable.
Awe man if only I had your work ethic I'm also a spark but absolutely hate working weekends As for the 7m of 10mm^2 ....... fit 4 cookers Only in jest Love yer channel man .....you probably don't realise how much of a positive influence you are........
I also like to keep my van clean and tidy. Some say a van is just another tool.. But its also the face of the company. And it cost a fortune. Also very fast to keep clean and stocked up if you do it often.
I love the weekends. I used to work like a dog all the time but got a daughter now and I love my weekends. About wire returns, Where i am wholesalers never take wire back no matter what even though I can buy it buy the meter.
This will probably take you back Tom, but I'm a 1 man electrical business which goes from being on the tools through to viewing new jobs, doing the quotes, purchasing, invoicing, website, certificates, marketing, emails, van housekeeping and everything in between as well as now even starting a new UA-cam channel. Bottom line is I hardly even get time to sleep! The thing is though, even on those occasions when I think I'm on top of everything I'll still find something that I've missed. I think it can be very hard to switch off sometimes when you're a business owner. Love the channel BTW mate 👍
You should send your off cuts for recycling. We do it with Cat6 and before we know it, we have a huge bin of uselessly small bits but covers fuel and other small ends when we send in for scrap once a month or so.
Quote - “work to live, instead of living to work!” Tom you’ve gotta learn to switch off at the weekend because you’ll find that work will start to rule you. The most valuable thing in life is ‘Time itself’ and even with the best will in the world, you can’t get time back. Spend quality time at the weekend, doing the things in life that truly make you happy, i’e - time with family, pursue hobbies, riding you Ducati (as unreliable as they are lol) I like your videos and how frank you are with your honesty on all the jobs you take on. Keep up all the good work bud. Jim 👍
What you are doing Thomas is what we call in the military is "Getting your shit together" for the following work week, nothing wrong with what you are doing, you are organized.
Cheers mate from Canada! Any skilled tradesmen that traditionally works out of a service vehicle is usually on call 24/7!!!!! Weather he/she is or not! Comes with the job.
Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance Tom. You are quite right. I'd get out on the bike or go for a drive once all the work is done though mate. 👍
I spend a couple of hours on a Sunday sorting my van out, sometimes even put my work clothes on because it just feels better, I also coil up loose ends of cable and write the length on them, As for paperwork I save it till the missus is watching x factor or similar, "that reminds me" strictly is on so back to the invoicing
In response to your questions, yes, I do sit in my car even if I'm not going anywhere. Sometimes I'll be there listening to my music. I find that I like the quietness but also being in the driving seat is oddly comforting. I like to keep my car clean both inside and out, and it pisses me off to no end if people stuff wrappers into the door pockets. With regards to weekends, I find that I rarely have the motivation to do anything on my off days, not just weekends, unless I've planned to do something in advance.
I hate the weekend in a sense I get board, I would find myself looking at the phone looking for break-downs. I get board easily and like to be at something. To be fair I could possibly do with cleaning out the van, its a wash of rolls of cables, 3phase motors, heating elements and control boards. . . . . There is a job for tomorrow! Cheers Tom! B
My first thought at the intro was "Instant electrician, just add coffee" Nagy I'm in the same boat or I should say van! then again as its a Renault then maybe not. I likewise do find myself sitting in the van on a Sunday making up a new little ply shelf or compartment in my side materials door specifically for my low wattage dimmers or fart arsing around adding tape lights, spot lights, leisure batteries and inverters to the van!
Think I might go buy a van purely for sitting in at weekends👍🏻👍🏻 sounds delightful........me.... and vanny🤓🤓🤓. I also imagine there are a lot of people who escape to vans just to sit and ponder life!
I agree with you. If I’m not working or quoting I am cleaning out the van, tool bag etc. Your not on your own. I think a lot of electricians have OCD. I must change my van and tool bag every week.
Funny think about mounting panels. The town I live in (USA) has its own rule that a panel must be mounted so it’s top most breaker shall be no more than 54” above grade. That’s for people with disabilities and the ability to reset or turn of a breaker.
You need to invest in an online platform for your invoices. It is more effective. You can have your laptop / mobile with you to register the things you need for a job. Regards Nicolaj Smidt
I grab a bottle of beer and hot food on the way home. Sit in my drive way for couple hours, sending invoices, quotes, while listening to music, youtube and having a munch.
Never feel like you're a weirdo just because you can't relax at weekends, that's what running your own business is like. But at the same time you're a young guy like myself and work/life balance is important. I worked myself into bad health in my late twenties and it ended up with me changing careers. A few months before my 30th birthday I bought a classic sports car which I'd wanted to do for years. A few months later I bought another which needed restoration. I still work roughly every other Saturday, but I spend a good amount of time at the weekend tinkering with the cars and more importantly just going for a drive and burning a few gallons of fuel for the fun of it.
In 13 years it is rare that I have a weekend off. Both of my employers over that time have shifts every day of the week with little choice in what days you get off. If I get a weekend off it is either I'm very lucky, I purposefully booked the weekend off for an event or I'm on holidays
might be worth a look into tidy tradie work boot covers, way better then the blue boot covers. made of neoprene so reusable and easy to clean and put on and off.
The reason wholesalers dont take swa or cut lengths of cable is mainly down to them ending up with so many off cuts. For instance edmundsons buy it on 500-2000m drums then they cut to order, so if people go in buy 50m then return 20 they end up with it sitting on the shelf n the whole time its there they lose money on iy
I don’t know what’s worse you sat in the van talking to yourself or me watching you sat in a van talking to yourself 😂
Thomas
I’ve told you this on past videos, you remind of myself from 15 years ago. Mate it’s not all about work, time is ticking away and we can’t get it back, I used to live for job, and hated weekends, now I can’t wait for the weekend, join a gym FFS or motorbike club or something, you live in London for god sake, the most exciting city in the world.....
But keep up the good work and videos
Colin Smith
Archway Electrical
Bristol
Amazes me how eventhough I have nothing to do with electricity, I still manage to find insights in your content to apply in my everyday life. Thank you for that.
Same. I can barely wire a socket.
Noam Milner me too- I’m a civil engineering student but still fascinates me with the content. Makes me want to open an ITS trade account 😉
Agreed. Tom is a genius.
Same, I'm a gardener lol, just stumbled across one of his Vids earlier this year and followed along as we have similarities
Never apologize for having a strong work ethic! I didn’t come from money so financial security, self reliance and success have always been important to me. I work 7 days a week and live a very frugal life. When all my mates were busy drinking away their pay, or taking holidays abroad every few weeks, I’m out getting the next job and putting money into my business. And it’s paid off, I now have resources and freedom few of them do. But I don’t think there’s any off switch for this, I find it really difficult to power down and stop thinking about work even on holiday.
Your doing it all wrong my friend were supposed to work hard to afford a good lifestyle for weekends holidays time with family your just zooming through life
@Bill Deblahhhsio getting out & seeing the country helps reset for the week ahead gives us reason to go and put the hard work in sitting in your van for few hours on a Sunday is doing it all wrong trust me
Whilst my wife watched Britain's got talent, I got my toolbox from the van and reorganised it whilst having a cup of tea.
That, was my Saturday night.
Wild.
Poor bloke😂
Are you related to Liverpools James milner 🤔😂
@@tonyl1984 nah milner irons his kits while drinking a cheeky pint of still ribena
The joys of being your own boss, anything less than a 16 hour day feels like you're slacking.
When you are the Boss (and the Flunky), you don't have the excuse that 'Joe" did not get it done. I found that I also worked at the job during my spare time because I 'might' not get it later .
Simon you're so right.
That was the most saddest thing I heard all day
life is for living, 50 percent work 50 percent pleasure. simple, it should not be any other way.
The more time you spend making a living, the less time you spend living.
So I should work 12 hours a day 7 days a week?
I am a farmer and I don't have normal life. What is that?
Must be nice to have a job like that, every 2 weeks I'm on call and after working a hard 8 hours I have to go out at night and put another 5 hours in. Get home at 12am and have to be up at 6am
Some people enjoy work and class it as enjoying life . So it’s 100% pleasure . Not me though I hate work the less I work the happier I am
After a days work I always sit in the van and chill for a bit before I walk into the house. I like peace and quiet on my own for a bit 😂
Nathan Hedgeley same mate. Nice to have 5 minutes to decompress before going I. To the wife and kids.
I do the same too. Before I get into the noisy home
I’m doing it right now.
Wholesalers selling by the meter are usually not pulling from 100m drums to avoid having loads of short ends kicking about, almost always 500m or 1000m.
Love working Weekends and Stand-by. I don’t know why. I guess normally if I get called out it’s going to be something urgent and needs doing which is a bit of a thrill.
As I used drive for a living I found it important that you keep your van clean, after all that's your office that you sit in
I did ducting and ventilation (nights in a different town every night, typically start 6pm-8pm and finish 2am-4am) and the gaffer was fuming with us about how dirty the van was one time in about January
I pointed out that we hadn't seen the van in daylight in over 4 months ^_^
@@Camberwell86 he was prob on his period 😉
@@muzikman2008 nah in his defence me and the other passenger (not the driver) used to smash Stella and smoke like chimneys on the way back and there was sticky shit and fag ash all over the shop 😅 but like I say in the winter months when the sun goes down at 4pm and doesn't come up til 8am we never saw it in daylight once. That poxy little yellow cab light doesn't show you anything 😅 prick wouldn't pay proper travel hours either so as far as I was concerned that was my free time and I wasn't at work any more 😂 I miss that job sometimes lmao
Yep 🖐🏼 I do that in the van 🤣 missus goes mad looking for me
There's a difference between sitting in the van and 'hiding' (from the missus) in the van mate 😉
I work Saturdays and then usually go for a walk on the beach or a drive into the mountains somewhere on a Sunday. I'm lucky though as I live in Wales and am out of the city within 20 minutes. I do find myself organising the back of my van on a Sunday evening quite frequently though.
I used to call those moments in the van my meditation time. Just to let the mind settle and try catch my breath before next week began.
I took nearly a month off recently and it’s reminded me to slow down a bit. I was the exact same as you before I did Tom, spinning plates and just keeping the show on the road.
Long story short I’d say most tradesmen have been or are still in your position.
I can resonate with that Tom. Pressure of work can be really hard to deal with, but twiddling thumbs at the weekend can be so much worse. I also probably spend too much time in my van contemplating, sorting stuff out, thinking and putting my own world to rights, but it does give me mental clarity. i actually quite enjoy it.
Hopefully you'll find the nail plugs make life a lot easier when cleating outside.
I use them a lot when cleating across a wall with shite mortar.
Stuart Arnold they look good, where would I get them?
Hi fellow sparky here, pray tell what are these nail plugs you speak of they sound saintly as West Midlands is filled with shite mortar, and where do you get them?
@@tarodchaoslord www.diy.com/departments/b-q-cable-pin-plugs-pack-of-100/178098_BQ.prd
Pin plugs. They look a bit different to the ones I use. Just drill the right size hole and then use like a rawl plug.
What Tom showed was not what I sent him. What I sent was like the plugs shown on B&Q web-site but are made by Schneider Electric (Tower) called "55PP1 pin plug for cable clips". You should be able to source them from any Schneider stockist.
I find them invaluable where either the mortar is rock hard or just crumbles when you look at it, as you fix the clips to the middle of the brick rather than along the mortar line.
www.se.com/uk/en/product/55PP1/
Yes I hate weekends. Currently at work watching this.
I run a small communications business and find myself doing many of the same things -- invoicing, looking ahead at the week, ordering, keeping tabs on incoming orders, scheduling -- and of course, keeping after the van is a full time job (when your van is 4x4 and your job sites are on the sides of mountains - stuff gets tossed around!) LOVE that sortimo system, wish they had it here in the states!
Yeah, I feel the same way. If I'm not working I don't really know what to do with myself. I understand completely
My neighbors think I'm mad as I'm always cleaning out my van and sorting out my trays, glad it isn't just me then😄😄
I can not wait for the weekend to come around.I was the same when I started work but now I would hate to be at work at weekends.I would leave the job if I had too.
Thomas, I'm glad I’m not the only sparky who cleaning his van every weekend.
Yes I use to be the same. Must do something must do something. Gawd what to do. End up prepping for the next week and tidy clean.
Tom I'm a gardener and I go to work every weekend because I cant do weekends so I just go to work. I'm with you.
Hey Tom, I hear you mate. I sit in the company van on sundays sometimes and sometimes I wash and organize it for the new work week and take inventory so I can restock. Have a great weekend and work week ahead bud.
Structured and organised tools will reflect in the quality of your work 👌
I can proudly say I don't sit in my van at the weekend, I spend enough time in there during the week.
Nah, you’ll be in trees you fucking chipmunk😂
@@richardwilliamson3624 racist
Richard Williamson fucking hell
@@pingu8666 To be fair, I don't think Richard is a racist, I suspect he's more immature than anything.
Just hate vermin. 😂
i have a toolcase, and everything is organized in a way i can grab the tool that i want with my eyes closed on the first try, its really nice. especially at the end of a long job you can see what tools you miss
Not a tradesman, but I REALLY struggle to cool off at the weekend. Constantly hunting for jobs to do on the house or on the car. Drives my wife nuts.
That van organisation is a sight to behold! I'm not a tradesman, but similarly my workspace HAS to be tidy. Seeing clutter around me makes it more difficult to think, and I don't know why this is.
Friday night I walk away from the van , Monday morning I trudge toward it. Weekends are for giving the brain a rest.
I see alot of similarities. I'd suggest that you tidy your van for the reason that your van is the unsung hero tool in your kit. By keeping organised the van plays it's part In helping to maintain an income. Nothing more therapeutic than taking an hour or two to tidy over the weekend when during the week there just isn't enough time. Great video.
I'm always tinkering in the van as the misses says 🤣
Yep, I’m exactly the same! Get pretty bored on a Sunday. Clean out the van and sort stuff out for coming week, think we’re all sad!
I’m with you on this I sort the van ready for another week. Keep up the great work.
Yes I agree have to keep the van tidy . Put everything back in its place . 👍👍. Don't know if i missed it . Where is nom nom ..
Since I have retired, I have never been so busy. When I was working 30 years ago, the weekends I LOVED! They went by so fast the 2 days felt like 2 hours. I could get to work on the house, watch a bit of telly, fix my computers (which was my passion, but there was no money in it compared to building work.) In fact, I sometimes was even more tired on the weekend than I was on the job! So, no, I LOVED the weekends. And even now I am retired, I would NEVER want to go back to work!
Keeping the odd length of cable comes in handy ,saves the late panic trip to wholesalers for another part drum !
I showed my missus the part about struggling with weekends and she just laughed as I’m the exact same!!
I’m sitting in my van watching this 😂
I used to find myself sharpening chisels. That extended to the kitchen knives. Reminded me I like cooking. For things to do, I started building things and messing about with different ideas, that's extended to different sidelines that I'm entertained by but get a few quid out of, they change as I go. It's ok to get paid for a hobby.
I work Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00 Sat 08:00-12:00, clean the car that afternoon and clean tools. Sunday I go shooting.
My kids keep me busy at the weekend so no problem for me. Will be interesting to see how i keep myself busy when they are all grown up.
Its Sunday at 6 am and I'm headed to my shop and then to an emergency service call.
I'm the same exact way. I love what I do and this is my passion.
So I'll work until the day they pry my channel locks from my hands😊😊
With you on the mental clarity. Works two ways for me: You get a lot of pleasure out of cleaning a vehicle, tidying up etc..and when it's done, your head feels less cluttered too.
7m will get you from the iso to the cooker/ shower, etc...
More personal videos like this Nagy very good
I generally work weekends as access to commercial is often easier. I like a day off during the week. Thats the great thing about working for yourself. You can give yourself the day off.
Another great video Tom!
Weekends a perfect for light jobs and very therapeutic for clearing out the mess of a van at the end of the week.
Thinking time and makes next week easier to use the van.
😃👍
Hi tom , like the new vid lol , well I’m a 39 yr old electrician , at weekends I go racing at Angmering raceway in West Sussex , it’s great fun and u forget about work for 5 mins , much recommend + good way to release the tension when I’ve sat in traffic all week !
I'm a painter I always like to keep my van super clean and organized, so when the misses sees her sister on a Saturday afternoon I'll often be out on the drive cleaning out my van sorting paints and brushes etc, but if not most the time I'll just spend 10 minutes each night after work doing it so that when Friday 2pm rolls around I can just pull up , lock up the van and then Monday morning I'm getting back into a clean van
You made me stop watching UA-cam, instead I went outside to tidy up the van. Thanks mate 😂
Got in to field this week as a student electrician, it was awesome now I have to do this 2 years.
Hey Tom I was just like you and was known to be still in the shed tidying out toolboxes at 1am on a Friday night or Sunday morning or refilling organiser boxes of screws and then 9 months ago along comes a baby and that was the end of that, now I've barely time to pit the drill batteries on charge in the evenings 😂😂
Usually I clean my house in the weekend. Vacuum, clean the bathroom and the toilet, sometimes wash my car or the windows. Sometimes little DIY in the house. Sometimes learning (for exams). Many things to do in the weekend for me. I also take walks.
Wish I had time to relax of a weekend, babysitting grandkids on a Saturday and prep for the week on a sunday, paperwork etc ( IT )
U love your work so its your passion. If you have a Mrs then she must be a very understanding women. Once you have kids you will have no time at all. Enjoy it while you can, keep up the good work!
as an ac engineer working in London I do enjoy the weekend calmness to sort my van out. i do get a bit restless but i go mountain biking and am in a band so I'm kept busy that way
When I have left over cables, I roll it in 1m loops. So when I grab any cables, I count the loops. ( six loops means roughly six m of Cable there) . Saves righting length on cable.
i'll nab that idea! clever
" live your life" as Bruce Smart says. I spend 20 days away at a camp job , fly home and jump on the Triumph Tiger right away. No problems here mate !
Awe man if only I had your work ethic
I'm also a spark but absolutely hate working weekends
As for the 7m of 10mm^2 ....... fit 4 cookers
Only in jest
Love yer channel man .....you probably don't realise how much of a positive influence you are........
I also like to keep my van clean and tidy. Some say a van is just another tool.. But its also the face of the company. And it cost a fortune. Also very fast to keep clean and stocked up if you do it often.
You're like that bloke from Goodfellas... Tommy-two-times. "I'm gonna go get the papers get the papers"
Or Guy Martin.
I love the weekends. I used to work like a dog all the time but got a daughter now and I love my weekends. About wire returns, Where i am wholesalers never take wire back no matter what even though I can buy it buy the meter.
Just finished working this Sunday. I work Wednesday to Sunday spend Monday and Tuesday with my little ones
This will probably take you back Tom, but I'm a 1 man electrical business which goes from being on the tools through to viewing new jobs, doing the quotes, purchasing, invoicing, website, certificates, marketing, emails, van housekeeping and everything in between as well as now even starting a new UA-cam channel. Bottom line is I hardly even get time to sleep! The thing is though, even on those occasions when I think I'm on top of everything I'll still find something that I've missed. I think it can be very hard to switch off sometimes when you're a business owner. Love the channel BTW mate 👍
A drum of wholesaler👌🏼😂😂😂😂
You should send your off cuts for recycling. We do it with Cat6 and before we know it, we have a huge bin of uselessly small bits but covers fuel and other small ends when we send in for scrap once a month or so.
Been waiting for this all week
You have motorbike. That is what Sundays are for. Brekky at Rykas, then down to the coast for lunch, back up through Sussex.
Quote - “work to live, instead of living to work!” Tom you’ve gotta learn to switch off at the weekend because you’ll find that work will start to rule you. The most valuable thing in life is ‘Time itself’ and even with the best will in the world, you can’t get time back. Spend quality time at the weekend, doing the things in life that truly make you happy, i’e - time with family, pursue hobbies, riding you Ducati (as unreliable as they are lol) I like your videos and how frank you are with your honesty on all the jobs you take on. Keep up all the good work bud. Jim 👍
Think he enjoys it mate i wouldnt worry
Better than your normal endings to vlogs 😂 normally think to myself, okay he’ll finish off properly after the advert, except there aren’t any.
wen the door falls on his head in one of his video 🤣🤣🤣
After a week in my van Tom I prefer to sit in my Jag on a Sunday 😊
What you are doing Thomas is what we call in the military is "Getting your shit together" for the following work week, nothing wrong with what you are doing, you are organized.
Cheers mate from Canada! Any skilled tradesmen that traditionally works out of a service vehicle is usually on call 24/7!!!!! Weather he/she is or not! Comes with the job.
As Tom Farmer of Kwik Fit said - time to work in your business and and time to work ON your business. That's what thinking time is for.
Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance Tom. You are quite right.
I'd get out on the bike or go for a drive once all the work is done though mate. 👍
Come the weekend it all about down time for me. Xbox time and family time. I’ll tidy up my tools/vehicle if I have a quite spell in the week.
I spend a couple of hours on a Sunday sorting my van out, sometimes even put my work clothes on because it just feels better,
I also coil up loose ends of cable and write the length on them,
As for paperwork I save it till the missus is watching x factor or similar, "that reminds me" strictly is on so back to the invoicing
Yes, all of them!
Clearing the van out is therapy , whether your a sparky or a demo worker you want a clean 🧽 well organised van
In response to your questions, yes, I do sit in my car even if I'm not going anywhere. Sometimes I'll be there listening to my music. I find that I like the quietness but also being in the driving seat is oddly comforting.
I like to keep my car clean both inside and out, and it pisses me off to no end if people stuff wrappers into the door pockets.
With regards to weekends, I find that I rarely have the motivation to do anything on my off days, not just weekends, unless I've planned to do something in advance.
I hate the weekend in a sense I get board, I would find myself looking at the phone looking for break-downs. I get board easily and like to be at something. To be fair I could possibly do with cleaning out the van, its a wash of rolls of cables, 3phase motors, heating elements and control boards. . . . . There is a job for tomorrow!
Cheers Tom!
B
My first thought at the intro was "Instant electrician, just add coffee" Nagy I'm in the same boat or I should say van! then again as its a Renault then maybe not. I likewise do find myself sitting in the van on a Sunday making up a new little ply shelf or compartment in my side materials door specifically for my low wattage dimmers or fart arsing around adding tape lights, spot lights, leisure batteries and inverters to the van!
You can get rawl plugs for cable clips
Weekends are for family and friends! At least for me! ;)
Think I might go buy a van purely for sitting in at weekends👍🏻👍🏻 sounds delightful........me.... and vanny🤓🤓🤓. I also imagine there are a lot of people who escape to vans just to sit and ponder life!
I agree with you. If I’m not working or quoting I am cleaning out the van, tool bag etc. Your not on your own. I think a lot of electricians have OCD. I must change my van and tool bag every week.
Funny think about mounting panels. The town I live in (USA) has its own rule that a panel must be mounted so it’s top most breaker shall be no more than 54” above grade. That’s for people with disabilities and the ability to reset or turn of a breaker.
You need to invest in an online platform for your invoices. It is more effective. You can have your laptop / mobile with you to register the things you need for a job.
Regards Nicolaj Smidt
I grab a bottle of beer and hot food on the way home. Sit in my drive way for couple hours, sending invoices, quotes, while listening to music, youtube and having a munch.
Never feel like you're a weirdo just because you can't relax at weekends, that's what running your own business is like. But at the same time you're a young guy like myself and work/life balance is important. I worked myself into bad health in my late twenties and it ended up with me changing careers. A few months before my 30th birthday I bought a classic sports car which I'd wanted to do for years. A few months later I bought another which needed restoration. I still work roughly every other Saturday, but I spend a good amount of time at the weekend tinkering with the cars and more importantly just going for a drive and burning a few gallons of fuel for the fun of it.
In 13 years it is rare that I have a weekend off. Both of my employers over that time have shifts every day of the week with little choice in what days you get off. If I get a weekend off it is either I'm very lucky, I purposefully booked the weekend off for an event or I'm on holidays
Happy Sunday nagz
might be worth a look into tidy tradie work boot covers, way better then the blue boot covers. made of neoprene so reusable and easy to clean and put on and off.
Clipping cable to hard wall. Drill 6mm hole, insert red uno rawlplug then hammer in cable clip. Job done,
The reason wholesalers dont take swa or cut lengths of cable is mainly down to them ending up with so many off cuts. For instance edmundsons buy it on 500-2000m drums then they cut to order, so if people go in buy 50m then return 20 they end up with it sitting on the shelf n the whole time its there they lose money on iy
For invoicing, get rid of paper and use ServiceM8 if your iPhone users, not available on Android unfortunately
Can see what you mean about weekends, it all changes when you have a family
Hi Tom, great videos, possible do a live UA-cam Sunday chat from the van.