If you've been in the workworld long enough, then you know what an insane work day or shift is. It's those windows were you're going to work a full shift and then do a whole lot more before ending the day and seeing your bed. Then, if it's a big one, you're doing again day after day. Ideally, you're also getting paid extra for the effort, which makes it worth your time in the first place. However, while the money at first seems very attractive, exhaustion and burnout makes it pale very quickly. Now you face a new challenge; how do you get through the shift and complete the job so you can rest? Having done insane shifts, tours of duty and crazy overtime, I can at least share a few tips.

First, when you're doing a long project, i.e. more than a week, you're going to need to pace yourself. The pay for 12 or 14-hour days might seem really attractive but once you've done a few, you're going to feel that exhaustion kicking in. You're also going to be tempted to compensate with cheap crap in food, drink or other stuff and it's only going to make you feel worse. So, instead, you need to eat right, eat to fuel, sleep deep when its time to break, and pace yourself through the work. It's not a race. You're in a marathon. Go through the work with a rhythm and steady speed instead. You'll make more progress faster than in spurts or flurries. You'll also avoid burning out.

Second, use white noise. I tend to use music or a documentary video. If I have a good Internet connection, I'll put my phone on Jungle TV and let it run while I work. What's wrong with double-tasking and making some extra crypto passively in the meantime? 

Third, make sure you eat well. Your body is going to go through sustained stress. That's going burn a lot of calories, and you're not going to have regular times to relax and recuperate. So, when you eat, consume food that gives you fuel for an extended period. Real meats, vegetables and healthy carbs are ideal. Avoid fast food no matter how tempting it will be. It's basically as bad as sugar, gives you a momentary bump and then you crash an hour or so later. 

Fourth, if you can, break your work up into doable goals each day. This will give you a mark of progress to achieve, and it reduces what seems like a crazy job to a very doable work schedule. The salami-slicing approach is extremely effective. Look at this way; the Grand Canyon is about 18.4 miles across, far to much for anyone jump and a hell of a long hike. But if you walk 5 miles in a day, it's very doable. Before a week is done, you're already on the other side, and you have time to spare. Approach your crazy work the same way.

Five, keep track of your work. When you get into the slump of the phase, it will seem like every hour and day blends together. Tracking your work by transaction helps you measure progress, and it gives you a very handy reference to prove what you did if someone questions your performance. Somebody's system timestamp does the same, but you create your own tracking sheet, you have control of the information in your back pocket.

Finally, when you can rest, do it. Don't go out drinking or take a bender. Those six or seven hours of sleep will be critical to continue through the next day. Protect it like gold, take a shower, eat and sack out. Even five hours of solid, deem REM-sleep is huge for recovery.

Crazy work shifts don't have to be your hill to die on, but they can do a lot of damage if you don't know how to approach them when the workload spikes. Run it like a marathon and you'll finish, get your extra pay reward and be able to repeat again.