Ahhh, the bittersweet half day. Such a love/hate relationship. Ultimately though, love wins out for me. I hate it for one reason and one reason only, having to wake up and go to work. And while having to go to work is my greatest complaint in life, it doesn't outweigh the multiple things I love about half days.
You get out of work early. This one seems pretty obvious. Yeah you still have to wake up to that outrageously loud alarm clock, guzzle coffee that is way to hot to be consumed but you have to drink it immediately because you can't keep your eyes open, and carry out your normal routine for about 4 hours. But just knowing that you're only there for 4 hours seems to make it bearable. Brings me back to feeling like a kid again on half days during the school year, when I knew I'd be dominating a game of kick the can, man hunt, or home run derby as soon as they released us.
It saves time off for later in the year. If I don't need the vacation days for an actual vacation, then I see no harm in spreading the love and taking multiple half days for every full day that I otherwise would have been doing nothing. Just simple math, more days partially out of the office is greater than the occasional full day in my mind. Probably the only reason I've made it for this long at my job. I need these breaks.
And finally, the biggest reason I love half days, you get to rub it into co-workers (lesson as always, I live for spite). Sure they're jealous the Friday before you have a week off but that's nothing compared to half day envy. On a regular day off they don't have to see you, sure they may gripe about you not being there (I gripe with the best of them) but there is nothing to be jealous of. On a half day they have to see that smirk on your face knowing you'll be leaving those suckers in a few short hours. They have to hear the sarcastic "have fun the rest of the day" just to remind them that you'll be out having fun and they'll be living their same unchanging life. And the kicker...(drum roll)...You get to give them the rest of your work that you didn't finish on your way out the door! The look on their face is always priceless at this point. And that's what separates a half day from a regular day. You actually have to see someone looking forward to their day and having more fun than you could ever have on a full day of work. Well that's me today. Deal with it.
