I work 40 hours a week for a US client and used an EOR service to get a HSP visa here. I arrived a few weeks ago. Currently, I work 3 am – 11 am (I can start as early at 12 AM) and sleep from 7:30 pm – 2:30 am.
This arrangement has its pros (A US tech consultant’s income in Japan is very nice) but I also don’t like having to eat dinner super early and being limited on the number of social events I can go to during the day. The lack of breakfast options is also pretty annoying, though I am able to make something quick at home.
My other option is to work 12 am – 8 am, and sleep from 8 am – 3 pm. Leaves me lots of time to do social events and hobbies during the weekdays, and more convenient for meals. The con is that on the weekends I’d lose most of the day due to my sleep cycle.
Would def like to hear from others who work outside time zone.
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14 comments
If I were you I’d stick with your current schedule. It’s the only one that resembles a healthy lifestyle – its best to avoid working at night if you can. Personally I don’t care much about social events and eating cereal or something basic for breakfast is fine for me. Getting paid in USD in Japan is a great opportunity to save up.
I’m on a flex schedule at a hospital(non-patient position) and the earlier you start your work day the better. I’ve tried both starting earlier (9-10pm) and starting later (1am+) and I was generally happier seeing more sun, the brighter/earlier the better
I like your current schedule. It reminded me of mine when I was working with Japan office while living in the US east coast.
I’ve been doing your exact same schedule since September and I would definitely say stick with it. Aside from having a little bit of brain fog when I first wake up, it’s allowed very little disruption with work and life. I do occasionally sacrifice a full night’s sleep to do social events in the evening from time to time. But that’s not something a solid 20 minute nap can’t fix after work.
I had attempted the 12 am to 8 am schedule you’re thinking about, but toward the end of my work day my brain was often toast.
Cocaine
I also work for U.S. based clients that are on the west coast with colleagues that start early, so I can’t delay my start to 3am. Most of the time I work from about about 9pm until 5-6am and sleep after work. Get up in the afternoon and spend time with my family. Been doing this for five years. Would love to work a more normal schedule but being available for a bulk of the work day is crucial. Friday nights I knock out a little early and this allows me to get up a bit earlier on the weekends. The meal timing and what I eat for “breakfast” etc is not so important to me so that has never been a factor. I normally just eat dinner with the family.
Did you know that Japan Standard Time is shifted slightly earlier than it should be if 12 noon were aligned exactly with “astronomical noon?”
What that means is that the sun is at its highest point in the day BEFORE 12 noon (11:38 actually). There is more daylight in the am than in the pm. So in terms of sleep schedules, it is always better to start earlier (3am) than later in Japan.
your current schedule is better for health in the long run. I don’t have set preferences for certain foods at certain times since I already do a fasting schedule, which helped since I ordered multiple breakfasts at a time to eat whenever I felt like.
I make a compressed working arrangement with my clients and ensure the ball is in their court for the days I will be off, so I almost always get at least one weekday off every 2-3 weeks to do my social and hobby things.
I would go for the second schedule if you’re young or trying to enjoy Japan. Most people and activities on the weekdays at least don’t start until after 6pm. With the first schedule you’d be missing everything basically (if you have to sleep by 7:30pm). If you’re married or with a family, I might suggest the first option. But I personally think the second sounds more appealing.
God damn.. Wish I would have heard about an EOR years ago. That sounds like such a nice setup. What are the down sides?
Are you always needed?
used to do 10pm-2or 3am
sleep then continue when awake like 8-9am
late or early meetings would shift it from time to time
Both time slots are good, but something in between might be what you are looking for. Because trains don’t run overnight most sociaizing ends by around midnight.
So depending on your fav type of socializing, you might just start work or need power nap in which case 3am will great.
Keep in mind, there is no much socializing happening during the week (at least when you don’t work for a local company).
Also, if you moved recently here, you will realise, sociallizing here is not easy and takes an effort so having the perfect conditions (aka be available when others go out) will work in your favour.
Yeah, another vote for your current schedule. I worked 4am-12pm for awhile, and found it to be pretty nice. I definitely wasn’t at peak productivity for the first couple hours most days, but made it work. Ideally, you could nap after lunch and get a little boost if you’re doing some evening socializing. I pretty much stopped drinking during the week, too. Side benefit haha
4am to 12pm was my ideal schedule. I live rural and focus best early morning before the world gets noisy. Having at least half the day free to do as I please was always a massive bonus, especially while my children were younger.
I’m currently doing 8am to 4pm but when Australia goes back to daylight savings I get to do 7am starts.
Similar deal but I’m working for a company in Melbourne on a 32 hour week. (Mon – Thu).