I work the midnight shift, normally 11pm to 7am, sometimes 10pm-6am or 9pm to 5am. Most people are confused and sympathetic when they first learn this, assuming I am the junior guy in the office who got stuck with the worst possible shift. In truth, I love the midnight shift, for three main reasons:

• It allows me to focus on my favorite part of the job, planning the flights. I enjoy trying to predict what the weather will be doing several hours into the future, tinkering with my flight plans, and testing different routes to find the most helpful winds. During a day or afternoon shift, I must divide my time between planning, monitoring, and dealing with phone and radio calls.
• Although I do sleep during the morning and early afternoon, I’m available every afternoon and evening to hang out with my family and friends. On occasion, I can wake up early to have lunch with them as well. The day and afternoon shifts give me less flexibility.
• The midnight shift is the easiest shift in terms of workload. Sure, it has its problems just like any other shift, especially if flights are running really late and the weather is terrible. Overall, though, it’s not bad at all. When I arrive, I take over responsibility for monitoring several flights until they land, which occurs anytime between 10:00pm and 2:00 or 3:00am unless it’s a really bad night. I start planning my morning flights around 1:00pm. Then I usually have some downtime to relax, eat, work on trades, or whatever else I need to do.

To make extra money, though, I sign up for day and afternoon shifts on many of my days off. The extra money is very helpful, but when I get one of those shifts, they are also a stretch assignment for me. I might get a phone call at any time from a captain wanting a weather brief, not just in the first hour of my shift. I might have to reroute a flight enroute to avoid weather or turbulence and check to see whether the aircraft has enough fuel onboard. These shifts jerk me out of my comfort zone and remind me of the old days when I was in training and then a reserve with a hodgepodge schedule. They keep my skills sharp. They make me do things I normally get to avoid, like talking on the radio. They remind me of what the day and afternoon folks have to deal with, which tunes me into their needs when I’m planning flights to hand over to them. Afterward, when I return to the midnight shift, I return stronger.

It’s helpful and important to give yourself stretch assignments. Sure, sitting in a comfy chair doing the same old thing the same old way is safe and doesn’t give you butterflies, but it doesn’t make you a better you, either. Push yourself. Challenge yourself to learn something new, to run a bit farther or faster. Find out where your limits are and try to increase them.

What are some ways you challenge yourself?