Working Opposite Shifts. How do you do it?

Phew, I feel for you guys! I only go in five hours earlier than FH but sometimes even that is hard. But when I work overnights, we make sure our mealtimes match up- even if that means I have my breakfast when he's eating dinner. Definitely try to do that and schedule a date during the week if you can..even if it means sacrificing sleep! I like to leave little notes for him to wake up to, too, by his keys for him to read when he leaves for work.

We've only been living together for a month - but we are currently on opposite schedules. I work during the week and he is working weekend nights. We are able to have dinner together week nights, but on the weekends we see eachother once or twice - since he sleeps during the day. We are working on planning out things and dinners so that we make sure we have quality time together. His schedule will change every two months so we will have to readjust each time and fall into a different routine.

I often go away in the field for weeks at a time and FH is an executive chef so his hours can be all over the place. Typically we are on a very similar schedule but once in awhile it can be weeks between us actually seeing one another. We text a lot, leave each other love messages on our white board, I kiss him goodbye in the morning when he's still in bed and he gives me a kiss at night when he comes home even if the other is sleeping. When I am out of town we also set up skype dates.

Thanks. These are some great ideas. Last week I got home at 10 and he was headed to bed by 10:30 and gone before 6am. We squeeze in what we can, but he does have to sleep since he drives all day for his job. Wouldn't want him to fall asleep while driving. I get up with him in the mornings too. In the winter we often work opposites as he is a snow plow driver. We do our best to make it all work out.

When I was working overseas, I would get up at 5 AM (which meant going to bed early every night) so that I could talk to him. I'd leave for 3 weeks at a time. It was hard, but we got through it.

I can relate, just remember why you are together! That gets me through the days where I miss my FH!

Our situation is not nearly as extreme as yours, I am sorry, that sounds like it must be very hard on both of you. My FH works 6:00am-2:00pm at his main job 5 minutes from home, while I work 9:30-6:00 an hour away from home. FH also works a side gig delivering pizzas for a local pizza joint on Monday nights, and as needed filling in for other drivers, he also is taking night classes and those days change depending on the semester, but right now for Summer it is Wednesday and Thursday nights. When he has an evening thing going on he won't get home 'till 10-11, but when he doesn't have an evening thing going on he gets home just after 2. I usually get home around 7, unless I have an errand, then I get home around 8-9. He used to work the pizza job 5 days a week, and we pretty much gave up on seeing each other except for a few moments before bed on weekdays. But this is the first time in a long time that we have both had a day job that is M-F, so we get to see each other on weekends.

We just make the best of the little time we have. Not being together all the time means that we always have stories to tell each other about our day, so there is that I guess.

I work a 4-3-3-4 and FH is on normal hours (8-5). Also, we live about 90miles apart. Phone time is really important to us. We make a point to talk during lunchtime and for about 20 min after I get off work. It helps keep the closeness since we don't get a lot of time together.

I work am shift and FH works afternoon to night shift. We only see each other on the weekend, when I'm done with work, he is about to go to work.. it is tough We try to squeeze in everything on the weekend, go grocery shopping, the beach, date night. It's tough but we make it work.

I feel ya. FH and I started dating 9/28/08 and we have been on a opposite schedule since. He works 3pm to 11:30 pm at the same job for the past almost 7 years. It definitely makes the time spent together a little sweeter tho.

We work opposite schedules as well. FH works 10 hour day shifts, Sunday through Weds. I work second shift as a nurse and my schedule is scattered all over the place, with me working every other weekend as well. I also am in my last year of graduate school and do clinical hours on my days off. We maybe get a half day once a week to spend together before I go to work. During that time we get groceries, shop for carpeting, boring stuff. But while we are together, we just enjoy whatever time we do have doing simple things. Like today, we went for a quiet breakfast together and that has become somewhat of a tradition on the days where he is off and I have to work in the afternoon. Find the time you can and just enjoy it.

When my DH worked nights and I had a 5:30 am class and then full time work until 6, we would talk as much as we could and had set times. IF he was getting off of work at 5 ish, he would call and wake me up and we would chat until I got to class or he fell asleep. Then I would call on a break at work (usually 4-4:30 pm) and wake him up for work and it would continue on. He did this schedule for 3 months or so (7 days a week, 10 hour days), so I hear ya. Just try to get in as much talking or seeing time as possible!

FH and I work opposite shifts. I work 730-4 Monday through Friday and have school Monday and Wednesday Nights and he goes to school from 8-3 Monday through Friday and works from 5-11 Sunday through Friday so we only have Saturdays off together which is always filled with running errands and wedding planning we try to find time Saturday nights to go it for a date or have people over for drinks but sometimes it just doesn't work. Its hard but when we are both done with school it will make it easier and well worth it when we have our house and start our family.

Thanks everyone. DH just went back to nights after 2 weeks of normal day hours. I started getting up at about 5-5:45am so that I can see him before he goes to bed, unless he gets home earlier and sneaks into bed while I am sleeping. I do not disturb him then. I also call him each day when I get off work and talk for a few minutes if he has time. His job doesn't always allow for much more than a hi, be safe, I love you, bye. But when it does we spend more time on the phone. He tries to spend some time on the weekends awake during the day with our daughter and after she gets home from school. It isn't always easy, ok honestly it is rarely easy, but we are holding it together and have a 4 day vacation coming up for us in a few weeks.