My new rule to shut down for five minutes every ninety minutes
I always thought working straight through a shift was just how things were done. My last job had us going non stop, no breaks, for like eight hours straight. One afternoon, I got so zoned out I almost misread a weight chart, and that FREAKED me out. So I made a personal rule to stop the crane and step out for five minutes every hour and a half. I just walk a little, drink water, and look at something other than the controls. Yeah, the ground crew gave me side eye the first few times, thinking I was slacking. But my lifts got way more accurate, and I caught a potential rigging issue last week because my head was clear. That small pause makes a MASSIVE difference in how I operate all day.