The Panama shift pattern (2-2-3) explained
Two on, two off, three on — then the mirror image. The Panama pattern is one of the most common 12-hour rotations there is, and one of the kindest to a life outside work. Here's how it actually falls across a fortnight, and what to do with it.
The short answer: the Panama shift pattern, also called 2-2-3 or Pitman, is a 14-day cycle of 12-hour shifts: two on, two off, three on, two off, two on, three off. That's seven shifts a fortnight, 84 hours, or 42 a week on average.
Because the cycle is exactly two weeks long, it lands on the same weekdays every fortnight, and you get every other weekend off as a three-day break.
How it falls across the fortnight
Drawn from a Monday, one crew's fortnight looks like this:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Work | Work | Off | Off | Work | Work | Work |
| Week 2 | Off | Off | Work | Work | Off | Off | Off |
Week 1 is the heavy week: five shifts, including the whole weekend. Week 2 is the light one: two shifts and a Friday-to-Sunday weekend off. You never work more than three days in a row, and you're never off for more than three.
A workplace running it 24/7 usually has four crews: two on days and two on nights, with each pair working opposite halves of the fortnight, so someone is always on.
The days-and-nights version
Many employers don't keep a crew on days for good. Instead crews swap between days and nights, most often every two weeks, which makes the full cycle 28 days: a Panama fortnight on days, then a Panama fortnight on nights.
The hours don't change, but your sleep does: every fortnight you flip between a day body clock and a night one. The two-day breaks in the middle of each fortnight help, and the three-day weekend at the end of the night fortnight is where most people turn back round. Some places rotate faster, swapping every week or even every block; check what your own roster means before planning around it.
What it's like to work
- Plannable. Because the fortnight always looks the same, you can say yes to something every other Tuesday, or every second weekend, and actually keep it. Very few rotations allow that.
- Never too long on. Three 12-hour shifts is the most you work in a row, so fatigue stays manageable.
- Never long off, either. The three-day weekend is the biggest break you get. If you want a week away, it costs leave.
- The heavy weekend. Every other weekend you work Friday to Sunday. Family and social life fit round the weekend you have, not the one you don't.
Habits on a Panama roster
The fortnightly repeat makes 2-2-3 the friendliest rotating pattern for habits. A few things that work:
- Plan by fortnight, not by week. Week 1 and week 2 are different shapes, so a weekly target ("gym three times a week") will be easy one week and impossible the next. Set it per fortnight instead.
- Keep minimum versions for 12-hour days. On a work day there's room for sleep, food and one small habit. Decide what that small version is in advance.
- Give the two-day breaks a job. The first day off after a block is recovery. The second is the day for the habit that needs a free afternoon.
- Use the long weekend for the big things. The three-day weekend is when the longer habits fit: a long run, a batch cook, a proper reset of the house.
- On the days-and-nights version, split habits by shift type. A habit that fits your day fortnight may need a smaller version, or a different time, on the night fortnight. The night shift routine guide covers what changes.
Setting it up in Shifty Habits
Shifty Habits has the Panama fortnight as a ready-made preset, "2 on, 2 off, 3 on". Pick it, choose which of your shift types fills each stint, and pick the day your fortnight starts on the calendar. For the days-and-nights version, add the preset twice and choose your night shift for the second fortnight, which builds the full 28-day cycle.
Habits then attach to shift types rather than weekdays: a "work day" habit appears on every work day wherever it falls, and a habit for your days off isn't marked as missed on a shift.
Shifty Habits is a free habit tracker built around rotating rosters. Your Panama roster goes in once and repeats by itself, your streaks skip the days a habit doesn't apply to, and Sleep Mode can quieten your phone around your night fortnight.
Get it free on Google PlayFor how Panama compares with 4-on-4-off, DuPont, Continental and Southern Swing, see common shift patterns explained.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Panama shift pattern?
The Panama shift pattern, also called 2-2-3 or Pitman, is a fourteen-day cycle of 12-hour shifts: two days on, two off, three on, two off, two on, three off. It works out at seven shifts a fortnight, 84 hours, or 42 hours a week on average, and repeats on the same weekdays every two weeks.
Do you get every other weekend off on a Panama schedule?
Yes. Laid out from a Monday, one week of the fortnight has you working Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the other gives you Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, so every other weekend is a three-day break.
How many hours a week is a Panama shift pattern?
42 hours on average: seven 12-hour shifts in fourteen days is 84 hours a fortnight. The weeks aren't equal, though. One week has five shifts, 60 hours, and the other has two, 24 hours.
Does the Panama pattern include night shifts?
It can. Some workplaces keep crews on days or nights permanently, but many rotate crews between a fortnight of day shifts and a fortnight of night shifts, which makes a 28-day cycle with the same 2-2-3 shape on each half.
What is the difference between Panama and 4-on-4-off?
Both average 42 hours a week on 12-hour shifts. Panama never has more than three shifts or three days off in a row, and its fourteen-day cycle repeats on the same weekdays. 4-on-4-off gives longer blocks of work and rest, but its eight-day cycle drifts through the week, so your days off land on different weekdays each time.