I guess the most intimidating aspect of the job right now is time. I feel like I have this "time quota" hanging over my head all day. I guess balancing everything out (deliveries, scheduled pickups, call tags etc) will come in time.
Your story reminds me of when my daughter was in 6th grade. She was very nervous because she only had 3 minutes between classes and didn't think she would have enough time to go from one class to another while stopping at her locker. It took her about a week before she felt truly at ease. I mentioned this the other day and she laughed about it.
This job is all about time management. It will seem very intimidating at first when you scroll through EDD then look at your load and wonder how in the hell you are going to get it all done and be back in time for the air shuttle. The key is one stop at a time. Once that first stop is out of the way go on to the next and so on and before you know it the car is empty and you are starting your pickups. Do not skip your lunch and breaks--this is a bad habit that will come back to you in the form of extra work. It is up to you whether you decide to take them when the contract says you are supposed to or when it is convenient for you. You really should take them when you are supposed to but when you are a casual you sometimes don't have that option, depending on the route you are covering. The important thing is to take them. You may find yourself wanting to sort or go through EDD while on lunch and, to be honest, we have all done that when we were casuals. You will get to the point where you will feel comfortable taking your full lunch and break and not sorting or doing anything UPS (other than Brown Cafe). Your pickups will either be made while you are making the delivery or, and this is most common, will be after the bulk of your deliveries are done. If you see the letters AEPU next to one of your scheduled pickups it means you can make this pickup early. Pickups may try to take advantage of you as you are the new guy. Do your best to accomodate them while making sure you stay on schedule.
The DOL of the route you are covering will have a huge impact on your day. If the DOL (Delivery Order Listing) is accurate your day will be easier--simply follow trace. If the DOL is messed up your day will be messed up.
With time you will start to learn the subtleties of each area, to include number breaks, delivery points, what areas to avoid at certain times of the day (schools), what pickups you can make early and the ones that you may have to come back for, etc. You will also figure out the way each loader loads their cars--the ones that follow PAL and the ones who custom build their loads.
Finally, your ability to use the DIAD to your advantage will make your day that much easier.
In time you, much like my daughter, will look back at this and laugh.
Feel free to PM with any questions or concerns you may have and I will do my best to help you. Dave.