4 ms·

Some are missing the point, most of the work we as software developers does not need long hours but deep focus. The best of the best are able to have 4 hours wo

by sremani 11y ago

Some are missing the point, most of the work we as software developers does not need long hours but deep focus. The best of the best are able to have 4 hours worth of deep focus, and we are lucky to get an hour or two of it. That would be huge. So the good habits that help us with focus and emphasizes on recovery like walking in the woods (our natural habitat), meditation etc. Its not the time, the hardware of brain is pretty much fixed, its the software, habits and mindset that make the difference.

arca_vorago 11y ago
On the same point, this is one of my primary frustrations as a sysadmin, because sometimes I need to be available lickety-split, but sometimes I need to be in deep focus mode, but my office environment isn't very conducive to deep focus mode... so sometimes I have to disappear myself to a hidden place just to get some thinking in. Or, what happens more often, is that my productivity suffers and I end up staying late till everyone has gone away so I can actually not be interrupted. Also, I really don't like shared open office spaces, and as a vet with ptsd, I really don't like having my back turned to the door, but management wants to be able to see everyones screen as they walk by. While we are talking about overworked, the other issue that bugs me is disparity in expected work vs pay. To me, employment is a contract of goods and services. You pay me money to get a job done at a certain level. If you want me to be superman, you better pay me more like it! Instead, I continually hear the guys who have worked at a place more than 15 years say "You have to put in the work and effort and then hope they give you that raise, perk, etc...". I don't think the baby-boomer generation realizes that there is no such thing as company loyalty in the big scheme of things anymore, especially in an at-will state. I'm tired of employees bending over backwards because they bring no power to the negotiating table on just about anything. I have a personal life and identity that is completely separate from work and I intend to keep it that way. If you pay me enough I would reconsider my work life balance, but I'm not going to do it for free and hope for it, it needs to be a deal struck in agreement between both parties and in contract form. If there is one thing I could encourage we teach IT workers, it's the power of learning how contract law works, and all the stuff that comes with that. (eg: no you don't have to sign that, yes you can amend it, no that TOS is bad and unenforceable, that falls under the UCC, etc)
- learningMachine 11y ago
  Any good suggests on where to learn how contract law works?
  - arca_vorago 11y ago
    I would say start with some business law lecture series. I love the move from some of the best universities to put that sort of think online for free.
- Swizec 11y ago
  > You pay me money to get a job done at a certain level. If you want me to be superman, you better pay me more like it! Instead, I continually hear the guys who have worked at a place more than 15 years say "You have to put in the work and effort and then hope they give you that raise, perk, etc...". As Jay-Z put it: You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.
- gozur88 11y ago
  >I don't think the baby-boomer generation realizes that there is no such thing as company loyalty in the big scheme of things anymore, especially in an at-will state. I very much doubt this is true. It was the baby boomers who bore the brunt of the new paradigm in the '70s and '80s. By the time gen-X entered the workforce you had to be a bit delusional to think your employer saw you as anything other than an expense to be minimized.
- refurb 11y ago
  management wants to be able to see everyones screen as they walk by Jesus! Are you serious? Do they have a good reason or is it literally to keep an eye on everyone to make sure they are working? If it's the latter, I'd suggest looking for a new job. Whenever I take a "brain rest" at work, I'm surfing the net and often it's Hacker News. My boss (and her boss) have often walked in, looked at the screen and asked me if I'm reading something interesting. My company's culture is basically "get your work done, otherwise I don't care how you spend you time".
- rbanffy 11y ago
gerbilly 11y ago
>most of the work we as software developers does not need long hours but deep focus. Most of the demands for long hours in the software business come down to the fact that no one wants to be the one to _organize_ things. Instead of planning our work so the team knows what they are building, we go in two weeks sprints to build half baked solutions to ill posed problems. Then we fight fires in production at all hours and feel like big heroes for cleaning up messes that could have been avoided.

by sremani 11y ago

arca_vorago 11y ago

On the same point, this is one of my primary frustrations as a sysadmin, because sometimes I need to be available lickety-split, but sometimes I need to be in deep focus mode, but my office environment isn't very conducive to deep focus mode... so sometimes I have to disappear myself to a hidden place just to get some thinking in. Or, what happens more often, is that my productivity suffers and I end up staying late till everyone has gone away so I can actually not be interrupted. Also, I really don't like shared open office spaces, and as a vet with ptsd, I really don't like having my back turned to the door, but management wants to be able to see everyones screen as they walk by. While we are talking about overworked, the other issue that bugs me is disparity in expected work vs pay. To me, employment is a contract of goods and services. You pay me money to get a job done at a certain level. If you want me to be superman, you better pay me more like it! Instead, I continually hear the guys who have worked at a place more than 15 years say "You have to put in the work and effort and then hope they give you that raise, perk, etc...". I don't think the baby-boomer generation realizes that there is no such thing as company loyalty in the big scheme of things anymore, especially in an at-will state. I'm tired of employees bending over backwards because they bring no power to the negotiating table on just about anything. I have a personal life and identity that is completely separate from work and I intend to keep it that way. If you pay me enough I would reconsider my work life balance, but I'm not going to do it for free and hope for it, it needs to be a deal struck in agreement between both parties and in contract form. If there is one thing I could encourage we teach IT workers, it's the power of learning how contract law works, and all the stuff that comes with that. (eg: no you don't have to sign that, yes you can amend it, no that TOS is bad and unenforceable, that falls under the UCC, etc)

learningMachine 11y ago
Any good suggests on where to learn how contract law works?
- arca_vorago 11y ago
  I would say start with some business law lecture series. I love the move from some of the best universities to put that sort of think online for free.
Swizec 11y ago
> You pay me money to get a job done at a certain level. If you want me to be superman, you better pay me more like it! Instead, I continually hear the guys who have worked at a place more than 15 years say "You have to put in the work and effort and then hope they give you that raise, perk, etc...". As Jay-Z put it: You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.
gozur88 11y ago
>I don't think the baby-boomer generation realizes that there is no such thing as company loyalty in the big scheme of things anymore, especially in an at-will state. I very much doubt this is true. It was the baby boomers who bore the brunt of the new paradigm in the '70s and '80s. By the time gen-X entered the workforce you had to be a bit delusional to think your employer saw you as anything other than an expense to be minimized.
refurb 11y ago
management wants to be able to see everyones screen as they walk by Jesus! Are you serious? Do they have a good reason or is it literally to keep an eye on everyone to make sure they are working? If it's the latter, I'd suggest looking for a new job. Whenever I take a "brain rest" at work, I'm surfing the net and often it's Hacker News. My boss (and her boss) have often walked in, looked at the screen and asked me if I'm reading something interesting. My company's culture is basically "get your work done, otherwise I don't care how you spend you time".
rbanffy 11y ago

gerbilly 11y ago

>most of the work we as software developers does not need long hours but deep focus. Most of the demands for long hours in the software business come down to the fact that no one wants to be the one to _organize_ things. Instead of planning our work so the team knows what they are building, we go in two weeks sprints to build half baked solutions to ill posed problems. Then we fight fires in production at all hours and feel like big heroes for cleaning up messes that could have been avoided.