3 ms·

Nonsense. This directly contradicts over 150 years of research that says working over 40 hours a week doesn't lead to increased productivity (and actually hurt

Nonsense. This directly contradicts over 150 years of research that says working over 40 hours a week doesn't lead to increased productivity (and actually hurts it). [0] In the 19th century, when organized labor first compelled factory owners to limit workdays to 10 (and then eight) hours, management was surprised to discover that output actually increased – and that expensive mistakes and accidents decreased. This is an experiment that Harvard Business School’s Leslie Perlow and Jessica Porter repeated over a century later with knowledge workers. It still held true. Predictable, required time off (like nights and weekends) actually made teams of consultants more productive. [1] [0] http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/bring_back_the_40_hour_work_week/ http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/bring_back_the_40_hour_work_... [1] https://hbr.org/2015/08/the-research-is-clear-long-hours-backfire-for-people-and-for-companies https://hbr.org/2015/08/the-research-is-clear-long-hours-bac...

whack 10y ago
What you're saying is probably true for 99% of workers who work-to-live. If you're someone who's working 80 hour weeks, because of fear/greed, then I agree that your productivity is going to suffer. But I don't think this is true for the small minority of people who are so passionate about the project, that they are intrinsically motivated to put in insanely long hours. I've experienced such intrinsic motivation during various parts of my own life, and the resulting 80 hour work-weeks that I imposed on myself didn't feel like a productivity drain at all. I think this is what Marissa Meyer and other startup founders are referring to, when they talk about the insanely long hours they worked during the early stages of their company.
- chriskanan 10y ago
  Completely agree. I'm guessing most studies are done using population averages and perhaps with non-programming jobs. It would be really interesting to study this specifically among start-ups, academics, or game developers where some people put in very long hours.
- asdfologist 10y ago
  That might be true, but I'd like to see research done on that. Regardless, what's clear is that this belief is used to justify overworking the masses: "The Google guys became so successful because they worked 130 hours a week. Why can't you put in a few extra hours a day, Johnny? And while you're at it, pee less often." We need to stop glorifying long hours at the expense of ruining mental/physical health and human relationships (among other things).
- kristianc 10y ago
  If you're putting in 80 hour weeks and feel drained and burnt out, it's not because you're greedy or fearful, it's because human biology puts hard limits on these things.
  - whack 10y ago
    There are plenty of people who put in 45 hour work-weeks, and then spend another 20-40 hours on hobbies that are extremely cognitively demanding, and still manage to achieve great things during those extra 20-40 hours. It's not a biological limit, it's a motivation/passion limit.

whack 10y ago

What you're saying is probably true for 99% of workers who work-to-live. If you're someone who's working 80 hour weeks, because of fear/greed, then I agree that your productivity is going to suffer. But I don't think this is true for the small minority of people who are so passionate about the project, that they are intrinsically motivated to put in insanely long hours. I've experienced such intrinsic motivation during various parts of my own life, and the resulting 80 hour work-weeks that I imposed on myself didn't feel like a productivity drain at all. I think this is what Marissa Meyer and other startup founders are referring to, when they talk about the insanely long hours they worked during the early stages of their company.

chriskanan 10y ago
Completely agree. I'm guessing most studies are done using population averages and perhaps with non-programming jobs. It would be really interesting to study this specifically among start-ups, academics, or game developers where some people put in very long hours.
asdfologist 10y ago
That might be true, but I'd like to see research done on that. Regardless, what's clear is that this belief is used to justify overworking the masses: "The Google guys became so successful because they worked 130 hours a week. Why can't you put in a few extra hours a day, Johnny? And while you're at it, pee less often." We need to stop glorifying long hours at the expense of ruining mental/physical health and human relationships (among other things).
kristianc 10y ago
If you're putting in 80 hour weeks and feel drained and burnt out, it's not because you're greedy or fearful, it's because human biology puts hard limits on these things.
- whack 10y ago
  There are plenty of people who put in 45 hour work-weeks, and then spend another 20-40 hours on hobbies that are extremely cognitively demanding, and still manage to achieve great things during those extra 20-40 hours. It's not a biological limit, it's a motivation/passion limit.