In my experience, in order to maximize the productivity in creative work and still work 40 hours, you have to pick the best 40 hours out of a 168 hour time fram

In my experience, in order to maximize the productivity in creative work and still work 40 hours, you have to pick the best 40 hours out of a 168 hour time frame: - If it means you work '13 hours 20 minutes' on Monday Wednesday Friday, so be it. - If it means you work '5 hours 45 minutes' Monday thru Sunday, so be it. - If it means you work one way one week, the other way the next week, so be it. - If you work best in the middle of the night, so be it. - If it means you work 10 hours everyday for 52 days straight, and take the rest of the quarter off (39 days!), so be it. The problem is, we have to do this thing called 'work/life balance' in which we are at work 9 to 5, whether we feel fresh or tired, and have to forget about work for the remaining 128 hours. Combine that with the need for in-person interaction with the team, the boss, and what not, it gets worse. IMO you can't have it both ways.