4 ms·

I know very few people who actually put in lots of hours and who do productive work. It's just that at first, you have to put in more time to find what you're g

by mgbmtl 10y ago

I know very few people who actually put in lots of hours and who do productive work. It's just that at first, you have to put in more time to find what you're good at. In many non-US cultures, overwork is a symptom of bad time management and incompetence.

scarface74 10y ago
I agree that putting in more hours consistently toward an active project seldomly turns out well in the long term, but someone that can put in more hours doing side projects using technology/frameworks that they aren't currently using on their job that allows them to stay current/cutting edge that will make them more competitive. I knew plenty of younger developers who spent nights/weekends doing proofs of concepts they could show at work. It did make them look better more competitive than other people who just put in the hours. I spend a lot of time doing side projects just to stay competitive.
- mgbmtl 10y ago
  Well, same here, after all I'm on HN during the weekend (half-working, planning a conf, while supervising my kid & friend).. There are all sorts of people, but if we're going to generalize, I think the general expectation should be to aim for efficiency and avoid spiralling in overwork. (and I wish I had better time management determination ;-)
- thegayngler 10y ago
  When I started getting burned out at work, I made a rule for myself. The general rule is no work outside of work. For me that means I am allowed to write code but it can't be currently work related code. I've been much happier and productive at work since I made that rule.
mch82 10y ago
Overwork is a symptom of bad time management even in US cultures, we just don't recognize it. The HN community would likely agree that most startups fail. Over work, building products that fail or will be cancelled, is a sad waste of human potential. Sometimes extra work is required, but more often it is energy wasted.

by mgbmtl 10y ago

scarface74 10y ago

I agree that putting in more hours consistently toward an active project seldomly turns out well in the long term, but someone that can put in more hours doing side projects using technology/frameworks that they aren't currently using on their job that allows them to stay current/cutting edge that will make them more competitive. I knew plenty of younger developers who spent nights/weekends doing proofs of concepts they could show at work. It did make them look better more competitive than other people who just put in the hours. I spend a lot of time doing side projects just to stay competitive.

mgbmtl 10y ago
Well, same here, after all I'm on HN during the weekend (half-working, planning a conf, while supervising my kid & friend).. There are all sorts of people, but if we're going to generalize, I think the general expectation should be to aim for efficiency and avoid spiralling in overwork. (and I wish I had better time management determination ;-)
thegayngler 10y ago
When I started getting burned out at work, I made a rule for myself. The general rule is no work outside of work. For me that means I am allowed to write code but it can't be currently work related code. I've been much happier and productive at work since I made that rule.

mch82 10y ago

Overwork is a symptom of bad time management even in US cultures, we just don't recognize it. The HN community would likely agree that most startups fail. Over work, building products that fail or will be cancelled, is a sad waste of human potential. Sometimes extra work is required, but more often it is energy wasted.