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One workaholic to another: There’s plenty of people in the US, even in places like San Francisco, who have balanced lives and don’t spend their whole time worki

by Swizec 7y ago

One workaholic to another: There’s plenty of people in the US, even in places like San Francisco, who have balanced lives and don’t spend their whole time working. Put in their 8 or 10 hours per day at a startup then go off and do fun hobbies like standup comedy, singing in church choirs, or just binging Netflix. Hell, my girlfriend has zero sidehustle and she does just great for herself. Working all day erryday is a choice you are making. I make that choice because I didn’t move here to coast and I’m okay, even happy, with the tradeoff. Food for thought :)

jxramos 7y ago
I always appreciated those jobs postings that explicitly mention not working crazy hours. I should keep a journal of such statements. It's an interesting phenomena.
- LASR 7y ago
  Well with early-stage start-ups, it’s really not about what’s on the JD for an opening. Anyone can write a few words about being strictly 40hr weeks. The reality is usually different, and it’s not because the founders are intentionally deceiving their early hires. The problem is that in-spite of them working 19 hour days everyday, there is just a ton of work you have to take on to keep the boat afloat. I cofounded a company like this. Despite our best efforts to keep sane working hours, we just weren’t successful at that. Luckily, we were acquired within a year of me adopting a 19hours/day everyday schedule.
everyone 7y ago
8 hours is a full days work. Most people only have a couple of hours to themselves after working 8 hours + commuting, buying/preparing/eating food, ablutions, taking care of various chores etc. Is 10 the norm where you are? That is very saddening. Where are you btw? During/after the industrial revolution many workers fought hard and died just to get the the working day down to 8 hours (and not 12 or more which is what the industrialists wanted)
- Swizec 7y ago
  It's pretty common for people in SFBA to work 10 hours per day. Something about signaling that you're eager and a team player and want to advance etc. 8 or 10 hours doesn't particularly matter. My point is that even in some of the most competitive markets in the world, people do just fine with doing a full day's worth of work, then going home and having a life. OP seems to be under the impression that this is somehow not possible. The trend among engineers of doing a full day's worth of work then going home and working even more on side projects, open source, or whatever is a whole 'nother bag of worms. I'm not sure why we do that. You wouldn't expect a marketer to go home and do some marketing in their spare time. Or a business person to make some slide decks for fun. Us engineers are weird. edit: Why is this getting downvoted? Is it really that unimaginable on HackerNews that one could work full-time and still have time for hobbies, friends, and family?
  - amvalo 7y ago
    Odd. All the recent grads I know are skirting 7 because they hate their jobs, and so far it hasn't backfired.
  - MAGZine 7y ago
    The author of this talk actually specifically mentions the phenomenon of software engineers going home and working on more software, for free. People are motivated, and the reason why makes sense. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
- widowlark 7y ago
  I work 10 hours a day, but only 4 days a week

by Swizec 7y ago

jxramos 7y ago

I always appreciated those jobs postings that explicitly mention not working crazy hours. I should keep a journal of such statements. It's an interesting phenomena.

LASR 7y ago
Well with early-stage start-ups, it’s really not about what’s on the JD for an opening. Anyone can write a few words about being strictly 40hr weeks. The reality is usually different, and it’s not because the founders are intentionally deceiving their early hires. The problem is that in-spite of them working 19 hour days everyday, there is just a ton of work you have to take on to keep the boat afloat. I cofounded a company like this. Despite our best efforts to keep sane working hours, we just weren’t successful at that. Luckily, we were acquired within a year of me adopting a 19hours/day everyday schedule.

everyone 7y ago

8 hours is a full days work. Most people only have a couple of hours to themselves after working 8 hours + commuting, buying/preparing/eating food, ablutions, taking care of various chores etc. Is 10 the norm where you are? That is very saddening. Where are you btw? During/after the industrial revolution many workers fought hard and died just to get the the working day down to 8 hours (and not 12 or more which is what the industrialists wanted)

Swizec 7y ago
It's pretty common for people in SFBA to work 10 hours per day. Something about signaling that you're eager and a team player and want to advance etc. 8 or 10 hours doesn't particularly matter. My point is that even in some of the most competitive markets in the world, people do just fine with doing a full day's worth of work, then going home and having a life. OP seems to be under the impression that this is somehow not possible. The trend among engineers of doing a full day's worth of work then going home and working even more on side projects, open source, or whatever is a whole 'nother bag of worms. I'm not sure why we do that. You wouldn't expect a marketer to go home and do some marketing in their spare time. Or a business person to make some slide decks for fun. Us engineers are weird. edit: Why is this getting downvoted? Is it really that unimaginable on HackerNews that one could work full-time and still have time for hobbies, friends, and family?
- amvalo 7y ago
  Odd. All the recent grads I know are skirting 7 because they hate their jobs, and so far it hasn't backfired.
- MAGZine 7y ago
  The author of this talk actually specifically mentions the phenomenon of software engineers going home and working on more software, for free. People are motivated, and the reason why makes sense. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
widowlark 7y ago
I work 10 hours a day, but only 4 days a week