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I don't get this. On the one hand there's the 40h-a-week camp, backed up by plenty of research [1] and on the other hand there's the work-as-much-as-you-possibl

by zyfo 16y ago

I don't get this. On the one hand there's the 40h-a-week camp, backed up by plenty of research [1] and on the other hand there's the work-as-much-as-you-possibly-can camp, which seems to be what plenty of successful startup have been following. So what's the deal? Why this discrepancy? It's not about manual vs knowledge working - studies on knowledge workers show that even less than 40h / week is beneficial. Is it about the difference in possible leverage? Self-directed work? The close link between work and payoff? The stressful situation in a startup? The 100% commitment? Any attempts to pin down why and under what circumstances [2] different work hour guidelines should apply would be greatly appreciated. 1: See studies in this pdf http://www.lostgarden.com/2008/09/rules-of-productivity-presentation.html http://www.lostgarden.com/2008/09/rules-of-productivity-pres... 2: What's the difference between starting your own company, running your own company, joining a startup, doing a PhD, being in a research team, working at an established startup?

JanezStupar 16y ago
It could be that successful startups succeed in spite of overtime not because of it. Also a lot of successful startups are done by (young) people who haven't had their asses handed to them because of their insane work ethics. There indeed are stretches when one gets carried by passion and can work (almost) 24/7. One should use that wave. But when you find yourself disliking what you're doing you better stop and not write posts as in the OP. OP is just making up excuses for feeling of guilt one feels divided between family and promise they made to themselves/somebody else. To me it seems like excuses fat people have about losing weight - or drunks about stopping drinking (when catch yourself saying - shit x is wrong and I dislike shit y in my life, but I'm still doing great - some red lights should start spinning). To OP if you're reading this - look into mirror take a deep breath and admit that you're a workaholic. There are some "mommy" and "daddy" issues in your soul you need to resolve. You're using your work to punish yourself for something you're not even guilty of.

by zyfo 16y ago

JanezStupar 16y ago

It could be that successful startups succeed in spite of overtime not because of it. Also a lot of successful startups are done by (young) people who haven't had their asses handed to them because of their insane work ethics. There indeed are stretches when one gets carried by passion and can work (almost) 24/7. One should use that wave. But when you find yourself disliking what you're doing you better stop and not write posts as in the OP. OP is just making up excuses for feeling of guilt one feels divided between family and promise they made to themselves/somebody else. To me it seems like excuses fat people have about losing weight - or drunks about stopping drinking (when catch yourself saying - shit x is wrong and I dislike shit y in my life, but I'm still doing great - some red lights should start spinning). To OP if you're reading this - look into mirror take a deep breath and admit that you're a workaholic. There are some "mommy" and "daddy" issues in your soul you need to resolve. You're using your work to punish yourself for something you're not even guilty of.