4 ms·

Most days* : 5:00am - 10:00am * OS development * puzzles * articles * work on personal projects 10:00am - 6:00pm * coding for my day job 13hr/day

Most days* : 5:00am - 10:00am * OS development * puzzles * articles * work on personal projects 10:00am - 6:00pm * coding for my day job 13hr/day * 5 days/week = 65hrs + anything I can sneak in on weekends I aggressively work on work/life balance and take frequent breaks (a great habit leftover from my days as a smoker), so I don't spend much time staring at the screen -- I use this time fairly efficiently. * I'm getting back on track after my wedding and honeymoon, so I'm not yet completely back in the groove yet.

sukuriant 15y ago
But you listed "puzzles' in your work, and you included your lunch and co-worker conversation time, unless you're always in front of your screen, zero distractions. If we're all counting all that time, then that changes these numbers a lot. We really need to clarify what 'work' is for these numbers to be useful, at all.
- geraldalewis 15y ago
  There was an episode of 'The Office' where Jim took note of any time Dwight wasn't working. Dwight stops using the restroom in favor of a bottle beneath his desk. He keeps his eyes open while sneezing to keep them focused on his computer screen. How granular do we get in defining what qualifies as a "work hour"? Do we not count bathroom breaks? The time it takes the computer to warm up? The milliseconds between keystrokes? "Work hours" will always be an issue of semantics. Here's my definition: any time I'm not dragging my feet about accomplishing a work task. Here's my tautological definition of a "work task": a task I perform for work.
jongreenlee 15y ago
What time do you go to bed? Do you ever drink, go out, etc? I'm asking because I'm a morning person, but I doubt I would enjoy 'getting to it' at 5am everyday. Although there is allure to that amount of focused 'personal time'. Doing all that after day job would not appeal to me as much. This thread has taught me more about how different lifestyles are than anything. I think the actual hourly rate of many people in IT roles might be in a tight band (until you've 'made it'). This would mean the biggest differentiator would be # of hours one puts in, with more hours typically being rewarded, either through higher salary or side job payments (tax benefit?). I put in an average of 50 hours per week first half of the year and earned enough to make an average rate of $45 per hour. Do you all consider it part of your job to listen to what's happening in the tech world, learn about personal productivity, etc? If these times were taken out and only time producing tangible output were measured, my average rate would go up, maybe to $70 per hour. There's also cost of living. I'm not in the bay area, but in another pretty fun and techy place. According to bankrate I would have to make 2.2x to have the same quality of life in The Bay. My free time is not (currently) consumed with projects. It's consumed by my GF, running, going out, casual reading, a couple TV shows. All this I think is a worthwhile tradeoff. And I need to be away from computer screens after a while! It would be very interesting to gather people's net pay, hours worked for that pay, and MBTI (ENTJ here), to see what types cluster around what effective hourly rates, what types cluster in terms of total hours, etc.
- geraldalewis 15y ago
  > What time do you go to bed? 10pm, usually, and asleep before 10:30 (I've been using the K&R C book + melatonin as a sleep aid recently). 6.5 - 7 hours of sleep seems to be enough for me at the moment. > Do you ever drink, go out, etc? Yes, at least once a week I'll see friends and twice a week I'll go out with my wife. If I'm not careful, I can get off schedule, and it often takes quite some time to get back (as in weeks). Those periods when I'm off schedule precipitate bursts of intense productivity (maybe I'm more rested; maybe I'm more motivated). > I'm asking because I'm a morning person, but I doubt I would enjoy 'getting to it' at 5am everyday. You nailed it with 'personal time' and a disinclination to work after work hours. I have a few hours of personal time before my wife wakes up where I get to enjoy an activity (coding) that I can't share with her. Any time I spend coding after work hours is time I can't spend with my wife and friends. That time is necessary for me as a human being, and for my work: socializing is good for my brain (promotion of neuronal plasticity and neurogenesis), and breaks are important (recharging and subconscious synthesis + assimilation). > Do you all consider it part of your job to listen to what's happening in the tech world, learn about personal productivity, etc? If these times were taken out and only time producing tangible output were measured, my average rate would go up, maybe to $70 per hour. I'm now salaried, and I've stopped thinking in terms of $/hr, and that helps work/life balance, productivity, and attitude. It's not necessary to learn what other coders are doing, unless I want to be good. Isolation is a straight path to mediocrity. > It's consumed by my GF, running, going out, casual reading, a couple TV shows. All this I think is a worthwhile tradeoff. I wouldn't even consider it a tradeoff. Eating isn't a tradeoff to work time -- it's necessary for function. Rest and socializing, too.

sukuriant 15y ago

But you listed "puzzles' in your work, and you included your lunch and co-worker conversation time, unless you're always in front of your screen, zero distractions. If we're all counting all that time, then that changes these numbers a lot. We really need to clarify what 'work' is for these numbers to be useful, at all.

geraldalewis 15y ago
There was an episode of 'The Office' where Jim took note of any time Dwight wasn't working. Dwight stops using the restroom in favor of a bottle beneath his desk. He keeps his eyes open while sneezing to keep them focused on his computer screen. How granular do we get in defining what qualifies as a "work hour"? Do we not count bathroom breaks? The time it takes the computer to warm up? The milliseconds between keystrokes? "Work hours" will always be an issue of semantics. Here's my definition: any time I'm not dragging my feet about accomplishing a work task. Here's my tautological definition of a "work task": a task I perform for work.

jongreenlee 15y ago

What time do you go to bed? Do you ever drink, go out, etc? I'm asking because I'm a morning person, but I doubt I would enjoy 'getting to it' at 5am everyday. Although there is allure to that amount of focused 'personal time'. Doing all that after day job would not appeal to me as much. This thread has taught me more about how different lifestyles are than anything. I think the actual hourly rate of many people in IT roles might be in a tight band (until you've 'made it'). This would mean the biggest differentiator would be # of hours one puts in, with more hours typically being rewarded, either through higher salary or side job payments (tax benefit?). I put in an average of 50 hours per week first half of the year and earned enough to make an average rate of $45 per hour. Do you all consider it part of your job to listen to what's happening in the tech world, learn about personal productivity, etc? If these times were taken out and only time producing tangible output were measured, my average rate would go up, maybe to $70 per hour. There's also cost of living. I'm not in the bay area, but in another pretty fun and techy place. According to bankrate I would have to make 2.2x to have the same quality of life in The Bay. My free time is not (currently) consumed with projects. It's consumed by my GF, running, going out, casual reading, a couple TV shows. All this I think is a worthwhile tradeoff. And I need to be away from computer screens after a while! It would be very interesting to gather people's net pay, hours worked for that pay, and MBTI (ENTJ here), to see what types cluster around what effective hourly rates, what types cluster in terms of total hours, etc.

geraldalewis 15y ago
> What time do you go to bed? 10pm, usually, and asleep before 10:30 (I've been using the K&R C book + melatonin as a sleep aid recently). 6.5 - 7 hours of sleep seems to be enough for me at the moment. > Do you ever drink, go out, etc? Yes, at least once a week I'll see friends and twice a week I'll go out with my wife. If I'm not careful, I can get off schedule, and it often takes quite some time to get back (as in weeks). Those periods when I'm off schedule precipitate bursts of intense productivity (maybe I'm more rested; maybe I'm more motivated). > I'm asking because I'm a morning person, but I doubt I would enjoy 'getting to it' at 5am everyday. You nailed it with 'personal time' and a disinclination to work after work hours. I have a few hours of personal time before my wife wakes up where I get to enjoy an activity (coding) that I can't share with her. Any time I spend coding after work hours is time I can't spend with my wife and friends. That time is necessary for me as a human being, and for my work: socializing is good for my brain (promotion of neuronal plasticity and neurogenesis), and breaks are important (recharging and subconscious synthesis + assimilation). > Do you all consider it part of your job to listen to what's happening in the tech world, learn about personal productivity, etc? If these times were taken out and only time producing tangible output were measured, my average rate would go up, maybe to $70 per hour. I'm now salaried, and I've stopped thinking in terms of $/hr, and that helps work/life balance, productivity, and attitude. It's not necessary to learn what other coders are doing, unless I want to be good. Isolation is a straight path to mediocrity. > It's consumed by my GF, running, going out, casual reading, a couple TV shows. All this I think is a worthwhile tradeoff. I wouldn't even consider it a tradeoff. Eating isn't a tradeoff to work time -- it's necessary for function. Rest and socializing, too.