5 ms·

Most people don't enjoy working 70 hours a week.

hungryforcodes 5y ago
You're not most people. I'll work 40 or 50 hours a week then spend another 30 on side projects happily! That's 80 hours just working on "stuff". No TikTok. So it really depends. Elon Musk famously claimed he worked 100 hours a week.
- xkqd 5y ago
  I’m waiting for confirmation but I don’t think the comment thread is suggesting that all “work” is suspended after 40 hours. I think they’re saying that your obligation to your employer should float close to 40. I’m a big proponent of not regularly giving employers extra time, but I urge everyone to make the most of the remaining 168-40 hours a week - that means minimizing idle leisure too.
  - hungryforcodes 5y ago
    Totally agree with this.
itisit 5y ago
Do you have the data to back that up? /s
hulitu 5y ago
Most people do not really work 70 hours / week. They just are present at work.
- Arisaka1 5y ago
  You assume that workload is binary you either work or you are just present. The intensity fluctuates even if you study for 1 hour. This isn't something exclusive to those who work more.
  - Retric 5y ago
    Low intensity is fine as long as it’s above zero. For many jobs being available to do work has value, but a doctor on call that’s sleeping in the hospital isn’t actually working. As such it’s a perfectly reasonable to separate working from bing available to do work.
guessbest 5y ago
Many people don't consider being controlling work. Thus the long hours.
slownews45 5y ago
Interesting. A lot of the "so successful" have a TON of help. At the home front things are covered - stay at home wife, cleaners etc. You come home, home cooked meal, wife happy to hang out go on a walk do whatever, kids taken care of. You go to work, you have the parking spot, the assistant with a schedule. Strong managers. Again, these are the "so successful" folks. The 70 hours of work is mostly meetings, strategy, bouncing ideas off people you got to hire to work with. It's not terrible
- conductr 5y ago
  I don’t get burned out because I outsource it by burning my employees out. It works for every other billionaire. /s
  - slownews45 5y ago
    The very successful folks working long hours do tend to have folks around them working long hours as well. Ie, Elon Musk is probably working long hours. If my goal was to NOT work long hours that would be a bad company to work for.
    - munk-a 5y ago
      I've worked extremely long hours and there's a very big difference to me between working on a saturday on green-field development where what you're doing takes time but isn't particularly full of surprises - and trying to grind out a hard to find bug instead of enjoying the outdoors. I don't hate hunting down bugs myself - but dealing with fatigue from overwork while trying to find a needle in a haystack is much different from being able to cruise through some reqs like a badass using half your brain. It's quite likely that the billionaires putting in long hours are doing so in tasks that are diverse and decisive enough to not be soul crushing - while outsourcing those soul crushing tasks to their subordinates... in fact if that isn't the case then they're executiving wrong. Finally, being a found who benefits directly from every penny your company earns differs significantly from working plebs that might just be randomly fired tomorrow and will never see any benefit from the company doing slightly better. The motivation is there for Musk in a way it isn't for those who surround him.
xkqd 5y ago
I think you’re saying it but… You mean working for your employer 70 hours a week, right? As for me, I make it a point to give my employers what they’re paying for, but nothing extra. I spend a lot of extra time each week performing “work” for myself. Whether it be home improvement or side projects.
- burkaman 5y ago
  Yes, work means employment in this discussion (including self-employment).
- Taylor_OD 5y ago
  Sure. If we want to expand the definition of work then I work every hour of the day. Some of that work is for my employer, some of that work is for my family, some of that work is for me. Most people don't enjoy spending 70 hours a week working for their employer.
xyzzy21 5y ago
I understand that's certainly true for most. It's just not true for ALL. And yes, that minority are those who: * have higher IQ or higher motivation/grit/work ethic or both * have a marketable set of skills - both hard and soft * do not fall into simplistic life memes that induce FOMO - they make their own success rather than rely on others to define what success must be and how it must be done

You're not most people. I'll work 40 or 50 hours a week then spend another 30 on side projects happily! That's 80 hours just working on "stuff". No TikTok. So it really depends. Elon Musk famously claimed he worked 100 hours a week.

xkqd 5y ago
I’m waiting for confirmation but I don’t think the comment thread is suggesting that all “work” is suspended after 40 hours. I think they’re saying that your obligation to your employer should float close to 40. I’m a big proponent of not regularly giving employers extra time, but I urge everyone to make the most of the remaining 168-40 hours a week - that means minimizing idle leisure too.
- hungryforcodes 5y ago
  Totally agree with this.

itisit 5y ago

Do you have the data to back that up? /s

hulitu 5y ago

Most people do not really work 70 hours / week. They just are present at work.

Arisaka1 5y ago
You assume that workload is binary you either work or you are just present. The intensity fluctuates even if you study for 1 hour. This isn't something exclusive to those who work more.
- Retric 5y ago
  Low intensity is fine as long as it’s above zero. For many jobs being available to do work has value, but a doctor on call that’s sleeping in the hospital isn’t actually working. As such it’s a perfectly reasonable to separate working from bing available to do work.

guessbest 5y ago

Many people don't consider being controlling work. Thus the long hours.

slownews45 5y ago

Interesting. A lot of the "so successful" have a TON of help. At the home front things are covered - stay at home wife, cleaners etc. You come home, home cooked meal, wife happy to hang out go on a walk do whatever, kids taken care of. You go to work, you have the parking spot, the assistant with a schedule. Strong managers. Again, these are the "so successful" folks. The 70 hours of work is mostly meetings, strategy, bouncing ideas off people you got to hire to work with. It's not terrible

conductr 5y ago
I don’t get burned out because I outsource it by burning my employees out. It works for every other billionaire. /s
- slownews45 5y ago
  The very successful folks working long hours do tend to have folks around them working long hours as well. Ie, Elon Musk is probably working long hours. If my goal was to NOT work long hours that would be a bad company to work for.
  - munk-a 5y ago
    I've worked extremely long hours and there's a very big difference to me between working on a saturday on green-field development where what you're doing takes time but isn't particularly full of surprises - and trying to grind out a hard to find bug instead of enjoying the outdoors. I don't hate hunting down bugs myself - but dealing with fatigue from overwork while trying to find a needle in a haystack is much different from being able to cruise through some reqs like a badass using half your brain. It's quite likely that the billionaires putting in long hours are doing so in tasks that are diverse and decisive enough to not be soul crushing - while outsourcing those soul crushing tasks to their subordinates... in fact if that isn't the case then they're executiving wrong. Finally, being a found who benefits directly from every penny your company earns differs significantly from working plebs that might just be randomly fired tomorrow and will never see any benefit from the company doing slightly better. The motivation is there for Musk in a way it isn't for those who surround him.

xkqd 5y ago

I think you’re saying it but… You mean working for your employer 70 hours a week, right? As for me, I make it a point to give my employers what they’re paying for, but nothing extra. I spend a lot of extra time each week performing “work” for myself. Whether it be home improvement or side projects.

burkaman 5y ago
Yes, work means employment in this discussion (including self-employment).
Taylor_OD 5y ago
Sure. If we want to expand the definition of work then I work every hour of the day. Some of that work is for my employer, some of that work is for my family, some of that work is for me. Most people don't enjoy spending 70 hours a week working for their employer.

xyzzy21 5y ago

I understand that's certainly true for most. It's just not true for ALL. And yes, that minority are those who: * have higher IQ or higher motivation/grit/work ethic or both * have a marketable set of skills - both hard and soft * do not fall into simplistic life memes that induce FOMO - they make their own success rather than rely on others to define what success must be and how it must be done