4 ms·

It seems pretty obvious that you work at a very small company with little or no layers of management, and most likely, without any other typical constraints tha

It seems pretty obvious that you work at a very small company with little or no layers of management, and most likely, without any other typical constraints that most workers deal with -- like fixed hours, an inconvenient office or commute, lots of unproductive meetings, limited amount of annual PTO, lack of knowledge/understanding whether anything you do has actual impact at the company, etc. Putting in 70-80 hours week after week in a scenario like that where it's very clear you're simply an employee is pretty crazy. But for a passion project, where it's just you and a few close friends/coworkers, sure, go for it. Hell, for about 3-4 months during Covid I was easily putting in 90+ hours on a project I loved working on. It's not really as heroic as you're making it out to be.

TameAntelope 5y ago
Not sure why you think I believe it to be heroic, I just think I shouldn't be shamed for spending my time how I want to. You'll note how the shame is being attempted in this very comment thread. It makes me sad. :(
- majewsky 5y ago
  I think "shame" is a needlessly inciteful description. The main issue is that, in a company with multiple employees, your behavior is not happening in isolation. When one person is working 80 hours a week, it is very common for management to see everyone who chooses to structure their time differently (e.g. because they have kids or elderly relatives to care for) as a slacker. If it turns out that management is not thinking this way in your company, then great! But I think most people commenting skeptically here are familiar with situations where one over-achiever in the team sets an impossibly high standard for everyone else and thus unwittingly causes them harm. This is also why it is usually not considered a problem when a person pursuing their individual passion project puts in crazy hours. If you work for yourself, you're not setting standards for anyone else.
  - kingboss 5y ago
    He is just working himself to death making somebody else rich and thinking that this is a win-win situation. It would be hilarious if it wouldn't be sad. Also he seems to be working in a startup which means he will most likely go bust and all his work will have been for nought.

TameAntelope 5y ago

Not sure why you think I believe it to be heroic, I just think I shouldn't be shamed for spending my time how I want to. You'll note how the shame is being attempted in this very comment thread. It makes me sad. :(

majewsky 5y ago
I think "shame" is a needlessly inciteful description. The main issue is that, in a company with multiple employees, your behavior is not happening in isolation. When one person is working 80 hours a week, it is very common for management to see everyone who chooses to structure their time differently (e.g. because they have kids or elderly relatives to care for) as a slacker. If it turns out that management is not thinking this way in your company, then great! But I think most people commenting skeptically here are familiar with situations where one over-achiever in the team sets an impossibly high standard for everyone else and thus unwittingly causes them harm. This is also why it is usually not considered a problem when a person pursuing their individual passion project puts in crazy hours. If you work for yourself, you're not setting standards for anyone else.
- kingboss 5y ago
  He is just working himself to death making somebody else rich and thinking that this is a win-win situation. It would be hilarious if it wouldn't be sad. Also he seems to be working in a startup which means he will most likely go bust and all his work will have been for nought.