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I can not easily recall an article this wrong getting to the front page of Hacker News. This in particular is refuted by several studies: "You’re doing that to

I can not easily recall an article this wrong getting to the front page of Hacker News. This in particular is refuted by several studies: "You’re doing that to your brain. But with mental tasks productivity doesn’t increase linearly with time worked. Every hour spent working hard is a tax on the next hour you want to spend working hard. And so on until you can spend hours, even days, working without achieving." For a different view, please look here: Core Learning Principle #10: Everything Else Being Equal, More Time-on-Task Equals More Learning http://innovateonline.info/pdf/vol3_issue3/Ten_Core_Principles_for_Designing_Effective_Learning_Environments-__Insights_from_Brain_Research_and_Pedagogical_Theory.pdf http://innovateonline.info/pdf/vol3_issue3/Ten_Core_Principl... and also here: http://www.mcrel.org/toolkit/res/time.asp http://www.mcrel.org/toolkit/res/time.asp which says: "Allocated time is that time in the school day specifically set aside for instruction, as opposed to non-instructional time like recess and lunch. Instructional time is the in-class time teachers spend on task, as opposed to management-oriented activities, like taking roll. Engaged time is that portion of time during which student are actually paying attention to the content being presented - often referred to as "time on task." Academic learning time is the proportion of engaged time during which students are successfully learning or successful at the task they are engaged in." Search Google for "time on task innovation insight" and it is easy to find dozens of these studies. There has been a lot of research in this field, and it all agrees that innovation tends to come from those folks who go deep into a subject -- exactly those folks who are willing to put in 60 hour weeks where all they do is think about some particular kind of problem. And then they have an insight that changes the world.

peregrine 15y ago
While I agree that time on task usually means learning all of these tests and results are in a school setting. If I am learning a new tech I agree that its positive to continually practice but when you've moved past the learning stage and are in a stage where you can reach flow is it worth it? I can only provide anecdotal evidence but in my experience living a more balanced life, as opposed to focusing on several things at once taking no breaks leads to better results.
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j_baker 15y ago
Also from the second link: This research also demonstrates that teachers need effective classroom management strategies in order to maximize their instructional time and minimize disruptions. However, it is important to note that, as researchers from LSS concluded in a study titled Extended School Day/Year Programs: A Research Synthesis, little research evidence exists to suggest that increasing the school day or school year will increase student achievement. Rather, "the crucial issue seems to be how the time is used, with quality of instruction being the key. ...which is basically the author's point, and it's the truth in my experience. Saying that you should try to amass a huge number of hours learning is a bit like measuring programmer productivity by SLOC: bigger numbers aren't necessarily better. A smaller number of quality hours are much better than a huge number of low-quality hours. Now certainly, I don't deny that more quality hours are better than fewer quality hours. The problem is that it's very difficult to achieve a high number of quality hours. The human body is only capable of so much.
simon_weber 15y ago
It's not obvious to me that the studies you reference are refuting the article. In your reference, time on task is time when students "are actually paying attention to the content being presented". Some people can pay attention for long periods of time, and some can't. So, maximizing time on task does not always mean 60 hour weeks, although that might work for some people.

peregrine 15y ago

While I agree that time on task usually means learning all of these tests and results are in a school setting. If I am learning a new tech I agree that its positive to continually practice but when you've moved past the learning stage and are in a stage where you can reach flow is it worth it? I can only provide anecdotal evidence but in my experience living a more balanced life, as opposed to focusing on several things at once taking no breaks leads to better results.

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j_baker 15y ago

Also from the second link: This research also demonstrates that teachers need effective classroom management strategies in order to maximize their instructional time and minimize disruptions. However, it is important to note that, as researchers from LSS concluded in a study titled Extended School Day/Year Programs: A Research Synthesis, little research evidence exists to suggest that increasing the school day or school year will increase student achievement. Rather, "the crucial issue seems to be how the time is used, with quality of instruction being the key. ...which is basically the author's point, and it's the truth in my experience. Saying that you should try to amass a huge number of hours learning is a bit like measuring programmer productivity by SLOC: bigger numbers aren't necessarily better. A smaller number of quality hours are much better than a huge number of low-quality hours. Now certainly, I don't deny that more quality hours are better than fewer quality hours. The problem is that it's very difficult to achieve a high number of quality hours. The human body is only capable of so much.

simon_weber 15y ago

It's not obvious to me that the studies you reference are refuting the article. In your reference, time on task is time when students "are actually paying attention to the content being presented". Some people can pay attention for long periods of time, and some can't. So, maximizing time on task does not always mean 60 hour weeks, although that might work for some people.