When I was a researcher in academia, I worked practically all day, every day, including at least one of the two weekend days. It became normal to think about re

When I was a researcher in academia, I worked practically all day, every day, including at least one of the two weekend days. It became normal to think about research all the time--"it is so much fun", academics tell themselves and others--and being mostly self-directed, the work is endless: there is always a new model or parameter value to try, a new angle from which to look at the results. After a few years of grueling intellectual work, I had an episode of semi-burnout; I use semi- and not full- because it was 50 percent psychophysiological and 50 percent wondering, "What am I doing with my life?" I then left academia and at this point have been working in the technology sector for a few years as a salaried employee, which in some companies means working 9-to-5, in others 9-9 including weekends, and in some means working at most a couple of hours per day. I am not ashamed to admit that I work as little as possible and take on new assignments as reluctantly as possible as well. Saving as much time and energy for myself as I can, while keeping an eye on my career progression and not negatively affecting my colleagues with my rather lackadaisical approach to work, is the guiding principle of my professional life. I am a cynic, or a successful pragmatist, as I like to call myself. I now have time to read, write, think, exercise, hang out with friends and enjoy life. Self-recommended.