My observation of this matter: working ineffectively leads to burnout and (if it's let to go too far) depression. That occurs whether it's 20 hours per week or

My observation of this matter: working ineffectively leads to burnout and (if it's let to go too far) depression. That occurs whether it's 20 hours per week or 70. I don't think "long hours" are dangerous if the hours are effective, engaged hours that produce meaningful results. It's actually possible to work 45-60 hours per week effectively and sustainably, but only (a) from a position of complete autonomy over what one does and how and when one does it, (b) with a mix of labor (some social, some hard-core cognitive like coding), (c) with strict attention to diet and exercise, (d) with enough reward (and I'm talking about achievement and recognition far more than remuneration) coming from that work, and (e) with the resources to outsource all housework and most errands, because at 60 hpw you don't even want to fucking think about washing dishes. That said, the longer the hours are, the higher the probability that one is no longer working effectively. A 13-hour coding day can be fun, but it's rare that a person can string 7 of those together in a row. And a 13-hour day spent mostly in tense meatings ("typo" intentional) will kill you. This can be reinforced by the fact that the first stage of ineffectiveness is mid-level (non-paralytic) anxiety, not panic attacks (a harsh warning sign that usually slows people down) or major depression (outright showstopper). Actually, I think the reason why there are a lot of micromanagers in the world is that they tend to be people who linger in that twilight stage of declining effectiveness, and that it's possible (in a managerial role) for this state to be stable. Managers at level-1 burnout (non-paralytic anxiety) get the "I'm the only one who can do this shit competently" complex and become micromanagers. In a subordinate, this state quickly (~3 months at most) progresses to level 2 (paralytic anxiety, panic attacks) or even 3 (crippling mental illness, "nervous breakdown")... either of which is likely to end that job one way or another, but a lot of people enjoy power and that means that a person in authority can stay at a level-1 low-burn for a long time.