totally. at least for designing and implementing the core technology, i've found that i need large chunks of focus time. i also need time to mentally shift from

totally. at least for designing and implementing the core technology, i've found that i need large chunks of focus time. i also need time to mentally shift from one set of problems to another...kind of like writing things to disk and then loading up the next set. it doesn't have to be an order of magnitude less productive, though. i find that if my brain is too cluttered to change problem solving paths for the night, then i'll go to bed early and wake up between 3 and 7am for a productive morning. i also find myself taking off work days around weekends. i split my weeks between solid days of work and solid days of side-project. these large chunks are so awesome for getting "real" work done, which is more than useful, it's also motivating and satisfying.