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"Are you putting in 60 - 80 hrs at the office?" Sometimes. Over the last few months I've been working nights and weekends due to project demands. My client is w

"Are you putting in 60 - 80 hrs at the office?" Sometimes. Over the last few months I've been working nights and weekends due to project demands. My client is west coast and I'm east coast so they have no problems calling me at 8PM with issues. I've also been behind on 'mandatory training' so I've been catching up on that on nights and weekends. I've given up 4 vacation days for the project also. I basically work, go to the gym, and sleep. I've been allowed to work remotely lately which saves me 4 hours of commuting on most days. Lately those 4 hours have been consumed by client work. I'm also dealing with some health issues that make it hard for me to stay awake and/or focus. Skipping them gym just makes the next day much worse so I don't want to consider that right now. That being said you're right that I should be able to still carve out some time to do other things.

maerF0x0 13y ago
IMO: 60-80hrs a week plus potentially hard exercise == Burnout. Dont work a second more than 40hrs. If your project cannot handle only 40hrs per week, it needs to scale horizontally (more people). if horizontal scaling wont work (aka: Mythical man month) then the deadline was/is just wishful thinking. If your case is actually burnout: I would take 2 weeks vacation immediately and ban computers during that time, maybe a beach somewhere tropical. Stop working overtime and drastically reduce your cortisol levels (drink black tea, no caffeine/coffee, deep breathing, cardio not weights, all the usual prescriptions for stress). Finally, invest some time into increasing your bandwidth. See: "Apprenticeship patterns" by Dave H. Hoover. Best of luck. In a couple of months your body should have reset. Start to address the deep roots of your issues. Try reading "the slow fix" by Carl Honore . Most of this is anecdotal advice based off limited information. Hopefully it helps.
- johnward 13y ago
  Thanks for the advice. I'm actually going on vacation in 28 days 9 hours and 23 minutes. Going to the dominican republic for 7 days computer and worry free. I also go to a therapist to help me deal with work/stress/depression.
it_learnses 13y ago
why don't you get a 40 hour job elsewhere for now? that'll give you enough time on the side to learn web dev and then maybe in 6 months you can start applying to junior web dev positions? Or how about a junior QA job somewhere? move up into development later on?
- johnward 13y ago
  I've been applying for various jobs for the past 2 years. I actually quit my current position a few times but they talked me into staying. I turned down the offer I had and that was the only offer I've gotten in the last 2 years.
a3n 13y ago
You need a different job, anyjob, that pays you enough to live on but gives you personal time. What you're doing is not sustainable and they're taking advantage of you; you're helping them do it. Find a different job, which is not your goal job, just something to live on that will give you some breathing space. From there, start your side projects or whatever else you decide you need to do to up your cred. Even if you liked what you're doing, you still need to find a different job.
- johnward 13y ago
  I really need to adjust my lifestyle for that to happen. As it is I can barely afford my house, cars, and student loan debt on my current salary. I've actually considered bankruptcy but I'm not sure I want to try that.
  - a3n 13y ago
    > I really need to adjust my lifestyle for that to happen. It sounds almost like that's justification for not doing it. Instead, think of that process as lots of smaller first steps.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
001sky 13y ago
which saves me 4 hours of commuting This is the first step. What about moving? Long commutes are killing your time while you are not working, and are basically "work-time". In a 16 hour day of non-sleeping hours, 4 hours is 25% of your day. So, one strategy would be to move in order to get free time. Then, use this free time to develop a hobby/portfolio of new skills to leverage going forward. If this step is not feasible, then that def. think through the fundamental tradeoffs you are making. But a 4 hour commute can ruin a good job, and can make a marginal one a negative ROI on your time for sure.
- johnward 13y ago
  Basically I just quit going in unless someone tells me I have to. So far it works but then I end up working the time I would have been driving so it doesn't lead to more free time.

maerF0x0 13y ago

IMO: 60-80hrs a week plus potentially hard exercise == Burnout. Dont work a second more than 40hrs. If your project cannot handle only 40hrs per week, it needs to scale horizontally (more people). if horizontal scaling wont work (aka: Mythical man month) then the deadline was/is just wishful thinking. If your case is actually burnout: I would take 2 weeks vacation immediately and ban computers during that time, maybe a beach somewhere tropical. Stop working overtime and drastically reduce your cortisol levels (drink black tea, no caffeine/coffee, deep breathing, cardio not weights, all the usual prescriptions for stress). Finally, invest some time into increasing your bandwidth. See: "Apprenticeship patterns" by Dave H. Hoover. Best of luck. In a couple of months your body should have reset. Start to address the deep roots of your issues. Try reading "the slow fix" by Carl Honore . Most of this is anecdotal advice based off limited information. Hopefully it helps.

johnward 13y ago
Thanks for the advice. I'm actually going on vacation in 28 days 9 hours and 23 minutes. Going to the dominican republic for 7 days computer and worry free. I also go to a therapist to help me deal with work/stress/depression.

it_learnses 13y ago

why don't you get a 40 hour job elsewhere for now? that'll give you enough time on the side to learn web dev and then maybe in 6 months you can start applying to junior web dev positions? Or how about a junior QA job somewhere? move up into development later on?

johnward 13y ago
I've been applying for various jobs for the past 2 years. I actually quit my current position a few times but they talked me into staying. I turned down the offer I had and that was the only offer I've gotten in the last 2 years.

a3n 13y ago

You need a different job, anyjob, that pays you enough to live on but gives you personal time. What you're doing is not sustainable and they're taking advantage of you; you're helping them do it. Find a different job, which is not your goal job, just something to live on that will give you some breathing space. From there, start your side projects or whatever else you decide you need to do to up your cred. Even if you liked what you're doing, you still need to find a different job.

johnward 13y ago
I really need to adjust my lifestyle for that to happen. As it is I can barely afford my house, cars, and student loan debt on my current salary. I've actually considered bankruptcy but I'm not sure I want to try that.
- a3n 13y ago
  > I really need to adjust my lifestyle for that to happen. It sounds almost like that's justification for not doing it. Instead, think of that process as lots of smaller first steps.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]

001sky 13y ago

which saves me 4 hours of commuting This is the first step. What about moving? Long commutes are killing your time while you are not working, and are basically "work-time". In a 16 hour day of non-sleeping hours, 4 hours is 25% of your day. So, one strategy would be to move in order to get free time. Then, use this free time to develop a hobby/portfolio of new skills to leverage going forward. If this step is not feasible, then that def. think through the fundamental tradeoffs you are making. But a 4 hour commute can ruin a good job, and can make a marginal one a negative ROI on your time for sure.

johnward 13y ago
Basically I just quit going in unless someone tells me I have to. So far it works but then I end up working the time I would have been driving so it doesn't lead to more free time.