People often work long hours because they feel more productive at the end of a long stretch. It's hard to be stressed when you're sleep deprived. You just say

People often work long hours because they feel more productive at the end of a long stretch. It's hard to be stressed when you're sleep deprived. You just say "fuck it, X will work well enough, and I'm too tired to care if it's good enough". Which is probably what you should have done 8 hours ago, but didn't, because you were worried it wasn't good enough. I find it's just as useful to close your eyes for a minute, and think "I'll probably figure it out later, and I'll still be smart enough to refactor any ugly but pragmatic code when inspiration finally hits" can be just as productive.