Hacker News Reader

Comment by fbonetti | Hacker News Reader

I don't mean this as a criticism towards you personally, but I've heard this same sentiment about remote working and I just don't get it.

I could never see myself accidentally working until 9pm. I understand having a passion for programming/work, but aren't there other things in your life you would rather be doing, like seeing friends, going out for a bike ride, trying a new restaurant, having sex with your GF or wife, or cooking a nice meal? I really don't understand the obsession with work (especially if you're on a salary and don't get paid for the additional hours).

View on HN

It is because you loose the "trigger" that it is time to leave. There are definitely things I would rather be doing, and I wouldn't say working late has to do with passion. My wife calls it "being in my own little world". I am focused on a task and forget what is around me.

It might have to do with our process. We would keep an open Skype call with everyone on it. Our microphones were on mute, but if you needed someone it was easy as pressing "unmute" and talking. So come 6pm if you still hear people talking and working, then the trigger of "people are leaving. it must be nearing 5" isn't there.

There's more to it than "passion for programming/work" or losing the notion of time that passes.

If you've teammates or clients who are a few timezones to the west of yours, then:

1. You only have so many things you can interact about in the couple of work hours you share with them (assuming any at all, when you're in Europe with Californian colleagues or clients), so it's occasionally tempting to work "just one more hour" to make sure a project moves forward.

2. You periodically get dragged into "this can't wait until tomorrow and you need to be here; no, seriously, you're needed and it can't wait until tomorrow!" types of discussions to sort out emergencies.

> I could never see myself accidentally working until 9pm.

I think this happens, amusingly, largely because of the efforts to which remote workers go to separate their personal and work lives.

If you shut yourself off from the world, don't be surprised when you're unaware what the world is doing. I've never made a hard distinction between my work and my real life and my life has never let me make the mistake of giving a company more of my time than they've earned.

It's real. I've done this, and feel guilty in the past because I've contributed to others' succumbing to this (esp. if they're in a more eastern timezone).

Also it's expectations management - how you manage your exceptions (for occasionally needing to stay available) will help define the rule.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com