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lr4444lr

Profession: Another Software "Engineer"

[05:00 - 06:00] Wake up with the sun, and work in bed on side projects on personal laptop;

[06:00] Get myself together, spend the only waking time I have with my infant child during the week.

[06:30] Gym

[07:00] Commute to work

[08:10] arrive at desk, have breakfast at desk while picking up on momentum from yesterday, or fixing what problem I was too mind-numbed to see through the afternoon before

[8:30 - 9:30] Everyone else streams in. Catch up on non-tech business developments in informal chat.

['til 6:30] Work, work, work + mental breaks on HN. Find 20 minutes for lunch. Tea somewhere around 4:00 - 5:30 PM. Occasionally impromptu meeting with my manager for rubber ducking, feature planning, or architecture question.

Can't complain. Tiny start-ups are great when the personalities fit.

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You may complain a lot later about not seeing your child grow up for more than 30 minutes a day, but I'm sure you have probably considered that :)

Believe me, I've considered it. For now, I'm content to take over parenting for a good chunk of the weekend, which gives the working mama a break and chance to prep for the next week. I'm banking on a big enough exit imminent before the baby hits 4 years old so that I never have to work again if I don't want to.

Failing that rough time frame, it's off to a big firm or government where hours are tightly defined. As you're alluding to, time is too precious a resource to squander. I joined this last company not long ago and I'm very enthusiastic about it, but this is the last start-up I can see myself doing. Unless someone is independently wealthy, I don't see how the commitment it takes is an acceptable sacrifice for a full and satisfying life once kids come into the picture.

>[06:30] Gym >[07:00] Commute to work

Serious question: How does this work? Do you work out for exactly 30 minutes and jump straight on transport / in the car / etc? 20 minutes plus a quick shower? Is there no time factored in for cleaning yourself up after working out, to be presentable at work?

Intense weight lifting, no more than 6 sets or so. Enough to get sore, not enough to break a sweat. Shower at night. Well over half the battle to stay fit is showing up to the place of exercise: even 2 sets at high enough intensity is enough to maintain and grow a fitness base. It took me a long time to optimize for it. I live in the Northeast, so if it's a hot summer's day, occasionally I do have to cut it short earlier and get in a shower. Sometimes I miss the train and have to take the next one - I try to take fewer breaks in the day to make up the lost 20 min. or so. ;-)

Living in the suburbs and having a similar 1 hour 20 min train ride to work, I ended up setting up a small workout space with a treadmill, weights and a rowing machine. It does the job but no substitute for a fully equipped gym. I applaud your disciplined schedule though. I still find it hard to work out consistently.

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