Ask HN: How much time can you realistically spend working each day?

2 points·largeignorantm··3 comments

I've got this MAJOR problem in my life where I spend my 10 most productive and creative hours at work.

There's not much left for me. Three hours if Im really disciplined. But I need MORE. Maybe if I stop watching youtube and netflix? But if you work all day long will you have a mental breakdown?

View on HN

I’m in the same boat. I have had to resort to constraining my working hours 6-8 productive hours to find a balance, I have also had to live off a calendar and schedule my downtime vs side projects time. So make sure to set aside quality waking hours on nights and weekends for side projects, be it digital or analog activities. I have also found taking a walk for a short bit of time say 15 or 20 minutes listening to podcasts or audio books is a better decompress than bingeing YouTube/Netflix for a few episodes. Then I have more time after the walk for side projects.

Do you cook for yourself? Cooking, eating, and cleaning usually involves TV for me and it's hard to bounce back and get to work after dinner.

I often wonder how anyone has time to do anything other than clean and read the mail, lol.

I believe there's a human limit of maybe 4 hours intense deep work, not more. Find out when you are most productive and organise the rest of your day around that time.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com