> "if you work with computers it's nearly impossible to have your brain wired in productive tasks for more than, on average, 4 hours a day" :-)
Definitely truth. IMHO the real problem of our productivity is The Internet.
Definitely truth. IMHO the real problem of our productivity is The Internet.
"No one should ever work more than 40 hours a week!"
"Productivity beyond 4 hours a day is impossible!"
Why must I shackle myself to these seemingly arbitrary limitations that other people have? If I'm having fun coding something for 8-10 hours a day, 5 days a week, and I feel I can sustain this output, why do I have to limit myself?
Maybe I (or someone who's able to do this) can just work harder than you (or someone who can't do this). What's the big deal?
I used to work to the point of exhaustion. Now I work to a clock I've come up with empirically. This means that instead of having bursts of super productivity followed by weeks/months of tiredness or simple "Meh, that's not interesting" I can trod along, putting one foot in front of the next, with a consistent pace. Day in, day out. You might outsprint me today, but I will be there when you're tired, and I will be walking at the same pace I am now.
I am an orc. I do not stop. I do not tire. I just go. Forever. At a constant pace. I will outplod you.
Persistence is humanity greatest natural asset next to intelligence. Use it. We are very bad sprinters.
It's definitely my way of thinking, since today has worked well, and I'm glad that someone applies it harder than me.
I am an orc. I do not stop. I do not tire.
The most time consuming and frustrating problems usually have some element of psychological aversion. Like involving a language, tool or subject matter that I either dislike or don't feel confident in solving. Break down the reasons for the aversion and jump right in!
Just last week I had an issue that I realized could be solved with some judicious GDB. I spent 3 hours just learning the tool, solved my problem and checked off a mental handicap.
Don't require "successful outcomes" all the time, slowly and methodically enjoy the journey and keep on eye on forward progress but don't demand it.
Which is exactly where most of these "I can code all day, I can code all day"[1] programmers fail. As soon as an obstacle comes, they crash and burn because they are too used to riding a wave of endorphins.
[1] reference to FPSDoug, in case anyone remembers him.
Also, some people in 2 hours can obtain the same results of me doing 8 hours of work - that's about quality, so the "woking-harder" it's not a valid argument: the real problem is "working focused"
The point stands. Maybe I (or someone) just works harder/more focused, for longer, than you (or someone else). Why should that person hold themselves to your standards and not theirs?
In fact, it would be more useful if you can tell us more about how you it.
Is it just an innate ability you've got or something you learnt to do? Do you have any hacks/system like the pomodoro technique?
Do you have off days?
How often do you get 'into the zone' a day? Because, if you can only last a couple of hours in the zone (like me), then to get 8 hours of productive work would take me 12-13 hours to accomodate breaks, food etc. Do you have the luxury of not having to check your mail too often?
If you work with other people, do you notice them working less/more than you?
The things that people say "don't work" or "can't be sustained" do work for me and can be sustained for me. To wit, things people say "do work" and "can be sustained" just don't work well for me.
For example, I'm able to jump back into "flow" quickly when someone knocks me out with a question or need, and I find it hard to put something down once I start working on it, until I've reached a satisfactory end point. I find taking intentional and small, frequent, breaks during the day is disruptive and hurts my productivity (though it's probably healthy for my back and eyes, I suppose).
It's just plain silly to walk around saying "40 hours" is the magic number, or "8 hours" is the maximum anyone can work productively. Averages may be around those values, but for individuals, any point along the line is possible.