Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you *actually* work? • Hacker News Board

Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#1

Post by Schroedingers2c » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 8:53 AM UTC

No post body was provided.

Re: Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#2

Post by gladiatr72 » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 8:58 AM UTC

Define "actual work". Billable hours or does that include work-related things?

Re: Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#3

Post by Schroedingers2c » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 9:29 AM UTC

gladiatr72 wrote: post #2

Define "actual work". Billable hours or does that include work-related things?

Including work-related things. Anything you do because of your job (including core work, emails, chatting with someone about work and stuff like that; but excluding e.g. coffee-chat with a colleague about non-work related things, surfing web about non-work related things and stuff like that).

Re: Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#4

Post by okokwhatever » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 9:38 AM UTC

Probably 6-7 focused hours doing real stuff and 1-2 hours researching online and understanding the scope of my tasks.

Re: Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#5

Post by 7174n6 » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 9:40 AM UTC

Do you include time sitting in meetings that should have been an email?

Re: Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#6

Post by Schroedingers2c » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 10:10 AM UTC

7174n6 wrote: post #5

Do you include time sitting in meetings that should have been an email?

Yes.

Re: Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#7

Post by numbers_guy » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 10:14 AM UTC

A lot of the time I am not writing code, but I am working all the time. My job is not to write code, but rather to come up with solutions, do research. A lot of the job is just thinking things through.

Re: Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#8

Post by throwawaysalome » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 12:24 PM UTC

Yeah, I just stare at my desk; but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch, too. I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work. -- Office Space, 1999.

Re: Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#9

Post by sloaken » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 12:47 PM UTC

It depends on the phase of the project and how much I hate what I should be doing.

Over the last couple of months, probably about 6 hours. The two hours are breaks where I need to rest my head, but napping is not allowed. Or going for water / restroom. Idle chatting is probably around 15 minutes a day.

Re: Ask HN: In your average ~8h workday, how many hours do you actually work?

#10

Post by zeroego » Tue, Apr 25, 2023, 1:03 PM UTC

I'm a mid level developer and probably about 5 or 6 on any given day. I do a lot of designing/coding and by the time 3pm rolls around the part of my brain that can think in that way just starts to shut down. Having upcoming deadlines invigorates me and can help me push the number of hours worked up, but it's very much "borrowing from my future self". I try to maintain a steady pace throughout a sprint and 9/10 times it works and allows me to work those 5 or 6 hours a day. I'm still available/at my desk for those remaining 2-3 hours though.