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Show HN: Stretch My Time Off – An Algorithm to Optimize Your Vacation Days

stretchmytimeoff.com

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Re: Show HN: Stretch My Time Off – An Algorithm to Optimize Your Vacation Days

#31

Post by mtnGoat »

zachd wrote: post #15
abeppu wrote: post #9

This seems like the start of something handy, but isn't yet useful. As others have mentioned, which holidays a company offers will vary. But more than that, given a number of days off and a calendar year, this currently seems to output only 1 result, though of course there are a large number of ties (in terms of consecutive days not worked). The current tool doesn't allow the user to 'edit' or swap between 'equally g…

Thanks for your feedback! Indeed the algorithm only gives one result, as it tries to fill all gaps from smallest to biggest in the best way possible to create clusters. Making it super customisable would be tough, as then it becomes just a personal calendar. Maybe showing the rankings transparently (3 options tied, choose which one wins) could be nice.

Even a simple weighting might work… “do you prefer your time off to be near major public holidays?” Or “which season do you prefer to travel?” Then with the 4 day weeks accordingly. The results it gave me skipped over a lot of other federal holidays and seemed to focus all time off at years end, when I definitely do not want to travel. Which really it just needs to look for weeks with a single day off to buddy up with.

Re: Show HN: Stretch My Time Off – An Algorithm to Optimize Your Vacation Days

#32

Post by hackernewds »

jaza wrote: post #26

I typically try to take annual leave and to travel exactly on the opposite dates to what this tool recommends. That's because I care more about avoiding the significant extra expense, traffic, and crowds of travel over public holiday periods, than I do about getting a few extra "free days" of leave. No free lunch!

Good luck traveling on work days!

Re: Show HN: Stretch My Time Off – An Algorithm to Optimize Your Vacation Days

#37

Post by msds »

hackernewds wrote: post #32
jaza wrote: post #26

I typically try to take annual leave and to travel exactly on the opposite dates to what this tool recommends. That's because I care more about avoiding the significant extra expense, traffic, and crowds of travel over public holiday periods, than I do about getting a few extra "free days" of leave. No free lunch!

Good luck traveling on work days!

This is a real worry? Don't you just not go to meetings but otherwise solemnly swear that you're working on the plane?

Re: Show HN: Stretch My Time Off – An Algorithm to Optimize Your Vacation Days

#38

Post by lmm »

hackernewds wrote: post #32
jaza wrote: post #26

I typically try to take annual leave and to travel exactly on the opposite dates to what this tool recommends. That's because I care more about avoiding the significant extra expense, traffic, and crowds of travel over public holiday periods, than I do about getting a few extra "free days" of leave. No free lunch!

Good luck traveling on work days!

It's fine as long as you avoid the very specific times people commute at, and/or are heading to a place where there aren't so many 9-5 jobs, like a beach town.

Re: Show HN: Stretch My Time Off – An Algorithm to Optimize Your Vacation Days

#39

Post by Frost1x »

lumb63 wrote: post #29

Ha, this reminds me of a very similar practice I used to engage in with a few buddies when we started work. It was always fun to try to figure out how to optimize the PTO to get the “most days per day”. Nowadays, I find that the best time to take PTO is when I feel like taking PTO. Taking a long weekend when I’m feeling burnt out or disengaged goes much further for me than grinding for the entire first half of th yea…

Depending on your role and environment, certain days are also have more value in my eyes than others. For example, people tend not to push heavy stressful and potentially disaster risk processes on Fridays. They either do these on weird off hours for their target user base at large scales or Mondays in general. Fridays where I’m at tend to be “easier” days people intentionally try to make so for a gentle transition into the weekend.

As such, taking off Fridays tends to get me less ROI while Mondays tends to be nice because while everyone deals with problems from the last week head on, I can roll in on a Tuesday with the benefit of their insights and progress. Then there’s the fact even if I’m off on Friday people I socialize with are likely still working anyways so… it could be any day for myself.

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