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Ask HN: What's your working day like?

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Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#231

Post by ChuckMcM »

treehau5 wrote: post #46

Profession: Software "Engineer" [06:15] First alarm goes off; [06:45] Finally wake up, get out of bed, shower, shave, make espresso for me and the wife [07:15] out the door, 30 minute commute to office [07:45] breakfast bagel at my work cafe [08:00] arrive at desk, begin contemplating work -- work on something I procrastinated on the previous day so that I can have a good standup report [9:00] everyone arrives at off…

When I left NetApp (single office) and joined Google (quad cube) it was quite a shock and very disorienting. However, since it was the way Google wanted to do things I practiced non-listening, which is to say keeping my focus on my screen and project and ignoring my ear inputs. Oddly the best tool for practicing was 'World of Warcraft' as it provided a continual level of required attention so it was easier to practice not listening. It took a couple of months but I got to the point where I could sit in my cube, work on my code and three office mates could be having a conversation around me without distracting me.

The interesting side effect is that people actually expect me to be listening sometimes when I'm not. So they will say something, expect a response, and not get it and it will surprise (and sometimes annoy) them. I've been unable to 'selectively' listen to avoid that, its either all on (and distracting) or all off (and not distracting).

Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#232

Post by sockgrant »

patrickbolle wrote: post #160
grecy wrote: post #144

I am seeing a lot of depressing posts here (and mostly in humor, I think) Lots of talk about sleeping in, procrastinating, pretending to work, etc. etc. I used to be a Software Engineer and I can relate extremely well. Now I am attempting to be a travel writer and photographer, driving around Africa. I spring out of bed in the morning, and have some of the best days of my life, day after day. It's hard, but I love it…

Thanks for this. I'm a web developer, recent college grad. I freelance and travel a lot. It's cool, but I hate the work for the most part. I do lots of tiny UI tweaks and stuff every day. It's slowly killing me inside I think. The upside is I work from 'hpme' and can sleep in and have lots of freedom and stuff, but when it comes to work... It's destroying me. I have been living in Costa Rica for the past year and I'm…

The grass is always greener. You're (theoretically) making more money than them and most likely have a more flexible schedule. They're also tied to location. You can get bored of Costa Rica and move tomorrow if you want.

There's nothing to be jealous of. You can start a surf shop if you think they have it better than you.

Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#233

Post by gurkendoktor »

uranian wrote: post #190

Reading the comments I have to consider myself very lucky in a way. I work full-remote. - I never use an alarm, normally waking up around 8:30am - I often start coding right away when I wake up, in these first 2 hours I am often exceptionally productive - eat something, coffee, reading, relaxing - do some more coding till I feel my focus drops - repeat the last two steps When I feel tired I try not to code if possibl…

Full-remote here - same workflow, same results too :)

I'm considering to switch to working 10 billable hours each day on Tue-Thu, though. I'm usually too exhausted after a working day to socialise, but not too tired to work. A 30h work-week with four days of weekend sounds pretty tempting.

Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#234

Post by dejv »

L_Rahman wrote: post #204
dejv wrote: post #148

Profession: Farmer (growing wine and winemaker) - about 20 - 30 hrs week, owner, single employee (For the rest of my time I write software as a single contributor/freelancer) [6:30] Wake up, light breakfast [7:30 - 10:00] commute to the village where is my farm, there is no need to rush. I take tram to train station, get some coffee, read emails on train commute, then switch to bus, read some book, then 4 km walking…

Idyllic. I love the unhurried cadence of this day.

Nature of this work is very seasonal, so harvest month is anything but calm and unhurried. Those field days I described are my favorite, but there are many other type of days in life of farmer.

Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#235

Post by GuiA »

squeaky-clean wrote: post #176
erikb wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people complain about the usual work chaos. I'm also an engineer and I don't get it. For me, having other people come and ask questions is not distraction but an opportunity to help, learn to know their point of view, learn new things. Meetings are a way to influence the direction of the company however small my influence may be. Other people talking can really distract if it's heavily on topic, but usually also…

I enjoy helping when people come up to me with legitimate questions, for all the reasons you mention. It feels like half the time, I'm being bugged not for any real reason, but because the person couldn't bother to put some effort in first. For example, I've become known as "the regex guy" at the office. I know regex really well as well as the ins and outs of the regex engines of languages we use. I don't mind when I…

Well of course people are gonna keep calling on you, you're known as the guy who will cross the building to fix their work for them! What incentive does anyone have to borrow your copy of Mastering Regular Expressions when their problems can be fixed with a simple email to you?

Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#236

Post by smpetrey »

davzie wrote: post #14

Profession: Web Developer, self employed working remote with startups and creative agencies. Workday: - [08:00] Wake up in a daze and make my wife and son tea and breakfast - [08:30] Shower, get dressed and ready - [09:15] After prepping water canister and tea caddy, head to garden office. - [09:30] Procrastinate - [14:00] Realise the work day is nearly over. Panic. Cram work in. - [17:00] Finish work, make son dinne…

@[20:30] I know the feeling. Been there friend.

Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#237

Post by mturmon »

grecy wrote: post #144

I am seeing a lot of depressing posts here (and mostly in humor, I think) Lots of talk about sleeping in, procrastinating, pretending to work, etc. etc. I used to be a Software Engineer and I can relate extremely well. Now I am attempting to be a travel writer and photographer, driving around Africa. I spring out of bed in the morning, and have some of the best days of my life, day after day. It's hard, but I love it…

  The fascination of what's difficult 
  Has dried the sap out of my veins, and rent 
  Spontaneous joy and natural content 
  Out of my heart. There's something ails our colt 
  That must, as if it had not holy blood 
  Nor on Olympus leaped from cloud to cloud, 
  Shiver under the lash, strain, sweat and jolt 
  As though it dragged road metal. My curse on plays 
  That have to be set up in fifty ways, 
  On the day's war with every knave and dolt, 
  Theatre business, management of men. 
  I swear before the dawn comes round again 
  I'll find the stable and pull out the bolt.
-- W.B. Yeats

Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#238

Post by Avshalom »

Backroom-Target 3:00 am - wake up 4:00 am - work starts Pull the over night replenisment, shove it on to carts and out to the floor - between an hour and 3 hours depending on the day and season 6:30 am - pull all the palattes of case stock marked as overstock as it came off the truck, stow it in shelve another hour or 2 8:00 am take a 15 minute break 9:45 am take lunch 11:30 am take another 15 12:30 ish go home

everything from 8:15 to going home is stowing all the loose overstocks that comes back from the stockers and pulling various crap as it runs out on the floor or if they're reseting an aisle/section.

shift that to a 2:00 am start for november and december, move "go home" back to about 9-10 for january to may.

Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#239

Post by interfixus »

raheemm wrote: post #184
monkmartinez wrote: post #31

Profession: Firefighter - Full time Workday (kind of, nothing is typical at the firehouse): - [06:00]: Wake up - get dressed covertly and slip out of the house - [06:30] Arrive at the station - Get coffee! Find my "relief" which is the similarly ranked person on the off going shift. - run 911 calls - [07:30] Have "line up"; Where we discuss what drills we have planned, eat some breakfast... drink more coffee. Talk ab…

Just curious. What makes you hangout at HN?

Just curious: What makes you ask?

Re: Ask HN: What's your working day like?

#240

Post by [deleted] »

grecy wrote: post #144

I am seeing a lot of depressing posts here (and mostly in humor, I think) Lots of talk about sleeping in, procrastinating, pretending to work, etc. etc. I used to be a Software Engineer and I can relate extremely well. Now I am attempting to be a travel writer and photographer, driving around Africa. I spring out of bed in the morning, and have some of the best days of my life, day after day. It's hard, but I love it…

[deleted]
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