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Why I hate the weekends (2017)

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Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#141

Post by war1025 »

yesenadam wrote: post #138
war1025 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever watched someone die? Dying is terrible, but there is definitely a difference between being surrounded by loved ones and being all alone or among strangers. "Everyone dies alone" is one of those things that is sort of technically correct, but has absolutely nothing to do with what people mean when they talk about dying alone.

Yes, I watched my mother die (of cancer). I was standing in a circle holding hands with her and 3 or 4 of her best friends. On a sunny day in a house with 180 degree ocean view. They scattered her ashes on the ocean.

My dad died (also of cancer) 3 years ago last week. Didn't have a view of the ocean or anything fancy like that. But at least we got to be there for it.

Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#142

Post by thatfrenchguy »

Synaesthesia wrote: post #67
darkmighty wrote: post #58

What I don't understand here: Why can't we just work less ? I know it's not trivial, but it can't be impossible either. I doubt he would starve if he got a part-time dev job (are those easy to find? I have no idea). I agree wholeheartedly with all that he said. I think a life of work-home-work without breathing is almost meaningless unless you can have possibly unreasonable amounts of fun and freedom in the job (few…

The biggest reason is because bosses don’t want us to. They want to make as much money as possible, and that’s about it really. The good news is we have made progress, through mass action, people have won the right to weekends, fewer hours and other rights. The final battle is one to win control of the workplace itself, a self-managed and owned workplace.

In tech in SV, so many stupid things happen because people work too much. Self-organizing is a challenge as well though.

Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#143

Post by simook »

rb808 wrote: post #36

Honestly I hate these self-absorbed, live-is-tough posts by Software Developers doing creative work in a nice air conditioned office. Get a real job, try milking a few hundred cows at 6am, work as a cop in a bad city, or outside in construction when its freezing or scorching hot. Not to mention doing it on a 20k wage with a few kids. I get it, figuring out how to get our software working can require a lot of thinking…

I haven't read the post yet, but I did read this comment and wanted to share some of my thoughts.

A real job can mean a lot of things to different people. For example, I consider my volunteer time as a board member at a non-profit organization to be a real job. Currently, It doesn't directly pay for my financial needs, but it pays in other ways.

I think that it's important to acknowledge, recognize, and respect people for who they are, and what they are experiencing.

The words we choose to use can have a significant impact.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#144

Post by glangdale »

dominotw wrote: post #137
glangdale wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 for BJJ as a exercise/social thing. 2 hours a day of solo gym exercise is pathological unless you have some really good reason to be doing it and it's making someone happy. Which it clearly isn't. It's possible to get to 'intermediate' powerlifter level on about 2-3 hours a week. There are of course many other goals, but 12 hours a week in the gym is almost certainly reaching diminishing returns for almost any of…

BJJ is not good for older bodies :). Its too tempting to keep rolling and ignore signs your body is telling you. I think BJJ is the most grueling on your body of all combat sports.

I'm a 46 year old mid-level blue belt. It's possible to avoid the temptation; I speak from experience as someone who has tried it both ways. It requires a considerable adjustment in your game and attitude to stay healthy, but I think it can be done (check back with me in a few years, though :-) ).

Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#145

Post by papuchy »

matwood wrote: post #118
gnulinux wrote: post #9

This resonates with me. I love my work, I really like what I do, I think it's mentally challenging, interesting, and important for our world and civilization and I believe I'm compensated well enough. But it's tiring ok? And all I can ever do on weekends is lying on my bed watching netflix. I work 9 to 6 and work out intensely for 2 hours every week day. By the time it's saturday I'm both physically and mentally exha…

I can relate to your schedule, but you have to break it up. Working out every day is great, but 2 hours of 100% intensity is tough. It's okay to do a light run on some days. The Zen concept here is you want to fill everyday with as much as possible without impacting your ability to do the same tomorrow. Think of your life as a marathon instead of sprint. What hours would you need to keep to exercise and work every si…

I’d also recommend Jiu Jitsu. Incredibly fun, physically demanding, and very social. It’s also damn near impossible to be thinking of anything but the present moment while in the middle of rolling, so I’ve found it be a great way to reset my brain after a long and demanding day of work.

Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#146

Post by thatfrenchguy »

hhw3h wrote: post #106

If the OP's post resonates with you and you are a software engineer, consider hiring a part-time personal / virtual assistant. I haven't heard of software engineers in VC startup land or corporate world hiring personal assistants but in the freelance / consulting world it's very common and an amazing way to "level up" yourself as a professional. It's ok to need help and it's ok to hire someone who enjoys helping with…

Or you know work less

Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#147

Post by isostatic »

alohomora2 wrote: post #100

This has already been solved thousands of years ago and it’s called Shabbat, one day of the week of true, strict rest. No doing the laundry, no cooking, no driving the car. In general, no creative activities which modify the world in some way.

No turning a light on. So instead you get lights on a timer. The lifts that open at every floor. The magic wire that extends your back yard to cover the whole neighbourhood so you can take your kid in a pushchair or carry your house keys when you go for a walk.

Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#148

Post by wilsonnb3 »

miguelmota wrote: post #80

Many software developers are 9 to 5-ers meaning when they get home they don't do any more programming and don't do programming on the weekend either. They do most of their learning while on the job. These programmers are of course mediocre at best and typically work at slow paced large companies with lower pay but they're satisfied with their work/life balance and there is nothing wrong with that. If the author is co…

> These programmers are of course mediocre at best

This is very elitist and not true. 40 hours a week for 20 years is more than enough to be considered “good” at the very least.

Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#149

Post by matwood »

dominotw wrote: post #137
glangdale wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 for BJJ as a exercise/social thing. 2 hours a day of solo gym exercise is pathological unless you have some really good reason to be doing it and it's making someone happy. Which it clearly isn't. It's possible to get to 'intermediate' powerlifter level on about 2-3 hours a week. There are of course many other goals, but 12 hours a week in the gym is almost certainly reaching diminishing returns for almost any of…

BJJ is not good for older bodies :). Its too tempting to keep rolling and ignore signs your body is telling you. I think BJJ is the most grueling on your body of all combat sports.

If you're 40 going up against 20s all the time sure. But BJJ is one of the easier things I have done to my body. Basketball (back injury, broken ankle), wake boarding (slight concussion, torn ACL), and snowboarding have all been much harder on me than anytime I've done starting from a knee rolling. But, you do need to make sure the people you roll with are not idiots (like any other sports where you have to rely on/come into contact with others).

Re: Why I hate the weekends (2017)

#150

Post by glangdale »

glangdale wrote: post #144
dominotw wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

BJJ is not good for older bodies :). Its too tempting to keep rolling and ignore signs your body is telling you. I think BJJ is the most grueling on your body of all combat sports.

I'm a 46 year old mid-level blue belt. It's possible to avoid the temptation; I speak from experience as someone who has tried it both ways. It requires a considerable adjustment in your game and attitude to stay healthy, but I think it can be done (check back with me in a few years, though :-) ).

ps. The other element which really seems to help is to do some 'old man bodybuilding' (build some armor rather than trying to Get Hyyuge). This (stuff like high rep overhead presses with wimpy weights) really helps with some of my broken bits (ex-Judo shoulders, fr'instance). Dan John is a big influence on me.
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