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Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

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Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#111

Post by SomeOldThrow »

vorpalhex wrote: post #82
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I will gladly work for 2 - 3 months on hyper mode, giving away my mental and physical health for a feature that will actually provide business value and for which the business can make a good case for why it's needed yesterday. I feel sorry for you. As some who's been around the block a few times, I will never, EVER, give away my mental or physical health for someone's business. My health is more important than thei…

In defense of the parent, I can imagine a situation where I'm excited and truly bought into a product as improving peoples lives and am willing to expend the energy to dramatically improve that product in meaningful ways. I think this is something a lot of folks in our industry want, and that's not per se bad though it can lead to negative outcomes.

This is giving money to the rich. Don’t put in any more time than you need to; no product is worth that.

Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#112

Post by stcredzero »

karmakaze wrote: post #105

A counterintuitive thing I've discovered us that working fast let's you solve more complex problems. At first it seems that you should try to go slow to make sure that all the cases are properly treated. Proceeding this way can result in nearly endless refinements as you go and losing sight of the main goals from time to time and repeatedly forgetting exactly where you are in the grand plan and which direction/step y…

Going fast doesn't allow for secondary concerns and produces a single simple solution.

That doesn't sound like going fast, so much as "the simplest thing that could possibly work." Once you have that running, you can see where the shortcomings are and start to fix those. That will often proceed faster than trying to envision the whole complex thing up-front. (And that often results in a complete, but illusory vision, which ignores something which only becomes apparent once it's realized.)

Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#113

Post by vikingcaffiene »

This post is so wrong headed and misguided that it borders on parody.

Some choice quotes from the post:

> It is a truism, too, in workplaces, that faster employees get assigned more work.

> Whereas the fast teammate—well, their time feels cheap, in the sense that you can give them something and know they’ll be available again soon.

> push yourself to go faster than you think is healthy.

Dude that’s not a feature. It’s a bug.

Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#114

Post by pjmlp »

koonsolo wrote: post #101

40 year old here. Speed doesn't matter as much as WHAT you deliver. First of all, people do not know how much time something takes. And secondly, they will forget how much time it took, but not how well it was made. Responding fast to emails is just crazy. I lost count on how many urgent problems got resolved automatically. "Hey can you help me with this". 15 minutes later "Nevermind, found it". I'm in the "Slow is s…

Joining my voice to the generation choir here.

Fully agree, including some of the sibling comments.

Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#115

Post by davinic »

crankylinuxuser wrote: post #97
really3452 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are making a lot of assumptions here. Not all companies are bad or will throw you away. Maybe they are friends or family with the owner? In that case, helping the company bleeds outside of just an economic decision.

I didn't use the term "bad". I said it was based in economics. It's called a work/life balance. Work, and the related money are a means to being able to live in this society. And how we choose to use the money and power, is how we affect society. But running to work after everyone else "goes to sleep" doesn't appear as a healthy relationship. And I know of nobody who said when they got old, "I wish I spent more time…

But you're making the assumption that "work/life balance" must happen at the daily level. I'm perfectly happy to work my ass off for a couple months and then take a month off. To me that's a far better balance than trying to fit it all within a day.

Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#116

Post by markbnj »

koonsolo wrote: post #101

40 year old here. Speed doesn't matter as much as WHAT you deliver. First of all, people do not know how much time something takes. And secondly, they will forget how much time it took, but not how well it was made. Responding fast to emails is just crazy. I lost count on how many urgent problems got resolved automatically. "Hey can you help me with this". 15 minutes later "Nevermind, found it". I'm in the "Slow is s…

> And secondly, they will forget how much time it took, but not how well it was made.

Absolutely. Not saying speed is never an important metric, but virtually all complicated engineering and construction projects are difficult to schedule and exceed their time budgets. If the end result is worth it those birthing pains are quickly forgotten. But a poor output will never be forgotten.

Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#117

Post by bg4 »

ThalesX wrote: post #61

For me, after years producing software, I've set myself up to be able to say no. I disregard urgency when it exists for urgency's sake, coming out of business despair or a gut feeling. I will gladly work for 2 - 3 months on hyper mode, giving away my mental and physical health for a feature that will actually provide business value and for which the business can make a good case for why it's needed yesterday. Working…

> I will gladly work for 2 - 3 months on hyper mode, giving away my mental and physical health for a feature that will actually provide business value and for which the business can make a good case for why it's needed yesterday.

I felt the same way until I caused permanent damage to my eyesight from stress. It isn't worth it.

Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#118

Post by playing_colours »

Mind a situation and consequences.

Working quickly helps you validate your idea fast and iterate.

Working quickly can also mean not putting enough thoughts into planning and researching, so you just waste your money, your time, or your credibility faster.

Working quickly can get you promoted.

It can also ruin your health and personal life.

Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#119

Post by tictoc »

bluntfang wrote: post #107
tictoc wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're all slaves man.

Yeah I get the sarcasm, but I really don't understand people who accept capitalism and also accept that their hard work is worth more than what they receive in compensation. Like, shouldn't they be upset and trying to find a way to twist the system for their benefit, just like the people using them?

I don't think most people have the mental bandwidth to balance rotting away in an 8 hour job, managing family life, and having some semblance of self esteem just to add on how to escape. I think the pressure release of the weekend is the only satisfaction people can afford due to the momentum of work completely eroding their concept of life.

There are plenty of people who do though I imagine.

Re: Speed matters: Why working quickly is more important than it seems (2015)

#120

Post by ako »

bluntfang wrote: post #107
tictoc wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're all slaves man.

Yeah I get the sarcasm, but I really don't understand people who accept capitalism and also accept that their hard work is worth more than what they receive in compensation. Like, shouldn't they be upset and trying to find a way to twist the system for their benefit, just like the people using them?

Capitalism isn’t about value of work: you aren’t paid for what you deliver. Free markets are about supply and demand: is someone else willing to deliver the same value for a lower cost. We are all consumers behaving like this, looking for the best deals on products. Don’t expect employers to behave differently.
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