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I just don’t want to be busy anymore

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Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#81

Post by sgrove »

volfied wrote: post #20
MattGaiser wrote: post #5

One of the things which quickly overwhelms me is just all the little stuff. Couple big ticket items? No problem. Long list of 5-20 minute items, or even worse, conversations of indefinite length? Exhausting.

I work for a big company (F500), and one thing that always bothers me is the out of nowhere Slack messages that are three paragraphs long, by someone I have never met within the company. If I start helping them right away, they are happy to keep me online for the next hour while my flow is gone, god knows where. I am trying to find the nicest way to say: "This should be an e-mail conversation, please send email.", bu…

Seems like it'd be nice to have a bot that you could add, so you could click a button on the message and respond, "Hey, would you mind giving me your email and I'll follow up on this as soon as I get a few minutes?", and then when they respond, have it create an email draft with the previous message quoted and with their email pre-filled.

A nice in-the-middle solution that a number of people might appreciate!

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#82

Post by seoulmetro »

CapmCrackaWaka wrote: post #71
machinelabo wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess the problem is that the author has brought it up in the article. Race has no place in this article and yet it's there.

That’s my point, by bringing it up in the article you can deflect most of the comments that would _try_ to turn the discussion towards race. Whether the author genuinely feels like that or not... who knows.

Yes. And I think his point is that you shouldn't cater to extremist behaviour. Which I agree as well. Don't pick a side as a defence. Just censor any attempts to start the war.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#83

Post by webdev777 »

gregd wrote: post #2

As a 54 year old Software Engineer, who has had a nice IT career for over 26 years, I'm spent. This is coming from someone who has always had a growth mindset and had a really hard time sitting still. I used to loathe naps and felt like I was missing out if I took one. Now, I take a one hour nap almost daily and I'm finding that after 1pm I'm basically fried (I start working around 7AM). I'm not sure what to do about…

I thought by the time you're 54 you could retire. I'm much younger and I could retire in a couple of years. What is your saving rate? - you can read more here https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/

Your job starts at 7am? You could start later, like 10. Have your 2-3h lunch time. Finish at 6pm. Change jobs until you find a job like that. There are plenty, I can assure you.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#84

Post by PragmaticPulp »

itronitron wrote: post #52
alexfromapex wrote: post #22

I feel this so much, baby on the way same exact sentiments

My two cents... if your inbound baby is your first then a lot of your prior concerns will naturally disappear. If it's not your first then that won't surprise you. Time to be selfish with your time and start distancing yourself from any colleagues that are a time suck. In my humble opinion, the author is either delusional or spinning a yarn when they say they have solicited advice from colleagues. No co-worker is goi…

> No co-worker is going to give you advice that doesn't serve their own interests first.

This just isn’t true, unless you’ve managed to find a supremely hostile workplace.

I’m always shocked at how cynical some HN comments can be about coworkers. I’ve had my fair share of bad coworkers over the years, but I’ve also found numerous wonderful friends and built lasting relationships with many people.

This idea that all coworkers are inherently out to get you is bizarre.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#85

Post by ddoolin »

rubicon33 wrote: post #77
bamboozled wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m younger than you, had the same issue and solved it by working less and doing more outside. Lifting weights in the sun, mountain biking, golf, surfing. In understand this is a luxury not everyone can afford but what I do now is work from about 6-9am, go out during the day until about 3, work 4-6. Which if you add it up is still a solid 5 hour day. For whatever reason it just makes me more productive and sleep bett…

How did you manage this with your employer?

Work remotely and not be micromanaged is how I manage something similar. Mine might be even more extreme. Sometimes the second half of my biphasic work schedule may not occur until as late as 9 PM.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#86

Post by paulryanrogers »

rubicon33 wrote: post #77
bamboozled wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m younger than you, had the same issue and solved it by working less and doing more outside. Lifting weights in the sun, mountain biking, golf, surfing. In understand this is a luxury not everyone can afford but what I do now is work from about 6-9am, go out during the day until about 3, work 4-6. Which if you add it up is still a solid 5 hour day. For whatever reason it just makes me more productive and sleep bett…

How did you manage this with your employer?

And SO and kids?

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#87

Post by mgrayson »

gregd wrote: post #11
mettamage wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Typed on my phone. Six hours of work? Lie the other 2 and call it a day. Or, renegotiate a contract for 6 hours per day. Given how much productivity I presume you bring, I’d lie. I don’t feel bad about it since companies care too little (in general). If they care, then I would care. E.g. a 10x more productive engineer doesn’t get 10x the pay. I met one of these people, they lied. They worked 2 hours, shipped one hour…

Part of the problem is that I'm a Software Engineer as well as a Business Analyst and Project Manager. I'm also managing a dev team, so it's really difficult to only work 6 hours a day. Hell, I can't even do all my work in a 40 hour work week. Yes, I realize this isn't a me issue and I'm looking for other work. The problem is that I'm encountering a lot of ageism in this field too.

I'm a little younger than you (43), but can very much relate. My current position is similar and trying to do all 3 of those things (and do them well) over the past couple of years has lead me to the verge of burnout. The paradox is that I still love what do, and I really enjoy it when I have a chance to focus on one aspect for longer than 15 minutes at a time.

But the demand to constantly be hyper-productive at all three of those things simultaneously just because I happen to have the skillset(s) means I have a hard time caring about any of them.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#88

Post by EnlightenedBro »

bamboozled wrote: post #61
gregd wrote: post #2

As a 54 year old Software Engineer, who has had a nice IT career for over 26 years, I'm spent. This is coming from someone who has always had a growth mindset and had a really hard time sitting still. I used to loathe naps and felt like I was missing out if I took one. Now, I take a one hour nap almost daily and I'm finding that after 1pm I'm basically fried (I start working around 7AM). I'm not sure what to do about…

I’m younger than you, had the same issue and solved it by working less and doing more outside. Lifting weights in the sun, mountain biking, golf, surfing. In understand this is a luxury not everyone can afford but what I do now is work from about 6-9am, go out during the day until about 3, work 4-6. Which if you add it up is still a solid 5 hour day. For whatever reason it just makes me more productive and sleep bett…

Hmm, wondering when do you go to sleep if you wake up at 6? 9? That kind of sucks.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#89

Post by mmaunder »

I think it’s pretty clear we have an epidemic of burnout on our hands. I think it’s a new phenomenon. And I think immersive online experiences are the underlying cause.

I’ve lived much of my life for the past 30 years in virtual spaces of one form or another, from MUDs to IRC to MMORPGs to early and then fully evolved social media. As commercial virtual space showed up, I noticed the engagement hooks and potential for addiction massively increased.

As that happened, for my own mental health, I have distanced myself. I’ve left most social media, don’t play multi user games and have ramped up my real world social interaction.

If you work hard and have pressing responsibilities, spending the little free time that you have on commercial addictive online pastimes will, in my opinion, guarantee your implosion.

Find spaces to be in during the little free time that you have that don’t make someone else wealthy. Then take it a step further, and find things to do that are good for you.

Re: I just don’t want to be busy anymore

#90

Post by words_ »

gregd wrote: post #11
mettamage wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Typed on my phone. Six hours of work? Lie the other 2 and call it a day. Or, renegotiate a contract for 6 hours per day. Given how much productivity I presume you bring, I’d lie. I don’t feel bad about it since companies care too little (in general). If they care, then I would care. E.g. a 10x more productive engineer doesn’t get 10x the pay. I met one of these people, they lied. They worked 2 hours, shipped one hour…

Part of the problem is that I'm a Software Engineer as well as a Business Analyst and Project Manager. I'm also managing a dev team, so it's really difficult to only work 6 hours a day. Hell, I can't even do all my work in a 40 hour work week. Yes, I realize this isn't a me issue and I'm looking for other work. The problem is that I'm encountering a lot of ageism in this field too.

This. I have the same problem (ie 4 roles bundled as one role) and I am so tired. After speaking to many people that are far more successful than me in their careers, I was told: 1. You cannot be successful at 4 things at the same time. I do not work like this because it is impossible. You must pick what you are focusing on. 2. Agree with your management where they expect you to be spending your time. Agree on the plan for everything else which is not in the prior category.

While I agree there is a lot of ageism, there is something worse than ageism - obvious fatigue and lack of enthusiasm during interviews. You can read burnout on a person in the first few seconds - you may need to get a break so that you can have the proper mindset for interviews.

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