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Maybe you should do less 'work'

johnwhiles.com

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Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#101

Post by 0des »

adamsmith143 wrote: post #93
0des wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're wrong. These concerns, in many forms, have been present for years, however we were once instilled with the instinct to overcome, but now frailty is more valued because even in failure you can not criticize those who are less able. Those appearing less able while still managing to overcome, even when due to random chance, results in more peer accolades and ironic fanfare in the face of adversity or some other d…

> These concerns, in many forms, have been present for years, however we were once instilled with the instinct to overcome, but now frailty is more valued because even in failure you can not criticize those who are less able. Actually I think you are totally off base here. I know in my cohort of age 30+ millennials there is a strong sense of doom. Many people have the attitude of "why should I have kids when they'll…

> boomerisms

I think we are done here, have a great day

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#102

Post by giantg2 »

TameAntelope wrote: post #97
giantg2 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, the bosses usually only care about work the helps produce value. They might like the fact that you know some new tech that they can use in their latest assignment, but they weren't giving you credit while you were learning it the year before just for fun.

"Learn about new tech" is only one of a great many other things. Cultivating your relationships professionally is also "work", as is talking to your customers, reviewing and discussing code, writing about and showing others what you've built, keeping your resume and interview skills sharp, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about work, etc.

Yeah, and most of that similarly doesn't count when it's time for the chips to fall.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#103

Post by ianbutler »

alexashka wrote: post #65
deltaonefour wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the other side of the coin. Your employer is free loading off of you. You are paid a fraction of the amount of money that your work actually generates. If your work generates 100 dollars... you're paid 10. So essentially your employer is fucking you and any other attitude other than to treat the situation for what it is, is delusional. Don't call us 'people'. You're the one that doesn't get it. Now I'm not sayin…

I don't employ anyone. I'm not coming from a place of a disgruntled employer complaining about the workers being 'lazy' or whatever. I'm coming from a place of what the blog talks about - someone who came in starry eyed doing good work, only to find out you won't get paid 3x for doing 3x the work relative to everyone else, but instead they'll try to get you to do 4x the work for a 10% yearly bonus, until you drop dea…

For what it's worth I've only experienced this long term in corporations. Small companies that are actually still in the prime of producing and growth can't afford that with everyone and expect to survive. If it's systemic the startup just fails after meandering for a little bit. I derive a little satisfaction from that fact.

It starts to tilt after you've gotten a couple hundred employees and people can hide more.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#104

Post by slowmovintarget »

0des wrote: post #10
vlovich123 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who establishes that sizing? I’ve yet to see anyone who can accurately estimate their own tasks let alone someone who can estimate that for others. In agile, I think a great time for reflection is between sprints. Also, I’m super fast but I’ll instead take frequent small breaks in the middle of work (read hacker news, write up documentation etc). There are other times to reflect than between tasks.

on this topic, I would like to add this: The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition (2nd Edition) by Frederick P. Brooks ISBN 13: 9780201835953 ISBN 10: 0201835959 https://www.biblio.com/9780201835953

I read that twenty years ago, and it is still relevant.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#105

Post by adamsmith143 »

cinntaile wrote: post #67
LunaSea wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Those people will generate enough taxes and labor for lazy people like me, and it's okay. Sorry, but it's definitely not ok.

More taxes are a result of earning more and not really from working more although they are usually related, so they still get compensated for that "extra" work.

>More taxes are a result of earning more and not really from working more although they are usually related

Even the mythical 10x engineer is not really getting paid 10x more than their same level peers so no not really.

So this even furthers the argument. Why bother having 10x the output if you only see a smidge of that productivity as increased income?

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#106

Post by 0des »

Apocryphon wrote: post #94
0des wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious if there would be a book about this in the future when some time has passed

Given your reading comprehension of the OP, I’m not sure you’d get much out of such a book, seeing as how you missed the point of the article is essentially “work smarter, not harder” and to use excess time at work for career development and continuous learning.

Bless your heart, I hope your day gets better.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#107

Post by mtberatwork »

almost_usual wrote: post #21

I think most engineers who always search for tasks and work long hours are dealing with some form of anxiety or imposter syndrome. If management hasn’t brought up any performance issues and you’re anxious about your job you need to talk to someone. You’re on the road to burnout.

A note on burnout: once you have had one burnout, the next one comes on faster and with less triggers needed.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#108

Post by dominotw »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #79
giantg2 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, the bosses usually only care about work the helps produce value. They might like the fact that you know some new tech that they can use in their latest assignment, but they weren't giving you credit while you were learning it the year before just for fun.

Find better bosses and employers. They are out there.

How does one go about this?

You interview your boss in the interview process and get a feel for what type of preson he is and then go with that gut feeling yes/no

when your current boss leaves and you get a new boss that you don't like. Quit and go back to step 1.

Does anyone operate like this? doesn't seem very practical or foolproof.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#109

Post by egypturnash »

nonrandomstring wrote: post #48

I'd like to rewrite this as "Why you should maybe not work so hard for someone else". Intrinsically motivated people (you'll know what I mean is you are one too) know no bounds to the ecstasy of work. Struggling toward a self-defined end is like flying in the clouds. In "flow", work is no longer work at all. It is labour relations within a late-capitalist system of dehumanising exploitation, over-systematisation and…

I am self-employed and I love doing what I get paid to do but there are many other things I like to do as well. I work hard enough to pay my bills and really not much harder.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#110

Post by adamsmith143 »

jhgb wrote: post #50
matheusmoreira wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Compensation is best measured as hourly rate: $/h. Working too hard just decreases that ratio because work hours increase while money stays constant.

> Working too hard just decreases that ratio because work hours increase while money stays constant I assume this may hold for the US, but not for many other countries. For example in my country the hourly rate for overtime hours is higher by law. Your hourly compensation decrease while working longer would only decrease if you were an external contractor paid a fixed amount of money for completion of a specific task…

We aren't really talking about overtime though, which also exists in the US, but the amount of output during a normal 8 hour day. You might get paid somewhat more than a peer for putting out 2x the output but there are massive diminishing returns.
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