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Fuck being productive

dostoynikov.bearblog.dev

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Re: Fuck being productive

#141

Post by Jach »

nly wrote: post #122
Jach wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's relatively easy for software devs to live comfortably on $50k and make $150k+.

Maybe in the US. Maybe. Here in the UK, after tax, $50K/yr doesn't even cover my mortgage, and I live in a house that over 100 years ago, according to the 1911 census, supported a family of 5 on a carriage drivers single income. I earn a top 1% salary as a dev and retirement will still be 20-25 years away for me under ideal conditions - i.e. a 40% savings rate.

My condolences, outside the US is definitely harder. At least you can still invest in the S&P 500.

Re: Fuck being productive

#142

Post by ZephyrBlu »

nly wrote: post #122
Jach wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's relatively easy for software devs to live comfortably on $50k and make $150k+.

Maybe in the US. Maybe. Here in the UK, after tax, $50K/yr doesn't even cover my mortgage, and I live in a house that over 100 years ago, according to the 1911 census, supported a family of 5 on a carriage drivers single income. I earn a top 1% salary as a dev and retirement will still be 20-25 years away for me under ideal conditions - i.e. a 40% savings rate.

What's a top 1% salary in the UK?

Re: Fuck being productive

#143

Post by slothtrop »

quijoteuniv wrote: post #134
sBqQu3U0wH wrote: post #15

Honestly, I do feel somewhat similar. I work a normal 8-hour day and I am not obsessed with productivity nor I am some kind of anti-work activist, but it just feels like such a waste of time. The only reason I go to work is for money. I don't care about the products we build for someone else (why should I?), nor the technologies used (each of which brings its own challenges and frustrations). If I didn't need to go t…

Have you considered the posibility of doing a rewarding job (other than money). I think is possible sometimes, often it might be less money involved, but imagine that your work allows you to work in what you enjoy and in your free time, er r …you just rest or do more of what you enjoy.

I've expended an inordinate amount of effort trying to get a rewarding job, more-so than at any of the jobs themselves. It's not a given. If you've taken a career trajectory that employers find don't match the pattern they are most familiar with and place a premium on, you will have a doubly hard time, as you're competing with those who haven't.

Free time is what there is for me, and though I don't think of it in "productive" terms, I do think it's important to bias towards action rather than passive consumption.

Re: Fuck being productive

#144

Post by TylerE »

badpun wrote: post #127
nly wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe in the US. Maybe. Here in the UK, after tax, $50K/yr doesn't even cover my mortgage, and I live in a house that over 100 years ago, according to the 1911 census, supported a family of 5 on a carriage drivers single income. I earn a top 1% salary as a dev and retirement will still be 20-25 years away for me under ideal conditions - i.e. a 40% savings rate.

I'm guessing a bus driver in 1911 was kind of a high skill job, sort of like software development is now. How many people could drive a car back then, let alone a bus?

Carriage as in the horse drawn variety

Re: Fuck being productive

#145

Post by D13Fd »

sBqQu3U0wH wrote: post #15

Honestly, I do feel somewhat similar. I work a normal 8-hour day and I am not obsessed with productivity nor I am some kind of anti-work activist, but it just feels like such a waste of time. The only reason I go to work is for money. I don't care about the products we build for someone else (why should I?), nor the technologies used (each of which brings its own challenges and frustrations). If I didn't need to go t…

This isn’t really what the article is talking about though. It’s talking productivity outside of work.

Re: Fuck being productive

#146

Post by justnotworthit »

sesteel wrote: post #45
scaramanga wrote: post #4

Dude, you are absolutely not being productive in the 12 hours of indentured servitude. You need to find a new job. The people at your current job aren't your friends. They've let you arrange to give away a full 50% your life (most of what's left must be occupied by sleep, pissing, shitting, eating, and paying bills). Not a single person in your life has said anything or tried to get you out of the office earlier? You…

This deserves to be upvoted more. Trading your life for financial gain has diminishing returns. You'd think everybody's goal would to be free of servitude.

Most people's goal is security, I wager. But here's a quote you might like:

“Self-sufficiency is the greatest wealth of all, and the greatest fruit of self-sufficiency is freedom.” – Epicurus

Re: Fuck being productive

#147

Post by nly »

badpun wrote: post #132
nly wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Frugality is an understatement on that timeline. To retire in 10 years you're going to have to be able to live comfortably on something like 1/3rd of your take home pay. No employer is going to pay you 3x what your nearest peer is willing to live on.

> To retire in 10 years you're going to have to be able to live comfortably on something like 1/3rd of your take home pay. That's very easy if you don't have kids - just don't get on a hedonic threadmill (and, if you're already on it, start gradually getting off). I'm not a parent myself, so won't speak about the "with kids" situation.

Rent isnt a "hedonic treadmill". Neither is food or energy. These are the 3 areas seeing the most inflation right now. Rents in London are up 20% in a year, food almost the same, and energy ...well, everyone knows what has happened to energy.

The average Londoner is paying almost 40% of their take home pay on rent, so saving 2/3rds is already impossible.

Even as one of the lucky ones earning a top 1% salary, I _still_ pay 40% of my take home pay on a mortgage with a 33 year mortgage term!

Your idea of getting off the treadmill must be living in the countryside and taking a 80% pay cut, I suppose?

Before coming to London I was doing an equally demanding role on 20% of my current pay.

Or how about raising a family in a 1 bedroom flat? - i see loads of people doing that these days. My old neighbours both had full time well paid jobs and were still in a 1 bed with a newborn.

There's no real escape. The economy is a dog, and we are all underpaid.

Re: Fuck being productive

#148

Post by gdsdfe »

ksd482 wrote: post #138
sBqQu3U0wH wrote: post #15

Honestly, I do feel somewhat similar. I work a normal 8-hour day and I am not obsessed with productivity nor I am some kind of anti-work activist, but it just feels like such a waste of time. The only reason I go to work is for money. I don't care about the products we build for someone else (why should I?), nor the technologies used (each of which brings its own challenges and frustrations). If I didn't need to go t…

I am a software engineer. I struggled to find meaning in my work for the first few years of my career. I used to lie (unknowingly) to myself "I love my job", "I am passionate about my job", "It's my passion" and I was always disappointed. That is until one day, after many years and barring many details, I decided to tell myself that "I push buttons on a company laptop in exchange for money and I happen to somewhat li…

where did you find your passion? just curious

Re: Fuck being productive

#149

Post by chankstein38 »

Amen. This also subtly highlights a huge negative to being forced to work in an office, commute times. I was in the same boat, 2.5hrs or so of commuting per day made my 8hr day a 10.5hr day and made my blood boil. Started working from home and my blood pressure went down and I got happier AND had more time to myself.
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