Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How Google's Marissa Mayer Prevents Burnout

entrepreneur.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 124 posts

Re: How Google's Marissa Mayer Prevents Burnout

#61

Post by bretpiatt »

pwthornton wrote: post #52

I don't buy that she worked 130 hours a week. Perhaps one week ever. But I'm still not sure if I buy that. Anything short of documentary proof wouldn't lead me to believe it. We do have data that people overestimated how much they work. I'm sure she worked long hours. I'm sure she was in the office a lot to. But 130 hours? And 130 hours of actual good work? We also have data on how the quality of work drops off as qu…

I think it comes down to how you define work. If it is "clocked in on a time card sitting at a desk" 130 hours a week is not realistic long term (it is 18.5 hours per day 7 days a week) -- I agree.

If you define work as "your mind focusing on solving problems or thinking about the big decisions that need to be made" it is absolutely possible to do that for an extended period of time.

I regularly sleep 4-6 hours per night and wake up without an alarm clock (there is a bunch of information about this out there now, example article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783 ). When I'm awake my mind is constantly thinking about the projects I'm involved in and how I can contribute to the team driving a better outcome.

I don't put in 130 hours every week but I'm putting in over 80 -- not because I have to but because I enjoy it. I'm typically only at my desk or in meetings at a corporate office 30-40 hours a week. Part of the "freedom" it talks about is letting people work from where they're most productive in a manner they choose -- not forcing them into a "one size fits all" approach -- measure productivity by outcomes not by methods.

I have a "work productivity device" (laptop, tablet, or smartphone) open consuming information or producing output related to my role easily 80 hours a week (12-15 hours a day M-F and 5-20 hours on the weekends).

Re: How Google's Marissa Mayer Prevents Burnout

#63

Post by [deleted] »

j_baker wrote: post #53
s1rech wrote: post #12

First of all, I very much doubt that she actually worked 130 hours per week with any regularity. That comes to 18.5 hours per day, including sundays. Even assuming that she could survive with 3 hours of sleep per day (yeah, sure), it leaves almost no time to eat, commute, or god, even going to the bathroom. And why in the world is she giving advice on burnout?

You know, frequently such a person is the type to make others think they're contributing merely by being at the office for such a long time. "Marissa must be getting things done. She works here 130 hours a week!" Yet if you look, they probably aren't actually working the entire time they're in the office.

[deleted]

Re: How Google's Marissa Mayer Prevents Burnout

#64

Post by evangineer »

njx wrote: post #37

Meditation is the key for me. I think more and more people especially people in the Tech and involved with startups should practice it. I work 12 hrs daily but spend around 1-2 hrs in meditation and it seems to flush out everything.

That's 1-2 hrs in meditation per day? What particular type of meditation do you practice? How long have you been practicing?

Re: How Google's Marissa Mayer Prevents Burnout

#65

Post by joshu »

munificent wrote: post #60

In case anyone is wondering whether this reflects Google's current working culture, let me comment that in my experience it absolutely does not. In the office I work in, it is virtually empty at 8:00 AM and mostly empty by 7:00 PM. Most people seem to show up around 9:00 AM and leave around 6:00. On Fridays, the office mostly stops working around 5:00 PM. There is a cadre of people, typically those without families,…

Indeed. I worked for Marissa on a project and didn't really feel crushed at all. I actually think she was one of the better managers I've had in SV. But then again I worked at Yahoo.

Re: How Google's Marissa Mayer Prevents Burnout

#68

Post by gouranga »

munificent wrote: post #60

In case anyone is wondering whether this reflects Google's current working culture, let me comment that in my experience it absolutely does not. In the office I work in, it is virtually empty at 8:00 AM and mostly empty by 7:00 PM. Most people seem to show up around 9:00 AM and leave around 6:00. On Fridays, the office mostly stops working around 5:00 PM. There is a cadre of people, typically those without families,…

Still sounds crazy. We cruise in between 9 and 10, bail between 4 and 5 and take an hour lunch. Also we tend to work from home 2-3 days a week.

Then again, they realise that we generate about 650k a year in real hard cash per head which is pretty good :) That's how a company should look.

we have to buy our own lunch though and spend our spare time doing some reading and self tuition.

Re: How Google's Marissa Mayer Prevents Burnout

#69

Post by libria »

carterschonwald wrote: post #47

Since folks seem to not recall prior articles about marissa mayer, I believe it's clearly mentioned elsewhere that she's one of those people who via medical accident/ virtue only need a substantially reduced amount of sleep compared with most people. The journalist for this article is clearly an idiot for neglecting that important contextual info. That Is all.

That is not all. If you're criticizing the author for omitting facts, it should go without saying you need to cite them.

Re: How Google's Marissa Mayer Prevents Burnout

#70

Post by carterschonwald »

libria wrote: post #69
carterschonwald wrote: post #47

Since folks seem to not recall prior articles about marissa mayer, I believe it's clearly mentioned elsewhere that she's one of those people who via medical accident/ virtue only need a substantially reduced amount of sleep compared with most people. The journalist for this article is clearly an idiot for neglecting that important contextual info. That Is all.

That is not all. If you're criticizing the author for omitting facts, it should go without saying you need to cite them.

http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/how_i_work/frameset...

"My day starts around 9 A.M. and meetings finish up around 8 P.M. After that I stay in the office to do action items and e-mail. I can get by on four to six hours of sleep. I pace myself by taking a week-long vacation every four months."

and thats just the first google result for "marissa mayer sleep"

Post reply on HN