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

Maybe you should do less 'work'

johnwhiles.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 431 posts

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#81

Post by TuringTest »

LunaSea wrote: post #60
jokoon wrote: post #54

Beyond those arguments, it's also important to remind that we should work between 20 or 30 hours per week, not more. It's about health, being able to rest, do leisure, physical activity, see friends, date, etc. There are things to learn about the antiwork mentality. Not saying everyone should quit their job, but still, it would be nice if everyone could be able to negotiate with their employees. I have often been cal…

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

Actually it is, and only a very strict and damaging protestant work ethic would tell you otherwise.

Oh, you meant that those poor workaholics shouldn't exhaust themselves by overexerting over too much work? With that I can agree. But taxing those producing the most so as not to leave behind those who have received fewer gifts, inheritance or good contacts? That's how you build a civilization. If only because those producing the most are also those receiving the most from their peers upfront.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#82

Post by xyzzy21 »

pm90 wrote: post #26
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.

You decide as a team. Concepts like story points and processes like agile sprints are intended to create a more realistic estimate of the work a team can deliver. The process comes with tradeoffs; it won’t work for everyone. So then it’s up to them to bring it up during retrospectives and decide to either change the process or… not. It’s important to understand that working on a team means that you just don’t get to…

And you ask the "stakeholders" you are producing for.

If you still want some perfection, ration it out on an easier schedule and use incremental perfection as "treat" for the stakeholders over time while you get something for it at each incremental delivery.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#83

Post by 0des »

Apocryphon wrote: post #78
0des wrote: post #5

Getting my task completed at my own pace makes me feel good. Often that is fast and on time. In my heart, when I touch the keyboard, I feel like a greyhound dog with a little Bob Ross afro - it can be a race, a competition, but it is also an expression of my art. This article makes me feel bad because in the authors world, people like me are relegated to worker bee monkies trying to please the bossman due to patholog…

> When did we become so not only complacent but also discouraging of any genuine effort? Overcorrection for burnout and other consequences of poor WLB. And because WFH has distilled many white collar remote jobs to their essence shorn of the trappings of the office, causing people to reflect on what work really means.

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

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#84

Post by theguyovrthere »

mrozbarry wrote: post #72

I work at a software consultancy, and here are my hot tips around this: - Take breaks between tasks. Your flow should mostly allow 5-10 minute breaks often (like once an hour or so) without anything or anybody blowing up. - It's healthy that your client (or bosses) will always want more work, especially if you and your team do good work. - Always instill in your client (or bosses) that work will get done when it's do…

"People have told me they work best under pressure"

What I have learned about this phrase is "I work best when I am hyper focused on a singular and that is usually associated with being "under pressure" that causes us to slide into a state of hyper focused thinking.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#85

Post by dahfizz »

Cerium wrote: post #64
lijogdfljk wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Those people will generate enough taxes and labor for lazy people like me, and it's okay. Feels odd to me to make a statement like this. Is it in jest? In my view everyone should pull the same minimum. Not have some people work more to offset other people working less.

If you are pretty good at your work that minimum might only take 20 hours?

In that case, you're probably not living off of welfare.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#86

Post by xyzzy21 »

giantg2 wrote: post #69
freedom2099 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is not at all what the article was about! It was never stated that you should be late or take too much time in doing tasks… it was about using more wisely your time (if the sizing claimed the task needed 5 days to be done and you are done in 2 maybe you could have spent more time thinking about the design or if everything is ok try to using the extra time to generate value in other ways instead of rushing toward…

Sounded more like if you get it done early, wait until the due date to hand it in. Them use the extra time for other stuff.

Exactly. Then divide the saved time on things you can learn from, that you enjoy or to prep for things that can for your advantage (e.g. G-jobs).

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#88

Post by dahfizz »

alexk307 wrote: post #74
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.

Why not? Everyone has to be maximally productive at all times?

No, but I should not have to subsidize your laziness. I don't care if you want to lay on the couch all day, but it is not okay to steal money from me to do so.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#89

Post by giantg2 »

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.

I have looked but haven't found any.

Re: Maybe you should do less 'work'

#90

Post by TuringTest »

dahfizz wrote: post #88
alexk307 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not? Everyone has to be maximally productive at all times?

No, but I should not have to subsidize your laziness. I don't care if you want to lay on the couch all day, but it is not okay to steal money from me to do so.

https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/
Post reply on HN