Subj : Re: do serious programmers have a life? To : comp.programming From : Randy Howard Date : Sat Sep 24 2005 08:02 am Christopher Barber wrote (in article ): >> Oh bull. The myth that humans can only work 40 hours a week >> (and wishing for 32) without losing productivity is socialist >> claptrap. >> >> If you can't work 12 hours a day or more without having problems >> then you have a medical condition and should seek attention. > > I can pretty much guarantee that if you work more than about 10 hours a day > for more than a week or two that you will make a lot more mistakes. Of > course, > you may not realize that this is the case unless you actually measure > the results. And I can pretty much guarantee you that in the real world, sometimes it is what is required. Not everybody can do it, some can. I have known a very few people that could operate on nothing but 15-minute catnaps every few hours for days or weeks on end better than most people do on 8 hours sleep. I could never do it (when I go to sleep, I'm down for the count, nothing short of a tornado is going to wake me up in 15 minutes when I'm tired). It's different for every person, and the time period that works well varies wildly. >> I am not referring to chronically mismanaged businesses that >> expect that 52 weeks a year. Professionals do what it takes to >> accomplish the goals, just as doctors work triple shifts during >> emergencies. Spineless windbags complain about their 'free >> time' and go home early when crunch time arrives. > > Despite the fact that this is a common practice, there is a lot of research > that shows that doctors make more mistakes when they are sleep deprived. You > really don't want to be going to a doctor who has been up for 36 hours if you > can avoid it. Unfortunately, there are times when you can not avoid it. Triage isn't a desired thing either, but it is often required. > If I were paying a programmer by the hour, I would want to pay them a > discounted rate for working too many hours in a day. If I were paying a programmer by the hour, I would replace them with a salaried professional at the earliest opportunity. -- Randy Howard (2reply remove FOOBAR) .