

Ask HN: How do you work? - nurall
http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/02/news/newsmakers/howiwork_fortune_032006/index.htm
I came across this old article about how successful people work - http://snurl.com/26lrf. But I did start wondering if there was some gap between how these guys worked and how you work?<p>My question to you is: How do you guys work?<p>p.s: I am pretty sure there are a whole bunch of HNers who will consider themselves fairly successful to answer this question.
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nurall
I came across this old article about how successful people work just recently.
And I started wondering if there was some gap between how these guys work and
how you guys work your time?

My question is to you HNers: How do you guys work?

Thanks!

p.s: I am pretty a whole bunch of HNers will consider themselves fairly
successful to answer this question.

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calvin
I'm chained to an 8-5 shift currently.

I do my "real" work (or at least interesting work) when I get home and work on
my own projects.

Generally, I pick one task to focus on and pound away on it for a few hours. I
am assisted in the process by an eclectic variety of background music
depending on the focus and the tempo of progress being made.

If I begin feeling that no more progress can be made or that a different
approach is necessary, I'll take a break or work on something else and let my
brain stew on the previous project in the subconscious.

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wallflower
"How is managing a team of techies different from managing other kinds of
office workers? Technical people are motivated by interesting work. They will
put up with abominable working conditions if they get to work on something
that interests them. I've managed people who had to be sent home at night. But
technical people without interesting work are very difficult to manage. Their
active minds tend to get them into trouble. A happy team is a group that is
busy and too intrigued with their project to get mired down with internal
politics. In contrast, I find office workers to be more interested in the
overall job than the task at hand. Environment, recognition and security are
more important to them.

I've also found that technical people need to have adequate playtime. Ideas
are exchanged and expanded while they play ping-pong or walk around the
parking lot. Allowing people the freedom to wander when they need to returns
high rewards that far offset the apparent lack of focus. Technical workers
work all the time. Their minds are constantly mulling over problems and
possible solutions. What looks like slacking off may be the most productive
time they spend. Give them the freedom to work. "

[http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewA...](http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=300537)

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ggruschow
_A dozen accomplished people tell what works for them._

If having a life like those folks is what's called "accomplished", I want to
be a failure.

To answer the question though, I do my best (most productive & efficient) work
when I'm working 6 to 9 hours a day in an office with a few other smart caring
coworkers, no travel, a good amount of sleep, and doing nearly no email / IM /
etc.

My best ideas come from the shower and sleep.

I think the number of people I have a discussion with in a day has an odd
relationship with the quality of my work. The peak is somewhere between 2 and
9. I think that's even true when I'm managing large numbers of people.

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ojbyrne
Having worked as a programmer and spending time at B-school, I'm about to tell
you the secret that explains all the conflicts between managers and
programmers.

Many is the programmer who's said "I get more done after midnight than most
people do the rest of the day."

But at B-school the saying goes "I get more done before 8 AM than most people
do the rest of the day."

And therein lies the problem. ;-)

~~~
Xichekolas
Well if they'd let the programmer come in at midnight, then his productive
time would be tapering off right about the time the MBA shows up at 6am to get
all his work done. It would be perfect.

But no, programmers must pretend to be generic office cogs. 9-5 just doesn't
make sense for a creative profession. Working hours should be whenever the
person happens to be working, and managers should be good enough at knowing
whether things are getting done that they don't have to watch all their
employees (pretend to) work on a set schedule.

