
How long can one handle crunch time before becoming unproductive? - embwbam
I need to finish a big project in 4 weeks. I&#x27;ve always been a proponent of fewer hours in creative work, avoiding burnout, etc.<p>But given the situation, I&#x27;m considering working as much as I can to make sure the project gets done.<p>How many weeks can you work long hours before you are less productive overall? If you set out to ensure you would finish a project in 4 weeks, what would your schedule be? I&#x27;m planning on getting enough sleep, exercise, and having a clean diet.
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twobyfour
That differs from person to person, and depends on your level of crunch.

Some people start declining after two 50-hour weeks; others can do 60 hours
indefinitely without any negative impact on their productivity. Few people get
more done in a single hundred-hour week than they do in an 80-hour week, and
the vast majority will need multiple weeks of recovery time after those
hundred hours to get back to pre-crunch productivity levels.

So I would suggest a few things:

1) Know thyself.

2) Consider whether there's any way you can decrease the crunch by decreasing
scope or extending the timeline. Maybe there's a piece of the project that can
be done after the deadline instead of before. Maybe there's a component you
can simplify. Maybe the deadline is arbitrary and nothing will implode if it
actually lingers another two weeks.

3) Is this for your own company or for an employer? Do a gut check, and repeat
it every day of your crunch period. Who will really benefit from this project
hitting its deadline, and who will really be injured if it doesn't? Is it
really worth the risk of long-term damage to your physical and mental health
to go all out to complete this project?

