How many working hours/day are ok?
Darya Antonyuk
96 replies
for you personally :) when do you start feeling that you've lost your productivity and just working for the sake of working?
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Leena Chitnis@chitterz
Depends on the person. For me I work anywhere from 10-16 hours a day, 7 days a week. On holidays, too. Hard to take a break when you're just starting up.
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@brianhurst Yes, and not only that, but 2 autoimmune conditions, diabetes, and a partridge in a pear tree. I'm perpetually exhausted from those conditions but I can't let those things stop me. I do take time for my health by getting 20 minutes of direct sunlight and 1 hour walk per day, and I cook my own healthy meals about 90% of the time. The other 10% I eat out and let myself enjoy/indulge. I also play my guitar every time I take a break, and watch Netflix while having my dinner. So, there are periods of enjoyment throughout my day, and I listen to Spotify and drink hot beverages using a plugged in mug (to keep my coffee piping hot) while I work. I make it fun.
I definitely lose focus after 4 hours of intensive work
@evgenia_budrina1 I can relate, need to take a break or do some dull monotonous work that doesn't require much thinking
Burnout taught me the hard way that there is a limit and looking back on my career, I see too many years pushing myself to be productive way beyond when I could be productive. So now, I try to find a better balance, especially since I also have a chronic health condition to take into account. I like to keep it rather organic so I can adapt my work to my level of energy. If I'm hooked on something and have a ton of energy, I let myself dig deep and hit the 9-hour mark in a day. But mainly I've found that my productivity dips too much if I go beyond 7-8 hours a day. I work all weekdays and weekends, but once a week, I let myself have a lightweight day of only 1-2 hours of work.
Honestly, saying that makes me feel like a bad founder as I constantly hear other founders talk about their 80-hour work weeks. However, life has taught me my limits and this is what works for me. I'm curious whether it's possible to be a founder this way and would love to hear if anyone else has experience with a similar setup.
@maria_hagsten omg, that's such a deep answer, thank you! I think that it's very important that you're trying to find this balance. I wish you the best of luck with your startup!
@maria_hagsten I love the balance you give it.
I once had a burnout that made me take infusions.
Though I still work long hours, I practice pomodoro, and sometimes I take intentional breaks.
@maria_hagsten @judith_amarachi_ pomodoro is a cool method, I used it a lot when I was at uni preparing for the exams
@judith_amarachi_ @darya_antonyuk Love pomodoro too! It is such a simple and effective technique.
8 to 10 hours
@aarav_pittman how do you manage to stay productive over this time?
on a general note,
7*6
8*5 (sweet spot)
10*4
I mostly go with 8*6 or anywhere about that. :)
@senthil99nathan 8 hours 6 days a week is a lot! How do you manage to stay productive over this time?
@darya_antonyuk , maybe, it is. One thing is that I got used to it. And not all those hours are put to full-fledged work. Some of them go into finding inspiration, reading or watching good resources, etc.
It depends, however, the ideal number of working hours per day for maximum productivity is typically around 6 to 8 hours.
@tunc_emran the same for me! (that includes having weekends, right? :D)
It depends on the type of activity and environmental conditions.
@mahsan_sharifian I agree, what are your usual limits?)
It depends on the person and the job. Some people can be productive for longer hours, while others need more breaks.
I usually work for 7 to 8 hours but when it comes to important tasks, I don't mind investing extra time and I'm even willing to work on holidays to meet deadlines.
@hemalatha_rajendran do you often have to work on weekends?
@darya_antonyuk Not frequently, but sometimes priority work comes up so I need to work on weekends too.
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It varies for individuals.
And there's no fixed time for me.
@judith_amarachi_ of course, it does, for me it also depends on the day and may vary from 5 to 7 hours
As few hours as possible
This is because our attention spans and productivity tend to decline after about 6 hours of work.
If you are able to negotiate a shorter workday with your employer, it could have a number of benefits for your health, happiness, and productivity.
lots & lots :)
workaholic so I don't mind, but I don't expect 12-16 hour days out of my team
Depends, I could probably go a week working 12 hours a day, but that doesn't last long. A break of a couple of days after that streak is necesarry!
It all depends on what a project requieres. There's time for work and time to relax. Find the balance!
6 hours 5 days a week
@anna_kasumova that sounds reasonable! do you manage to stay productive the whole time?)
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Before the launch I work at least 10-12 hours. But in general, 8 - 9 is ok.