I came across this link many times over the past week.
As a software developer, I’ve worked my share of 16-hour days. I’ll admit that I can’t argue everything on that list (I struggle with time management, for example), but I believe that long workdays often say a different set of things about someone. For me and many people I know, the list looks more like this:
- You love what you do.
- You’re not just in it for the money.
- Your life is full of supportive people.
- You’re learning a lot.
- You follow through.
- You’ll never be unemployed.
- You’re doing work that matters.
4 replies on “What Your 16-Hour Workday Says About You!”
Honestly, the original posters list reads like a list of complaints given by someone who was recently laid off and isn’t taking responsibility for their own situation.
When I look at some of the most successful people I know, rarely do any of them complain about any of the things this guys points out. Though I do see what he’s getting at and I do feel sympathetic to people who measure themselves by the number of hours per day they work as opposed to the accomplishments they are achieving.
I think you nailed it Dan with your first bullet point. If you love what you do, then you almost never work a 16 hour day because the line between work and play becomes somewhat blurred and the amount of time you’ve spent may not even be considered work.
Rob W.
Thanks for the insight, Rob!
I saw the original list as the author saying “You shouldn’t be proud of your 16-hour workday”. I suspect this is targeted at people who consistently work 16-hour days, and think that the mere act of being that busy makes them successful. There is a lot of merit to that, and I especially like how you described feeling sympathetic, because that is *exactly* the right word for it.
I wanted my list to reflect a different group of 16-hour day people — your typical hard-workers. The people that work hard because that’s how they work. They don’t pretend its glamorous, and they don’t make a big deal out of it. They just do what needs to be done, either for the project or for themselves.
I think if you are working for yourself a 16 hour day is admirable and a great way to become a success. However, if you are working for someone else it’s just dumb.
Ah, but if you’re doing something you really love, does it matter whether it’s for yourself or someone else? Isn’t the point just to do it?