Comments on: Good Hours, Not More Hours

By: tentaculistic

tentaculistic — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:56:52 +0000

I think in a desk job, Trent’s advice is right on the money. I have a personal goal, kind of like a game, to get all my day’s work done by noon. Obviously that doesn’t always work, because things come up and there are meetings, etc – but by and large I think that attitude really helps me power through work very quickly and just have it done. It also means that I can later take breaks and websurf/chat with coworkers/etc without feeling guilty.

That said, at jobs where a boss is always at your shoulder and you don’t get a bit of a goof-off break, I have been WAY less productive. I have to stretch the work I can get done in 4 hours into 8, and end up not even getting the work done. I’m a work sprinter, not a long distance runner, so too much oversight makes me lazy.

Kind of funny since I recently studied about MacGregor’s Theory of X and Y, which says in a nutshell that managers either treat workers according to Theory X (they’re lazy, unmotivated, and have to be micromanaged) or Theory Y (they’re capable, motivated, and can be trusted). And in my own life I’ve been both kinds of workers, and the kind of worker I am is so clearly linked to the kind of manager I have.

Anyway, I agree with Trent’s post, and with a lot of the sentiments in The Four Hour Workweek.

By: Rockledge

Rockledge — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:31:59 +0000

I agree with Amy that dealing with this is part of understanding your own circadian cycle. For instance, my mind wants to shut down for an hour at 2 p.m. no matter what time I get up or anything else I’ve done and it’s been that way ever since I can remember. Now that I’m semi-retired, I take a nap. When I worked full time, I usually would sit at my desk at 2 p.m. and “read” my professional magazines. I tried to schedule meetings for my productive times.

When I absolutely couldn’t get a mental break in the afternoon, I’d have to take one when I got home. I would have a mindless game I’d play with the kids for an hour before I’d tackle anything bigger. Accepting my circadian cycle has made me be more productive and less frustrated with myself. Also, knowing this about myself means that a job that requires all day long, uninterrupted attention, such as being an elementary school teacher, would not work for me–
at least not in the long run.

To avoid my mental break just being procrastinating, I limit myself to an hour or, at most, 90 minutes of shut down time and then have a strong cup of coffee. In effect, I have a two part work day instead of one long one. Not every one is able to set their work to the circadian cycle, but if you can, it makes a big difference.

By: Amy

Amy — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:37:40 +0000

I think this can apply to lots of things. For example, I am not a morning person. My brain doesn’t activate until a little later in the day. So I have learned to not to work on our budget or try a fix it project in the morning. Instead I’ll clean house or do laundry or whatever early then save my projects that require a little more brain power for the early afternoon.

By: kristine

kristine — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 14:32:45 +0000

As a teacher, I can also take this advice, but in the margins. The not even being able to go when nature calls was the hardest thing to get used to.

When I work at home (I do some commission work and tutor) this advice is terrific. If I can’t do what I have scheduled for myself, then I tell myself….just get something done. A mindless chore. Anything. I’ve no time to spin my wheels fruitlessly, so any step forward is time well spent.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:40:34 +0000

I’m a teacher too, but I still find this post relevant. Of course, while my kids are in my classroom I have to be “on” and teaching. So no matter what from 8:45-3:00 I have to be “productive” even though I wouldn’t necessarily say all of those hours would be productive if I didn’t have 21 kindergartners demanding my attention. My productive time is 2 hours in the morning before the kids arrive. That’s when I get to work and do all my planning, organizing, parent e-mails, etc. I get a LOT done in those two hours, but if I stayed from 3:00-5:00 in the afternoon, I would NEVER get as much done. I’ve tried and I end up casually strolling into a coworkers room to chat, staring at the computer for 20 minutes just trying to write a quick parent e-mail etc. I’ve now realized I can use that time to tutoring children for extra money, run necessary errands, go to the gym and on luckily days, come home and start cooking dinner, clean etc. Sure, it’s not as much flexibility as some people have, but it was important for me to learn when my productive hours are :)

By: Evaluise

Evaluise — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 07:04:47 +0000

I disagree. On one hand most jobs don’t allow this much flexibility and some allow almost none at all. On the other hand, very often I find that the tasks I don’t do now because I don’t feel like it won’t get done tomorrow either, whereas if I start the task I usually find that it is not half as bad as I feared it would be. The best way to get a burst of whatever is to just do it. At least try – if after 10 minutes you still feel like brain toast, go and empty the dishwasher.

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 01:40:06 +0000

I’m a symphony musician, so a great deal of my schedule is set by others. Rehearsals start at assigned times, regardless of whether I’ve been up with the crying baby or my coffee has kicked in. And most shows have such short turn-around times (deadlines) that it isn’t an option to put work aside until a more constructive time. E.g. I had 24 hours to learn a symphony last month.

But digging deeper into what Trent is saying, my take-away is that when I’m not on stage, when I do have a choice of tasks, I can do a quick exam of my brain power, and choose what kind of task to work on. Practicing or flexibility work, mindful or mindless. I think that most of us have a few hours each week during which we can choose our tasks, and I appreciate the advice to schedule to brain power.

By: chuck

chuck — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 01:18:58 +0000

most companies seem to prefer more hours. the more the better, despite what it does to productivity.

By: krantcents

krantcents — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:04:35 +0000

I am a teacher and I also have no flexibility in my hours, but I have tremendous latitude in what I do. I am very effective in my lessons because I have my students do projects. Students just like everyone else learn by doing! The sooner I can have my students work on their projects the more they will learn. These are very hands on kind of projects. They are performed on computers and generally the students like my class because they are kept busy.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 21:06:16 +0000

Yeah, that sounds great. Too bad that as a teacher, I have NO flexibility with hours. The bell rings and I have to begin. 43 minutes later and the bell rings again and I have to do it again 4 minutes later. Yet I’m expected to be sharp and effective during all of those 43 minutes, five times a day. I envy those of you who have freedom to make your own schedule. You get to decide when to do hard tasks, easy tasks, go to the bathroom, etc.

I’m not meaning to complain. I love my job for the most part, but your post frustrates me. Not only teachers, but many people don’t have the freedom you have, and I think sometimes you forget that and it makes you sound somewhat smug sometimes. It’s great you have a great living that allows you such flexibility, but some of us have to teach classes, meet with clients, run factories, etc.

By: David

David — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 20:56:18 +0000

A caveat: please do not adopt the advice above if your job happens to be driving a bus. At least, not my bus.