How effective are you on your 14th hour?

[MOBIUS]

I work as little as possible these days. I did all that working long hours crap when I was younger - now it's about figuring out how to get other people to do your work for you...

[Garth Vader]

For anything that requires real thinking not very effective. I have done it, but work quality produced at hour 20 will contain a lot of WTF's.

[MOBIUS]

In other words, a lot of the people here boasting about how many hours they can do are probably actually being counter productive. That they have to work for so many hours in one go basically represents some sort of failure in their working practices in the first place.

[Dis]

In other words, a lot of the people here boasting about how many hours they can do are probably actually being counter productive. That they have to work for so many hours in one go basically represents some sort of failure in their working practices in the first place.

some of us were forced to work that many hours...

[snoopy369]

14's not too bad. 30, that's not efficient. 14 as long as you don't do stupid things like RedBull or whatever (high+crash), just a reasonable caffeine level (~150mg / 4 hours for me is usually reasonable) and not too much sugar.

[DanS]

Caffeine in any amount is always bad news for me. It's important to stay hydrated though.

[Ben Kenobi]

Haven't pulled those hours since I was in school. I think the hardest was a double shift of treeplanting. I don't think I've ever gone longer then that. 4am - 8pm. Usually we'd have 12 hour days most days from 4am to about 4pm, eat dinner, rinse and repeat.

[Japher]

I'm pretty effective until about the 3rd hour... anything after that is pointless.

[Zkribbler]

I used to work horrendous hours. But at one point I learned that, once I "went over the cliff," I might as well go home. The next morning, I could do in five minutes that which would have taken me five hours if I'd have stayed.

[VetLegion]

In programming and related stuff, one can actually do a lot of damage if one works tired. So I avoid doing it. I can't remember the last time I worked for more than 8 hours straight.

[Naked Gents Rut]

About to pass out after 36 hours awake. Wouldn't have pulled an all-nighter last night if I knew Stiglitz was going to be speaking to my class tonight; I was dozing off with him in the room.

[Cort Haus]

I'm sure I remember Gepap, some years ago, suggesting that anyone working ridiculously long hours is obviously not doing their job properly as if they were they'd get it done in a reasonable time.

At the time I was working crazy hours and was quite offended. Fortunately, these days I'm in a position where I currently work reasonable hours and I've no wish for this to change. It may in part be down to improved expectations management but I expect it is mostly good fortune.

I have worked 30+ hour stints in the past, but I suspect that once you get to a certain age that kind of thing is best consigned to the history books.

[Aeson]

I'm pretty effective until about the 3rd hour... anything after that is pointless.

My effectiveness never diminishes, no matter how long I work... my secret is to never be effective in the first place

[Dauphin]

In other words, a lot of the people here boasting about how many hours they can do are probably actually being counter productive. That they have to work for so many hours in one go basically represents some sort of failure in their working practices in the first place.

I wouldn't call it boasting, unless you consider working long hours something you are proud of. I agree that long hours are counterproductive but often you have no choice. My long hours (when they happen) are due to external factors over which I nor my firm have control over, such as court imposed deadlines to respond to new evidence or other time critical deadlines with no prior lead time.

[rah]

I've worked up to about 36 hours straight when it was an emergency. But I have found that after about 11 hours, there had better be a damn good reason to still be working because after that, mistakes are more likely and rework will take longer than the time you put in. So after 11, you're wasting time.