Life In 19x19

To echo what others have said -- you can't be operating at full tilt all the time...If you do have trouble finding a middle ground (either you're going all out, or doing just enough), perhaps you can find a way to prioritize. I can't speak for certain about your job, but every job I've ever had would have a mix of task that vastly ranged in importance/quality required...If you can separate which tasks are going to have long-term/important vs which tasks are transient/ you can try to focus your best effort on things that will be highly visible and remembered, and then "just get by" on the tasks that are "ad-hoc solutions that need to get us to the weekend." Sometimes you need a beautiful weld, other times it's ok to just wrap it with duct tape and keep moving (=

At any rate, this type of approach might let you keep your energy for the tasks that really require it, instead of wasting it on something that will no longer be relevant the next day.

What were you doing differently between the time you were running 100% and the time you were burnt out? Were you working more hours at work, or spending more of your time at work focused on the task at hand (less forums, gossip and webcomics?) Or was it something more subjective about how you were working?

Kirby wrote:So I don't know if anybody's noticed, but I've been on the forum slightly less in the past few days. I still probably checked the forum everyday, but I still think the frequency was slightly less...

Anyway, I wanted to see what people thought about a situation I'm having at my job. About 9 months ago, I changed jobs for some personal reasons - I'm a software engineer, by the way. When I started out, for the first couple of months, I think that I was running at 100% effort. I think I surprised some people, and did a very good job at work.

After awhile, the feeling of having a new job wore off a little bit, and I feel like I got a little bit "burnt out". I started getting a little pessimistic about my job, and I think the quality of what I produced at work went down a little bit.

Well, it's been a few more months now, and I want to get back into working in "100% mode". What concerns me is getting burnt out again. Also, during the time I would say that I was "burnt out", I produced some software that I'm not proud of. I mean, it works, but I think I could have done a much better job. I don't like doing that kind of work.

My wife suggested trying to work in "80% mode" so that I would be less likely to get burnt out. But it's hard for me to think this way. I feel like I have an on/off switch. When the switch is on, I run full sprint ahead at trying to get something done. But when the switch is off, I don't perform nearly as well. It's hard for me to keep the switch on all the time, though.

Has anybody had experience with this type of behavior? How can I operate at 100% 100% of the time?

I guess this type of thought could also relate to go, but I put it in the off topic section, because my concern stems from my experiences at work.

Lol.
I think there are different kinds of people. The slow and steady work at 70-80% all the time. Then there are those like you (and me) who work in spurts.
For me it is like that: when I am interested in my job (as now) I work 120% for a few weeks, then need to step back and relax for a week or so. Call in sick, whatever... call it working at 80% with a day off. Then I am ready to go 120% again for the next few weeks... Early on I have had the same questions you do now, but at some point I decided simply not to force it - this is how I operate and this is how, in the long run, I am the most productive. I am in a very fortunate position that I can actually afford to work like that being the only software engineer in the company with just a few contractors to push around. My boss is very understanding since she sees I am not really slacking off - just working in a pattern.

From my previous job, this was not very acceptable. I never really worked at 120% (was not very interested in what I was doing), so my peaks and valleys were more like 100% and 60%... the problem I have encountered was that once I went for a few weeks at 100%, this was what was 'acceptable' and expected of me, and the week when I needed to slack off was highly frowned upon and caused me a lot of grief.

So I guess it depends on the work environment if you can afford to have burnouts like that or not.

Bottom Line>
The question you should ask yourself, ultimately, is if you are worth your money. If you think that, in the long run, you are giving all that you can give, and all other pattern would lower your productivity, then you're doing it right, even if your bosses are unhappy. But then again - your job depends on your bosses, so you have to be careful there. Maybe talk to your boss about it if you have this kind of relationship. Otherwise, you need to smudge.

Hope that helps.

hyperpape wrote:What were you doing differently between the time you were running 100% and the time you were burnt out? Were you working more hours at work, or spending more of your time at work focused on the task at hand (less forums, gossip and webcomics?) Or was it something more subjective about how you were working?

I think that there are a couple of factors:
1.) I think that I was more focused on the work at hand - I still used this forum, for example, but at more scheduled intervals. Sometimes I wouldn't use the forum at all, but when I did, it wasn't for a long period of time. As I was new to the project, I spent a lot of time getting up to speed with how things worked.

2.) I think that I made more of an effort to be precisely correct in everything that I did. Since that time, I feel like I've been somewhat influenced by others on the team, perhaps in a negative way. There is pressure to get something done quickly, and because of that pressure, sometimes I neglect to incorporate some precision. It's hard for me to say if this is a bad thing, because sometimes I get hung up on being precise about a detail that does not really matter in the long run. But I do feel it's worth it to be more precise than you think you need to be, sometimes.

3.) I think I felt that I had more ambition.

Sometimes I feel that the effort I put into the work that I did near the beginning of my employment was only partially recognized, so I may have been slightly discouraged.

Bantari wrote:...
Bottom Line>
The question you should ask yourself, ultimately, is if you are worth your money. ...

Thanks for your response. I have long felt that some of the more labor-intensive jobs in society should pay more than they do. I worked as a roofer for one summer, and it was much more difficult than any programming job that I've ever had.

On the other hand, I guess some money is paid since not everybody knows some particular knowledge.

xed_over wrote:...

have you never read "The Tortoise and the Hare"?

It's interesting that you mention this, because someone that I used to work with used the same analogy. From my perspective, it's good that the tortoise is steady, but how can the tortoise know that he's going at a quick enough pace? Let's say it was the tortoise vs. the hare vs. the snail. Maybe the tortoise and hare act as they did in the fable, but the snail is even slower than the tortoise. The tortoise would probably win, even if the snail were also going at a steady pace.

So I'm apprehensive to be a tortoise, because I'm afraid of being too slow.

Mef wrote:To echo what others have said -- you can't be operating at full tilt all the time...If you do have trouble finding a middle ground (either you're going all out, or doing just enough), perhaps you can find a way to prioritize. I can't speak for certain about your job, but every job I've ever had would have a mix of task that vastly ranged in importance/quality required...If you can separate which tasks are going to have long-term/important vs which tasks are transient/ you can try to focus your best effort on things that will be highly visible and remembered, and then "just get by" on the tasks that are "ad-hoc solutions that need to get us to the weekend." Sometimes you need a beautiful weld, other times it's ok to just wrap it with duct tape and keep moving (=

At any rate, this type of approach might let you keep your energy for the tasks that really require it, instead of wasting it on something that will no longer be relevant the next day.

Great idea. I think that prioritization is something I should do more of. I really like this post.

Kirby wrote:

xed_over wrote:...

have you never read "The Tortoise and the Hare"?

It's interesting that you mention this, because someone that I used to work with used the same analogy. From my perspective, it's good that the tortoise is steady, but how can the tortoise know that he's going at a quick enough pace? Let's say it was the tortoise vs. the hare vs. the snail. Maybe the tortoise and hare act as they did in the fable, but the snail is even slower than the tortoise. The tortoise would probably win, even if the snail were also going at a steady pace.

So I'm apprehensive to be a tortoise, because I'm afraid of being too slow.

I like this analogy. Think of it as: the tortoise and the hare each get where they're going in a reasonable time (counter to the fable, where the hare was lucky to finish at all). The snail never gets to the end, because the race has long ended and been shut down by the time he arrives.

At my job we have a lot of tortoises and a lot of snails. I'm also much more like the hare in this updated fable, and I think, or hope, that it's appreciated. I think I'm beyond fixing, though... I am the opposite of detail oriented, but many of the detail oriented people (who may work MANY extra hours) often never seem to get where they're going (or at least are directionally misguided).

Kirby wrote:1.) I think that I was more focused on the work at hand - I still used this forum, for example, but at more scheduled intervals. Sometimes I wouldn't use the forum at all, but when I did, it wasn't for a long period of time. As I was new to the project, I spent a lot of time getting up to speed with how things worked.

When you're working on something that you care about, I think that avoiding a matter of distractions is not hard work per se, so much as good habits. It's hard in the sense that many people fail to focus on things that they actually do care about. But it's not hard work in the sense that you get burnt out because you're expending so much energy on not checking L19. Instead, focusing on the thing you want to work on is energizing and fun.

At least that's my two cents, as a severe procrastinator.

Kirby wrote: From my perspective, it's good that the tortoise is steady, but how can the tortoise know that he's going at a quick enough pace?

experience. practice. training.

you have to learn to set goals (realistic goals), and then learn when you need to sprint to reach those goals in spite of whatever setbacks come along the way. learn to prioritize and be flexible.

but mostly experience. don't be too quick to jump to conclusions and make the wrong choice. I've seen programmers quickly code a "solution" before the problem has yet to be fully analyzed. take your time to read it out first.

Work, even work which you enjoy, is stressful.

A lot of people have good advice here, but IMHO, it really comes down to stress management, and self motivation.

When you get up in the morning on a work day, what is it that you think? If it's 'crap, work again', you may need to look at your motivation, and attitude.

If you get up thinking 'Work today, here's what I need to get done today', that's a good place to be.

If you get up thinking 'Hooooray, work!' You may be the most energetic work loving person I know.

I believe a lot in the power of attitude adjustment. Coming from a manic depressive home, sometimes that attitude adjustment comes in the form of little pills. Sometimes it's meditation. Sometimes it's just reaching a point of being content with your work.

But, as people have mentioned, it's hard to stay positive, and focused, all the time.

For a traditional 9-5 work week, it's important to set aside time on the weekends, and in the afternoon, where you absolutely don't think about work. This may be difficult, especially if you have a job that comes home with you, but, focusing more for shorter periods during a day is often more productive than losing focus for long periods.

Take breaks at work. Even if you're on a roll, and having fun, and 100% focused, schedule work breaks, and take them if you can. Clearly, emergencies or desperation level workloads can interfere with breaks, but that's special case sort of thing.

If you feel yourself growing frustrated, or losing focus, take a break. Be it 15 minutes, or a day, take a break, calm yourself, and evaluate your goals and what you need to get done now. No matter what your job is, you can only fix/work on one thing at a time. Figure out what needs done, in what order, and head back in with a positive outlook.

Hope some of that is useful.