When I sleep eight hours and work eight hours, given that i also have to do bio maintenace (eat, shower, etc.) for around three hours, and do chores for two hours, I'm left with about three.
I agree that most people don’t actually work with 100% efficiency, but I disagree that everyone is procrastinating for 4-5 hours every day.
That much procrastination is the norm at certain companies, but try it at a tightly-run company and you’ll quickly fall behind your peers.
Note that communications, e-mail, and meetings really are “work” even if programmers often don’t count them. However, straight up procrastination is definitely not work.
Study for work 5-8
Gym 8-10
Chores 10-11
Free time 11-12
Burn out: imminent
> Study for work 5-8
That’s not normal. If you’re doing this, you’re actually working 8-8. This schedule can work for a short periods and special occasions, but it shouldn’t be your norm.
This can usually be fixed by improving your efficiency at work: Get down to business quickly and limit time spent browsing the internet and other non-work activities. Consolidate work to normal working hours, save the leisure for later.
> Gym 8-10
Also not normal or even necessary. A 30-minute gym trip is more than sufficient to stay in great shape. You can also go 2-3 times a week instead of 7 days a week.
Spending 10-14 hours at the gym every week is an extreme outlier of exercise.
I a 1000 times agree that I could be more efficient at work - I think it's a cycle of burning out and then being slow. I want to stress this - I am looking for ways to be more efficient at work. I know I could be more productive during, rather than doing a bunch of OT. And as Sun Tzu said - no one wins from a prolonged conflict - better to do things quickly than drawing them out and getting tired without result.
Like marginalia_nu and hpsquared said, 30 mins isn't anywhere near enough. On my off days, I walk or run at least 45 minutes. On gym days, optimally - 10 min dress and drive, 15 mins warm up, 30-45 mins main lifts, 15 mins stretch, 15 mins skill work, drive home, shower, notes. This is what's needed for me to stay in shape. Also, when I work out this much, 8 hours is barely enough in terms of sleep, and then my diet has to be on point or I start being tired all the time. Not working out has the additional (short term) benefit of needing less food and sleep.
I'm assuming the gym time includes thing such as travelling to the gym, showering, unpacking the gym bag, etc. I usually spend about 60-90 minutes in the gym a few times a week, but from the time I leave my front door and arrive back home, the clock has never advanced less than 2 hours.
If you're not, you're harming not just yourself but, in the long run, your employer (who won't understand what they're asking of people) and your other coworkers (who feel pressure to meet your standard).
What science? There's not even a way to claim that number in the article.
I would personally argue that there is an optimal stopping point that is true in other problems. That number is 1/e or 37%.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimal_stopping
37% of a 24 hour day is ~9 hours. Most people work ~8-9 hours a day before stopping. Most people sleep for ~8-9 hours a day. Most people have leisure for ~8-9 hours a day. This percentage is pretty consistent & has actual backing in other applications.
There are other major variables not accounted for such as circadian rhythm and your biological working clock, but that's besides the point.