Re:Ask YC: how do you work for 8 hours straight?
by skmurphy on Sunday January 13, 2008 @11:24PM
(#98070)
Can you commit to and deliver results on a schedule?
Instead of focusing on having to sit at a desk for 8 hours straight, think about the kinds of results you can promise and take a project oriented approach.Instead of billing by the hour, consider billing for the result (which is more than halfway to productizing your efforts).
What kinds of projects would get you energized? You may be trying to fit yourself into a job and career where you won't be fulfilling your potential. I would echo a number of the comments that you should do something that you truly like. You may be more energizing by interacting with people, you might try a job--or consulting assignments--that are more people focused than about delivering code.
If you are not sleeping well: has this been true all of your life or only recently? Cut off coffee and other stimulants, find a way to get an hour of exercise in every day, and get up at the same time every day. It's possible you are depressed or suffering from sleep apnea. Obviously you should consult with a doctor once you have ruled out too much coffee, boredom, and any of the obvious causes.
If you were a co-founder in a startup with me, I would want to know that all of the web surfing had some application to the tasks you had taken on. I do think you have to distinguish between efforts and results, but if you want to be a product member of a team, you have to be able to deliver on your commitments. The key is you get to pick the team and make the commitments.
I hope this helps, I can confess that I sometimes have fantasies of how productive I was in "regular jobs" until I remember all of the pointless meetings, unproductive political constraints, and other meaningless activities I was required to take part in. But I am energized by what I am working on now, and find myself working from early in the morning to early evening and some weekends, but I take a lot of breaks and try and focus on results not hours.
Instead of focusing on having to sit at a desk for 8 hours straight, think about the kinds of results you can promise and take a project oriented approach.Instead of billing by the hour, consider billing for the result (which is more than halfway to productizing your efforts).
What kinds of projects would get you energized? You may be trying to fit yourself into a job and career where you won't be fulfilling your potential. I would echo a number of the comments that you should do something that you truly like. You may be more energizing by interacting with people, you might try a job--or consulting assignments--that are more people focused than about delivering code.
If you are not sleeping well: has this been true all of your life or only recently? Cut off coffee and other stimulants, find a way to get an hour of exercise in every day, and get up at the same time every day. It's possible you are depressed or suffering from sleep apnea. Obviously you should consult with a doctor once you have ruled out too much coffee, boredom, and any of the obvious causes.
If you were a co-founder in a startup with me, I would want to know that all of the web surfing had some application to the tasks you had taken on. I do think you have to distinguish between efforts and results, but if you want to be a product member of a team, you have to be able to deliver on your commitments. The key is you get to pick the team and make the commitments.
I hope this helps, I can confess that I sometimes have fantasies of how productive I was in "regular jobs" until I remember all of the pointless meetings, unproductive political constraints, and other meaningless activities I was required to take part in. But I am energized by what I am working on now, and find myself working from early in the morning to early evening and some weekends, but I take a lot of breaks and try and focus on results not hours.