[jsjsbdkj]

I used to have so much anxiety about trying to fill 40 hours days. It led to me getting great performance reviews but feeling like shit and burning out at multiple places.

During the pandemic I work maybe 4 hours a day. I wake up late, go for a walk, review some PRs, and then dig into a task. Meetings in the afternoon, another walk, maybe a bike ride. After dinner if I have something on my mind I'll log back on and do an hour or two to get it done. I'm accessible via Slack on my phone almost all of the time, but I take ~20 minutes to respond.

So far nobody cares. I'm hitting my OKRs, I'm helping junior devs, and I get to enjoy the beautiful summer weather.

[AlwaysRock]

This is very similar to my schedule right now. Everything gets done. I don't feel burnt out. I'm actually able to feel healthy because I can workout during the day. It's great and no one gives a shit as long as I'm doing well.

In fact, it's much better for the company in the long run because I'm likely to stay for more than a few years because I actually enjoy my wlb.

[danielvaughn]

This happened with me, and I thought to myself "how does this work? How am I still as productive as before?" And I tried to recall what life was like in the office. Turns out a lot of my time was spent trying to look busy, rather than actually being busy. It's not like I was Peter Gibbons from Office Space, I wasn't lazy or jaded. But sometimes my brain just wouldn't do what I needed it to do. And instead of doing the correct thing, which is stepping away from the computer and taking a walk, or doing the dishes or whatever, instead I just sat there and mimicked my working routine. Tons of wasted time, wasted potential, and yet it still drags on your energy just as if you were actually working. All of that was because of the social pressure due to being physically in the office.

[AlwaysRock]

Yup. It's incredible how often I step away and when I come back the solution is obvious to me.