How do you sleep during crunch time?

[Tommy L]

During crunch projects I can pull 17 hrs days for about ten days running. Beyond that and the cracks start to show in my health. Cracks in the matrimonial bliss start to show after about 3 days. I need to have a few days off after that kind of project, but its usually worth it. Some of my clients actually think Im a team.

[heni30]

Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!

 

Once in a while it can be exciting if you're doing it with your buddies. Kinda like this big ordeal you went through together and nailed it - have a beer afterwards and laugh about it. This camaraderie/bonding type thing. Accumulate war stories.

 

As long as you don't develop permanent charette-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

 

I have a friend who is a watercolor-marker charette gal. That's all she does. They fly her all over the country to come in during the last 3 days of the death march to help wrap things up. A closer.

Edited May 7, 2014 by heni30

[NoodleLuff]

I can remember one week staying until 3/4 am Monday to Thursday, I produced some of best work at stupid o'clock in the morning and felt very energised the next day despite only sleeping a few hours a night. That was until the weekend came and my body crashed out.

[emmamolenaar]

My mom's friend is a doctor and here's what she advised based on her experience: if you sleep from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., you'll rest better than if you sleep this same amount of hours after 1 a.m. Works for me too.

[Graphite]

 

Perhaps having a family has changed my perspective and priorities, when I was 20 I would work until 2am to please a client / boss, but now unless I'm being paid well I wouldn't entertain it.

 

There are some clients I will bend over backwards to satisfy, but these are clients who are good to me in return. It's ultimately a respect thing.

 

I'm late to this party, but I completely agree. Work and clients have taken a BIG second seat once my daughter was born. There are definitely people i'll put in extra effort for, but sitting in my home office with my daughter in the other room makes me feel horrible.

[ryannelson]

I can remember one week staying until 3/4 am Monday to Thursday, I produced some of best work at stupid o'clock in the morning and felt very energised the next day despite only sleeping a few hours a night. That was until the weekend came and my body crashed out.

 

I have similar experiences now that I'm getting a little older. I can pull the all-nighter and produce some excellent work, and then be "okay" the next day. But the following 2-3 days get really fuzzy.

 

Unless I'm in a REAL bind or have a side-project, I don't do evening/weekend work. It's simply not worth it and it means your time and expectation management is inefficient.

[Zdravko Barisic]

OT:

 

Why all quoted posts have Slovakia flag?

PS - Because of Juraj?

[Rich O]

I am quite surprised by the numbers you guys quote :- ) While I occasionally did around 20 up to 30 consecutive hours of work, and on average, can manage to sit behind computer up to 10 hours, I never did more than 5-6 max hours of productive hours on average.

 

 

 

 

But otherwise this, there should never be any crunch time. It's not worth it, there is no actual reason to, nothing is that important. I already forgot how easy it was to tell clients I don't work weekends either, stop answering emails after certain time, etc... Nothing became worse, no one left, only my life improved tremendously.

 

Totally agree man. Maybe it's a "being in my mid 20s" thing, but I'd much rather have a higher quality of life and free time than high stress and more money.

 

On the other hand I'm "always available", I even agreed to work on a project over Christmas while the client is closed for the holiday period haha.

[marcjames]

I used to be really bad at this; but since becoming organised and adopting some boundaries I sleep like a baby

[Chris MacDonald]

some stuff

 

A quick reverse image search of your profile picture confirms it's not you. Bot much?