While I felt the same after reading, there are worthy recommendations that are good reminders.
For example, learn as much as possible about the domain and stack you are working in or read books about fundamentals rather than blogs because books provide information in condensed form and are best suited to topics that change slowly, if ever.
But some things work just for the author. "Reviewing pull requests as quickly as possible (<<1h)" would simply destroy my focus during the day.
Anyway I believe such posts are a good thing to read from time to time
Not sure for other European countries, but in Italy most collectives bargain agreements (negotiated by unions and covering like 98% of workers) state that every worker has a right to ask for at least 14 uninterrupted days of vacation. Plus more days depending on the employment level and tenure in the company.
When i was a kit my father used to take three weeks in the summer, every summer.
So yes, it really is typical in Europe.
It’s just an American thing that 3-4 weeks of vacation per year is luxury.
Typical in Australia to. Mandatory to be provided by the employer, but you don't have to take it. In that case the hours accrue and you get the paid out if you leave the company.
The culture is pretty good for it though so people do tend to take it, and it is expected that the company is responsible for making it possible for you to take it uninterrupted (experiences vary).
It's kind of good for software because it implores a company get it's bus factor above 1, so when "the guy that does that" is gone for 2-4 weeks they have a backup plan.
It really is typical in Europe. BUT, there are employers / teams in the US that don't treat people like crap. I promise. Now is a difficult time to switch jobs, but please do consider it in the future! No reason to settle, life is too short to be chained to a computer every day.
I work as a SWE at FAANG-adjacent company in the US, according to workday I'm scheduled to use up 250 hours of time off this year (that's about 6 work-weeks), and we get 10 paid holidays. I take time off in 1-2 week increments, hard to take off 6 weeks all at once. Most of my team takes a similar amount of time off, it's part of the "culture" if you will.
It would be nice if the US had more favorable employee laws (sick time + time off + maternity/paternity leave). Maybe one day...
Like somebody else said, typical in Australia too. Companies tend to be pretty accomodating about when you take it within reason, and those who don't wish to take it, or who work somewhere where the work culture is the exception, i.e., people are expected to always be on deck, can look forward to having it paid out when they leave.
Just a word of caution for those who do this though, if the company goes bust, your payout will be via bankruptcy handling, and so you may not receive everything if you accrue a LOT.
Perhaps I'm just too used to the system, but... I have 6 weeks of paid vacation per year and on top of that I take 1-4 weeks of unpaid.
I truly cannot understand how people in cerebral professions can function at all for more than a year without taking vacations all the time. Perhaps they cannot and just think they are productive?
I normally do not take vacations, and I have a very busy and cerebral job. I love what I do.
To do that, I manage my internal battery by being aware of my internal state.. It translates to doing sport every week, doing stuff I like such as cooking, being mindful when I do stuff. Helping others in my job, that's very relaxing for me. I work on programming or learning stuff) (mostly maths) that I'm interested in but that it is not related directly to my main job.
All those activities are productive from an outside point of view, but for me, they are the places where I enjoy the most of the time I spend and refill my mood and energy level.
An important thing, is that if I'm sleepy, I rest, even if I have important and urgent work to do, the output will not be good if I'm too sleepy.
Finally,I manage my stress levels, work is stressful most of the time, good stress management is key.
The main drawbacks for me, and maybe the only things that would lead to taking time off, is administration, administratives tasks drain me.
Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries for snacks & throwing in other things.
That’s my everyday stuff.
Then I keep a standard set of “superfoods” to eat s la carte or as versatile ingredients:
Hummus: great cheese, butter, mayo replacement
Mixed spinach & baby greens
Shredded chicken
Eggs
Salsa, for salads, on chicken. Etc.
Avocados
Various sprouts
Salmon lox
Prawns
Mix of fresh veggies, for eating raw, and mixed for stir fry
Canned veggies, like tomatos, spinach
Jars of pickles, pickled veggie mix, pickled asparagus, pickled green beans
Jars of fermented veggies, like sour krout, kimchi, etc.
Cans of all kinds of different beans, like black & kidney beans, chickpeas
Canned sardines, salmon, chicken, tuna
High fiber & protein, low carb: bread, tortillas and breakfast cereals
Greek yoghurt
Low fat cottage cheese
Olives, olive oil, avocado oil
Veggie milk. I like zero sugar added Ripple. Healthier than cow milk and creamier too.
Then I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. It is a “no motivation required” system.
Having all those diverse nutrient dense foods around all the time makes them super convenient, and I keep finding new ways to use them.
Then I will binge on (Nick’s) ice cream, chocolate, anything whenever I feel like it. At least for me, getting crazy good nutrition every day crowds out the frequency & quantity of less healthy food. So I save my motivation for other things, and eat whatever when I feel like it.
It has been a year since I started this system, and I feel so much better. Still tuning.
My daily calories dropped and I have been slowly losing weight, basically in lock step with however much light or moderate exercise I do.
Feel free to suggest anything else!
Also performing better physically and mentally, sleeping better and recovering/advancing more from exercise.
I feel seriously upgraded!
That’s one dimension of how I maximize my productivity.
Another is unleashing my OCD on my ADHD, but that’s a whole other essay!
I feel like a lot of productivity advice comes from people who are extreme outliers when it comes to motivation and this is a prime example of that.
While I felt the same after reading, there are worthy recommendations that are good reminders.
For example, learn as much as possible about the domain and stack you are working in or read books about fundamentals rather than blogs because books provide information in condensed form and are best suited to topics that change slowly, if ever.
But some things work just for the author. "Reviewing pull requests as quickly as possible (<<1h)" would simply destroy my focus during the day.
Anyway I believe such posts are a good thing to read from time to time
There's an inherent bias on the people stepping on the soap box to give productivity advices.
Hell, I'm more interested in how this guy consistently takes 2-4 weeks of vacation per year. Maybe it really is typical in Europe.
It is.
Not sure for other European countries, but in Italy most collectives bargain agreements (negotiated by unions and covering like 98% of workers) state that every worker has a right to ask for at least 14 uninterrupted days of vacation. Plus more days depending on the employment level and tenure in the company.
When i was a kit my father used to take three weeks in the summer, every summer.
So yes, it really is typical in Europe.
It’s just an American thing that 3-4 weeks of vacation per year is luxury.
Typical in Australia to. Mandatory to be provided by the employer, but you don't have to take it. In that case the hours accrue and you get the paid out if you leave the company.
The culture is pretty good for it though so people do tend to take it, and it is expected that the company is responsible for making it possible for you to take it uninterrupted (experiences vary).
It's kind of good for software because it implores a company get it's bus factor above 1, so when "the guy that does that" is gone for 2-4 weeks they have a backup plan.
It really is typical in Europe. BUT, there are employers / teams in the US that don't treat people like crap. I promise. Now is a difficult time to switch jobs, but please do consider it in the future! No reason to settle, life is too short to be chained to a computer every day.
I work as a SWE at FAANG-adjacent company in the US, according to workday I'm scheduled to use up 250 hours of time off this year (that's about 6 work-weeks), and we get 10 paid holidays. I take time off in 1-2 week increments, hard to take off 6 weeks all at once. Most of my team takes a similar amount of time off, it's part of the "culture" if you will.
It would be nice if the US had more favorable employee laws (sick time + time off + maternity/paternity leave). Maybe one day...
The minimum legal for a standard contract is 5 weeks per year in France. It can skyrock to 10 in some position like rail worker, or university staff.
Like somebody else said, typical in Australia too. Companies tend to be pretty accomodating about when you take it within reason, and those who don't wish to take it, or who work somewhere where the work culture is the exception, i.e., people are expected to always be on deck, can look forward to having it paid out when they leave.
Just a word of caution for those who do this though, if the company goes bust, your payout will be via bankruptcy handling, and so you may not receive everything if you accrue a LOT.
Perhaps I'm just too used to the system, but... I have 6 weeks of paid vacation per year and on top of that I take 1-4 weeks of unpaid.
I truly cannot understand how people in cerebral professions can function at all for more than a year without taking vacations all the time. Perhaps they cannot and just think they are productive?
I normally do not take vacations, and I have a very busy and cerebral job. I love what I do.
To do that, I manage my internal battery by being aware of my internal state.. It translates to doing sport every week, doing stuff I like such as cooking, being mindful when I do stuff. Helping others in my job, that's very relaxing for me. I work on programming or learning stuff) (mostly maths) that I'm interested in but that it is not related directly to my main job.
All those activities are productive from an outside point of view, but for me, they are the places where I enjoy the most of the time I spend and refill my mood and energy level.
An important thing, is that if I'm sleepy, I rest, even if I have important and urgent work to do, the output will not be good if I'm too sleepy.
Finally,I manage my stress levels, work is stressful most of the time, good stress management is key.
The main drawbacks for me, and maybe the only things that would lead to taking time off, is administration, administratives tasks drain me.
The fact that even 2 weeks of vacation per year(!) seems like a lot to you is pretty telling for the state of employment in the US.
given ppl switch jobs every 3 yrs in usa; can't they take like 2-3 months between switches. Thats what i've always done. I find that a better option.
1 month per year is mandatory in Brazil.
After water & tea, coffee: creatine.
From muscle to brain cells, high creatine availability makes it easier for cells to access energy to move and think.
I have a big jar with a mix of the following macro and esoteric powders, and have a scoop morning & night:
Creatine, Fiber, Protein, Minerals, Greens (dozens of veggies), Reds (veggies & fruits), Probiotics, Mushrooms
Another jar for nuts, for throwing in yoghurt, cereal, or just eat a small handful a day:
Walnuts (Nut), Pistachios (Nut), Pecans (Nut), Almonds (Nut), Peanuts (Legume), Pumpkin seeds (Large seed)
And another jar for seeds, for salads, yoghurt, etc. I find something to throw them in every day:
Sunflower Kernels, Hemp Hearts, Chia Seeds, Flax Seed Meal, White Sesame Seeds
Finally, the daily fruit:
Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries for snacks & throwing in other things.
That’s my everyday stuff.
Then I keep a standard set of “superfoods” to eat s la carte or as versatile ingredients:
Hummus: great cheese, butter, mayo replacement
Mixed spinach & baby greens
Shredded chicken
Eggs
Salsa, for salads, on chicken. Etc.
Avocados
Various sprouts
Salmon lox
Prawns
Mix of fresh veggies, for eating raw, and mixed for stir fry
Canned veggies, like tomatos, spinach
Jars of pickles, pickled veggie mix, pickled asparagus, pickled green beans
Jars of fermented veggies, like sour krout, kimchi, etc.
Cans of all kinds of different beans, like black & kidney beans, chickpeas
Canned sardines, salmon, chicken, tuna
High fiber & protein, low carb: bread, tortillas and breakfast cereals
Greek yoghurt
Low fat cottage cheese
Olives, olive oil, avocado oil
Veggie milk. I like zero sugar added Ripple. Healthier than cow milk and creamier too.
Then I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. It is a “no motivation required” system.
Having all those diverse nutrient dense foods around all the time makes them super convenient, and I keep finding new ways to use them.
Then I will binge on (Nick’s) ice cream, chocolate, anything whenever I feel like it. At least for me, getting crazy good nutrition every day crowds out the frequency & quantity of less healthy food. So I save my motivation for other things, and eat whatever when I feel like it.
It has been a year since I started this system, and I feel so much better. Still tuning.
My daily calories dropped and I have been slowly losing weight, basically in lock step with however much light or moderate exercise I do.
Feel free to suggest anything else!
Also performing better physically and mentally, sleeping better and recovering/advancing more from exercise.
I feel seriously upgraded!
That’s one dimension of how I maximize my productivity.
Another is unleashing my OCD on my ADHD, but that’s a whole other essay!