mattm1

Kellogg's went to a 30 hour work week and found productivity vastly improved - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1093/is_1_42/ai_53697...

'After five years of six-hour work days, the company brass concluded that the "burden (or overhead) unit cost was reduced 25% . . . labor unit costs reduced 10% . . . accidents reduced 41% . . . the severity of accidents (days lost per incident) improved 51% . . . [and] 39% more people were working at Kellogg's than in 1929."'

Since setting up a portfolio of my work (http://mattmccormick.ca/portfolio), I have found it much, much easier to get work.

If I can offer some unsolicited advice, I would recommend organizing things better. Have one page that you can refer people to that highlight your accomplishments and links to your github or Youtube videos that you want to highlight. Your blog or website doesn't offer this capability at first glance. Make it easy for someone to see what you've done. Remember that a potential employer may only have 30-60 seconds to take a look so make it count.

I'm in Japan now and Japan is still like this. Actually, a lot of SE Asia is like this - Korea, HK. When I talk to people about this they even admit it. They realise they are goofing off a lot of the day because they know they have to stay late so there is little incentive to be productive.

I believe that people can only work productively for a set amount per day and keeping people at work after that doesn't lead to any more work being done.

No long hours are not necessary. The study written about in this thread - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2900301 - is about how the best violin players only practice for 4 hours per day but the good players actually practice more.

Edison was famous for bragging that he only needed 2-3 hours sleep a night. Then when Tesla came to work with him he once remarked to a reporter "Yes, he only sleeps 2-3 hours a night but he naps for 5-6 hours during the day."

I have been to doctors and a lot of them have told me "We don't know the cause" and "There is no cure for it". It leaves me a little disenfranchised at the medical system. But the keyword "good" skin doctor may be what I need to find. Thanks.

OP here.

I don't see why it's worrisome. This is just one place I am asking for advice. I don't see why people on the Internet assume you will only be asking strangers. This is more of a way to get ideas. If someone says "taxi driver" I'm not going to go out and immediately become a taxi driver.

It's tough to think of jobs that don't require being in front of a computer nowadays. One time we were discussing the olden days of computers and it came up that I asked "What did people do for work before computers?" Then everyone went silent - "Yeah, how did people work before computers?" It's amazing how ubiquitous they have become in such a short time frame.

I've tried the standing desk before for a couple days but didn't really like it. I may try giving it another shot.

OP here - my noprocast settings wouldn't have allowed me to post until tomorrow.

I have a little RSI but I have taken steps so that it doesn't bother me anymore (switching to Dvorak layout was probably the best move).

Actually, my health problems are with my skin. When I'm sitting at a computer, my skin seems to get itchy - maybe there isn't enough blood circulating or my posture is too stressful.

A couple other people mentioned standing desks. I tried a make-shift one for a couple days but didn't really like it. I might give it another try though.