On coding (Gaming)

by MacAddictXIV , Seattle WA, Friday, October 26, 2018, 08:14 (2225 days ago) @ kidtsunami

Similarly, in my experience coding is the type of work where more can be done during sustained periods of focus than when you break it up. I suspect if crunch didn’t exist, some would do it anyway.

I write hot garbage if I code for longer than 6 hours a day. I've worked 80-120 weeks before and looking back on it, it was such a mistake.

In the past 4-5 years I've focused on managing my hours, estimating appropriately, communicating effectively with stakeholders, and taking care of myself. My code has become easier to maintain and I no longer have nightmares about late night emergencies.

The myth that a bunch of exhausted coders would somehow out perform healthy alert coders is one of the oddest things ingrained in our society.

I agree. The funny thing is, in my head I still feel like I'm writing good code. It isn't until I start working the next day that I realize how riddled it is with bad code. And then I spend a couple hours fixing the stuff I did.

I recently was developing something by myself and putting in 12-14 hour days. It was amazing how I could just keep going because I was in that "mind space" that Kermit mentions, but the problem was that I wasn't actually coding well. But that is also me and not someone else. Although I did get a lot of work done, I also made mistakes I had to fix the next day. Overall though I got more work done than I would have if I worked 8 hours.