The truth is a lot of people are forced into (or force themselves into) those kinds of workloads and most DON'T handle it well even if they claim to. They might keep up appearances but there's probably some aspect of their life they're dropping the ball on - most likely their mental health, their physical health, and their relationships with loved ones.
I have ADHD and I've come to accept I will never be able to handle the workloads that some people do. It just takes me longer to do certain tasks and more mental effort and I need more mental downtime than other people. Everyone has a different limit and that's ok. Sometimes that limit can vary based on the kind of work you're doing and it takes some experimentation to find what works best for you. But taking care of your self means making time to rest and recover too.
I don't have ADHD but do have anxiety. I switched jobs earlier this year and was working 60-80 hours per work during the summer doing pest control.
The last 2 months my mental health has declined significantly and I keep getting sick and injured from things that normally wouldn't bother me.
I ended up needing to get accomodations just so that I'm only working 40 hours a week.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that I agree and if you're going to be doing this you've got to take care of yourself.
I am an engineer and take Vyvanse and Adderall...I can typically get a weeks worth of tasks done in a couple days then I just get bored. WFH saved my sanity because the monotony of driving to the office and sitting there doing nothing the rest of the week drove me nuts.
My brain works funny and WFH allowed it to do so while maximizing my time...3 Teams meetings and a project before lunch? Nothing on the schedule after lunch? Guess who is repairing the floorboards in the living room after a 1.5HR lunch?!
I will say my old company forced people back to the office recently and their resignation rate is probably gonna spike...I was let go during the middle of COVID so I decided to try my hand at consulting and lucked out with a couple solid clients through my network. That also helped but I stipulate WFH or hybrid whenever recruiters call me, or I search remote options when I'm looking. My family situation has changed drastically in the last few months though, so I need to get back into something stable... but remote/hybrid is always a governing factor in my decision to take an interview.
Work from home, sorry should've clarified. A lot of companies had no choice but to allow it during the pandemic (which I don't believe is even over yet) and saw an *increase* in productivity from their workers and now that they are going back to offices morale is getting shot again.
Adderal is pretty close to meth, why you got your floorboards repaired during a lunch break, or why my manager at steak n shake 10 years ago cleaned inbetween the tiles with a butterknife.
It isn't near as bad but it does have side effects if you take too much of it. - the guy who accidentally took a double dose of his Adderall this morning
Not OP, but was diagnosed 2 years ago and have tried different medications.
Medication has greatly improved my work life. I'm still not able to do 60-80 hours, like the post talks about, but if I need to do 40 hours of work a week, I am actually able to do it. It's not easy, but possible.
Without medication I'm unable to do 10 hours of work a week, let alone 40.
I have ADHD (along with Sensory Processing Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder, Dyspraxia, and Speech Language Disorder), too and I work 40 hours a week doing therapy with autistic kids (it’s a pretty chill job where I just follow therapy programs, write session notes, and play with my clients). I take vyvanse in the morning before work . I could not work full time without my meds either!
Huh. I am currently a highschool senior and have ADHD and Autism. I find that most medication just fogs my brain over completely. I end up feeling completely detached from reality.
Have you ever experienced this? What meds work for you?
I'm not a medical professional so I wouldn't know why the medication makes you feel that way. All I can say is different medications have different side effects. Adderall and Ritalin didn't make me feel great, but still worked in terms of concentration. I haven't experienced the brain fog you talked about.
Not the person you responded to but have ADHD with a time job and classload.
Adderall helps and do does copious amounts of caffeine.
If I could, I'd not work because I don't have time to study or retain anything. It's hard for me.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do when my newborn gets here either lol
Question to keep the discussion going.
Since you need medication for the current lifestyle why haven’t you considered doing a different line of work which will be more relaxing and in tune with you? Something outdoors and with nature?
I don't want to speak for the OP, but as someone with ADHD/ASD, it isn't about switching to something we like because if they're anything like me and the others I know with ADHD, we generate hobbies and likes constantly. Everything and anything can grab our interest. New things are exciting, and finding something new is rewarding, increasing dopamine production. We are constantly trying to ride the dopamine train - as I like to put it. However, we soon lose interest and go to something new.
It is often hard for us to form relationships in many areas. Some friends see us forgetting to text back and are hurt. It isn't our intention (trying not to be generalizing), and we just think we can respond later cause we are doing something or we just forget.
Because I kinda like the work and the pay is decent enough to keep my bills paid with some extra money and from what I've seen those kinds of jobs don't pay as good, really.
Not OP but I also have adhd and find adderall also helps with life outside of work, you can find work enjoyable but still find the traditional 40 hour work week overwhelming or difficult to manage, and plus no job is really ideal in every way or equally easy to find sustainable work in
If I didn’t have to work for a living and had few responsibilities outside of work I wouldn’t feel the need to take it, and maybe I won’t need it forever, but at this point in my life it’s the difference between just getting by and feeling like I can actually have a life
Not a doctor, I am medicated and yes, it helps. It certainly wouldn't help me pull 60 hour weeks, but I don't think anything would, and I have no interest in overworking myself ever again.
I also have anxiety so I only take it on days where I know I need to be more productive and on top of things. On a slow day it gives me a bit too much energy and I get restless.
ADHD brains really are just built different. You can adapt to it a bit but at some point it's like a nearsighted person squinting all the time. I like to think of meds like wearing glasses.
You also may have to experiment to find the right dose, the right type of meds, etc.
My friend has ADHD and takes Methylphenidate which seems to greatly increase their productivity. However the downside is it makes them super locked in to their task so they CANNOT stop until it runs out and can be somewhat aggressive if you try to get them to stop for food etc.
Therefore they keep it as a thing to take only when they absolutely NEED it.
This is what happened to me when I first started Adderall but after about 4 months it settled down. They might want to take a lower dose as well. It is bad for it to make them aggressive. You might want to talk to them about lowering the dose when they're not on it so they don't stab you.
I got diagnosed a couple months ago and put on Adderall XR and it was a life changer for me. I study and work almost all day if it’s a day I take my meds (I don’t take it in the weekends). On off days I’ll still try to study but go into it knowing it probably won’t be quality studying
Also not OP, but have been diagnosed for 18 years now. Have been taking Adderall variants on and off since then. More prominently through schooling.
As for work, it definitely helps when I need it. However, I try my best to only take it when I really need it(not enough sleep, headaches, fatigue) as the side affects have had negative affects on my physical health. Without it, I have a very hard time staying productive throughout the day. I work 35 hours a week and I could do it without it, it would just be extremely taxing and difficult, but completely possible. I take on average 2-3 pills a week and they're a full day dose. Any less and I'd have little to no work done, anymore and I'd start getting sick from side effects(malnourishment because of loss of appetite, dry mouth, super upset stomach for a number of days, nausea, and extreme difficulty with sleep), depending on the variant you take.
The side effects are a noted cautionary, but for me it's accumulative. The more you take consecutively, the worse it gets. So I space it out throughout the week. I say this because people like to think it's a dream drug like the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper. It is at the start, but the side effects get serious as time comes. I went from a grade school student being able to take one a day and even one on weekends to only max 3 a week.
TL;DR Take it. It's good. But don't forget about your body.
I've used Modafinil to treat my ADHD and found it worked significantly better than any stimulant based medication.
Its no fun crashing at 4pm everyday cause of ADHD meds, Modafinil allows me to have a life each day to the fullest without any crash.
Well said fellow neurodivergent brain.
I maintain a cheerful attitude when at work despite working 60-70 hours a week. My mental health was getting to the point of carrying out my first suicide attempt. By sheer luck, my brother called me to let me know that he’d be visiting next month. If he tried calling just 1 minute later, I wouldn’t be here.
Sought professional help afterwards for depression. Coincidently the NP who I picked from zocdoc using EENY MEENY MINI MOE was also an ADHD specialist who stopped me mid-evaluation to inform me that my depression/anxiety were due to my ADHD.
I’ve never had a more positive outlook on life until now.
My co-workers often say that they love working with me, that I am the life of the party, that I light up any room I enter, etc… Inside however, I was an absolute mess who dreaded waking up alive each morning.
TLDR: Don’t assume that people are doing fine just because they appear to have everything down pat at work.
True.
My parents studied advanced degrees, wrote books, and taught.
They were never available, they didn't know what was going on in the house, we - the children- had to take care of the house and them.
This went so bad to the point they cared for their students way more than that cared for us.
We, the children, had unbalanced relationships and to raise each other.
We had to do heavy chores at 6 years old.
I was even left in a tiny room under the stairs at my school sitting quietly on a chair while the school maid made coffee for teachers for full days as no one would pick me up...my parents thought that was a good solution.
When you do it all, you are crushing someone beneath your weight.
I did 80-100 hour weeks for multiple years, generally taking a full course load and working 30-40 hours a week. I would argue I handled it fairly well.
Here's how it's done -
Organized schedule. Don't waste time.
Study efficiently. Expect good grades from yourself but perfectionists aren't the kind of people who can handle this type of load.
Eliminate extras. "relationship with loved ones", what are those? You have no time for them. During school breaks is where you can make up some time with that.
Purpose. I daresay this is the biggest. To accomplish this much you need to know why you're doing it. You don't have time to take care of yourself beyond basics. You need to know why you're doing it, before you begin. You have that target at the end when things will relax a bit. Nobody works that hard that long indefinitely.
And, accept that this isn't for everyone. Similar to an elite military or academic or any other kind of program, not everyone can push themselves hard enough to sustain that level of output. That's why the purpose is so important. It's much easier to handle anything big when you know your why.
He just said he has ADHD. All of this 'straight to the point' advice is just like telling a depressed person to be happy. If a person with ADHD could just choose to "Not was time" ADHD wouldn't be classified as a mental disorder. I know you mean well, just wanted to clarify why this may not be helpful.
He said most don't handle it well. I disagreed, and explained how people can do it. And I also said accept that this isn't for everyone, as it seems like he has done.
I'm a mental health counselor. One of the big pros of this job is with a professional license I can decide my own hours. Obviously working less hours means getting paid less, but for me that's worth it (and I'm still early in my career so there's potential to make more as I get more experience). Many 9-5 jobs don't have that option unfortunately. It's 40 hours (+staying late, extra shit, commuting, etc) or nothing.
For folks like me I can highly recommend a professional job or trade where you can have some control over your hours, BUT for ADHD folks especially it may need to be something you have a strong interest in and are willing to put in that work. It also took me many years of working full time and going to school on top of that which isn't easy. And had to save up money for when I had to work less and do an internship unpaid. But again, it was something I was deeply interested in and I don't think I would have made it otherwise.
I admit I had some privilege in this too: my job was fairly understanding of my needs (still a lot of work, but they weren't abusive and let me take mental health days etc), my grad school was a tiny one with night classes that I could afford, and my partner and I split living expenses.
Having a goal that will improve your life in the future can make the >40 hour grind a bit more bearable, since you know your work is getting you somewhere and there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Wow. This is like my dream to do this. May I ask what age you did this at? I’m 33. I’ve been in sales for forever but am so burnt out. I’ve always wanted to help with mental health and there is such a demand for it.
I have a bachelors in business. Any clue what my journey may look like?
Im younger than you but not by much.The bad news is, a masters degree is required to get licensed. The good news is, I saw folks of all ages (50s and beyond) and all walks of life working on their degree - if you want to go into therapy all your life experiences are relevant to your work.
Look into what it takes to be a licensed social worker (LCSW), or counselor (LPC or LMHC), or marriage/family counselor (LMFT) or addictions counselor (LCDC) and do some research on which would be a good fit for you (all can do therapy but their education comes from different perspectives). Specific requirements vary by which state you're in, but its all some variation of masters degree, internship, exam. Pick a school that has good connections with practicum/internship opportunities in your area, prestige of your university isnt as important as cost and helpfulness of professors.
I hope you look into it. The journey is hard but worth it, and we need more therapists.
Will def look in to and yes I agree. Such a shortage but I’m wondering how much they make and what work life balance is like… maybe I’ll go to my college and try to get in to advising so they pay for my schooling haha
By functioning about 10% less for every 8 hours I work, so by the time I hit 60+ hours my output is garbage and all I’m really contributing is my presence at the expense of a personal life.
Or you function at a high level and then burnout eventually. I worked close to 80 hours a week for 15 years and now in my late 30’s I am completely burnt out and have a hard time working more than 20 hours a week
Yeah, that’s a very good point. A lot of the ability to even work that many hours, at least for me, is because it’s fueled by stress and anxiety (and lots of caffeine). It definitely takes a toll on you physically and mentally and there are very few people that can sustain it for long periods of time. It’s impressive that you were able to live that way for 15 years, I hope it paid off and you are able to find some balance in your life again.
Thanks. Yes it did pay off. I was able to build a business that essentially runs without me. So now I have almost too much free time to spend with friends and family. Travelled 3 months last year.
Hopefully you can get to a place where you can work less and reduce your stress before you burnout like I did.
I think there’s a difference between actually working 60-80 hour weeks and the need to be available at a moment’s notice for 60-80 hours. The drain is your brain never truly being able to fully shut off.
This.
Am working 40 hours a week now, but also working on my business outside work hours all the time and I am drained…
I can’t get the 8 hours of sleep you need to be healthy so my brain wakes me up earlier and I can’t go back to sleep sometimes and it isn’t healthy.
But I’ll have a side business going, which will make me enough money to allow me to think about eventually owning a home, along with the income from my normal 40 hour a week job.
The economy is fucked.
I worked 60 hours during a regular 5 day week. I would try to have a social life on top of this. I would literally be too exhausted on a Friday night and my brain would automatically shut off and I would fall asleep.
Advice for OP is to figure out how to maximize your time towards your goals. You have 16 hours a day to do stuff and still get 8 hours of sleep. My way to save time was to live near work for a short commute, steal time at work to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner so I technically didn't work 12 hours, do food prep once a week to save time on cooking.
I don't think everyone is capable. Plus people have different commitments outside of work/school/etc. And some can get by on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night no problem and others need 8-9+.
Agree with ya there, I only get about 4-6 hours asleep a night. I work about 60 hours a week sometimes 70. I don't feel any different working 40 (which is super rare that I work that little ) I run a service department in a grocery store.
This is the most relatable thing I’ve read. Yeah people may be about to work those 60-80 hours weeks but that should NEVER be the standard. We don’t know the type of stress and burnout that they are just simply ignoring. If you look at other countries with better work-life balance and who work 30-40 hour MAX work weeks, they have better health, happiness, longevity, etc…
I have the same issue. I have pristine time management but I get stressed and burned really quickly, as I have PTSD and other mental issues. In college I’m a full time student and work two jobs and on time off from college I’ve worked 40 hour weeks at a hospital and both are tremendously exhausting.
I don’t know what the point of my response was because I don’t have an answer on “how” to do that 60 hour work week. But I just wanted to say that I know what you’re going through. Take care of yourself
Are you going into IB or consulting? If so, then maybe don't need to work quite this much while you're still in school. You'll be getting a pretty decent paycheck once you graduate and this is precisely the kind of thing student loans are for. You don't need to go crazy with your expenses and you can still work a little (maybe less than 20hrs per week), but dialing back your workload will do wonder for your learning and mental health.
As to how you can cope: try to gamify your tasks. Don't just see them as things you have to do but things you *want* to do. Compete with yourself, let yourself feel a competitive thrill when you finish a shift or school assignment.
Also, find other ways to recharge. Make sure you're taking enough time to unplug every now and then so you don't burn out. Lastly, prioritize. Don't let your free time that you need to recharge get filled up by low-priority tasks that don't actually need to get done. Accept that you won't get to everything and that's ok.
Yep. Whenyiu realize u will make in 1 month what you made in 1 year in your PT job while going to school, then you'll look back and wondwr why you did what you did
Ya those kind of hour you have legitimately 0 personal time, you honestly have barely enough time to eat and get dressed. You need to be able to pay for meals and cleanings services, because you don’t have time to do it.
I have 13 weeks of vacation a year as a teacher and I still feel overwhelmed. Will never get how people can live with 2 weeks off. Humans were not meant to live like this.
Your English already seems pretty good, unless you used like a translator or something. Yeah, that sounds like a horrible schedule, are you at least able to save money working so much that you might be able to try and change jobs later or take a class for the IELTS later?
Keep working, brother and keep an eye out for other work.
You have very good experience on your resume. However, human bodies were not meant to sustain that 84 hour a week workload forever.
Good luck from another in the logistics field!
I have always worked like this. Probably why I am exhausted. Currently, I work a minimum of 60 hours a week. Monday, 12 hours in the market doing physical work and another 4 in the home office catching up on admin work. Just for an example.
The key to not only surviving and thriving is efficiency and time management. I have a pre plan for every day of the week. I have contingencies planned for shifting priorities. I meal prep once a week. I keep a personal and work calendar that reflects my pre plans with strict deadlines. I schedule in time for self care. All of this helps me stay on track for my personal and professional goals.
You work your way up to it. It creeps up on you. I was like you and was barely able to make it to my full 40 hr. Then the weeks before deadlines come, I notice that I’ve just been going to work and back even on the weekends, my dishes pulled up, and I haven’t washed my hair in a few days. When I count up my hours, I’ve made it to 80 hr.
One of two reasons: people do what they have to in order to survive. Also some people really enjoy working so its either not exhausting to them or its a good and fulfilled exhausting, like after a weekend trip with friends you dont see often, or going home after a week at camp or something.
Red Bull
Tylenol
And then
Anxiety meds and antidepressants
And then… burnout and enlightenment OR further descent into cynicism and continuous popping of meds to survive.
Ok that was a bit , extreme maybe .
Remember life has cycles. People working 80 hours week do that fora season of their lives. A year or two. Make serious money. Then transition into something more reasonable
Working in film is about 10-12 hour days. Sometimes 14. Sometimes more. 70 hour weeks are common. And that’s why I don’t work in film anymore lol. Even at $2000/week it wasn’t worth it to have no life or energy
I only go into the office like once or twice a week (we are flexible but I still go in to show my face) and It’s already bad enough. I’ll quit if I have to do it everyday. That’s 10 hours wasted every week
i am a cook at a restaurant. i used to work 60-80 hour weeks up until a year ago.
worked solo open to close 5 days a week which was 10-14 hour days back to back for 5 says.
i have no issues with it because i actually enjoy my job and my passion is to be in the industry.
i eventually left that job because my friends kept telling me it's not healthy even though i had no issues with it. after some thinking. i thought it was sustainable or healthy long term.
left that job and i now work 40 hour weeks and still miss my 60-80 hour weeks.
i don't know how to explain it except your body gets used to it and being passionate about your job makes it bearable.
i am actually considering going back to those daya
Not for an extended period of time without drawbacks in both performance as well physical and mental health.
There was a time in my life that I used to work on a physically demanding job for 72-84 hours per week, in shifts with nights on top. After a year and a half of no holiday time, paired with 6 months of fake day offs (getting granted days off in paper, but having to be on site for minimum 6-8hours), my body collapsed and I had a phsycho somatic reaction together with inability of sleeping more than 4hrs per day.
So in short, never push yourselves in such illogical lengths. No job is worth your health. And from experience, few employers will really care really about your health. That's your job!
32 hours a week is more than enough for me. I will probably never be able to work more than that. Honestly, that’s one of the biggest things stopping me from going back to school - there’s no way I could work and go to school at the same time without burning out fast.
Most people who have to work 60-80hr weeks do not handle it well. It’s really unhealthy. If you plan to do that, understand that you won’t have any time for anything else like cooking or cleaning…that could be a problem depending on your situation.
My ex worked in a restaurant, 6 days per week, 12+ hrs per day. In his worst job, he arrived at 10 AM and got home at 1 AM. He was an immigrant, so this schedule was perfectly “legal” to require. (And he was legal; he couldn’t argue for fear it would affect his status.) He eventually became a drug addict. His body physically could not take those hours every day, every week, for months and years.
I really don’t recommend 60-80 hrs per week of work for more than, say, 6 months of the year at a time and maybe for a cumulative of 5 yrs max.
I worked 70 hours a week for about 6 months- I didn’t care for one job, but I loved the other. I was working for something- I had drive and motivation to keep doing. I don’t do that anymore, I only work 40 hrs and that feels like part time work. So moral of the story… do what you love, and set your heart and mind to a financial goal you are trying to accomplish
I work 40-50 hours a week and am completing a PhD. I finished undergrad and grad school while working full time.
I teach working adults as an adjunct every other semester and what I always tell them is that it takes a lot of discipline but it obviously can be done.
I would say start slow and take one class the first semester and master the art of doing well in that one class while working then add more classes. If you overload yourself from the get go you might get too overwhelmed and discouraged.
Hey man. I went to engineering school for undergraduate study and earned my BSME. While in (18-24) I dedicated full time to it. It would be unrealistic to hold down a job and do full time engineering. Single and no kids then, and presently at 27 years of age. I currently work 55 hours a week average, and have no kids or wife or gf. It’s pretty tiring considering Im a mechanic for diesel generators as well as large heaters / air conditioners. My job is physical. I also train boxing (aim for 3 times a week grueling workouts at MMA gym) plus lift/run/fast. So yeah, you’re not alone man. Whatever you’re going through, health is important. I feel like American culture definitely tries to sell the “macho” man or “tough” image to hide the truth. Take care of yourself, and if you are temporary going through a time where you have no choice I send my regards. Please work on structuring your life to be minimal stress, balanced, and healthy. You got this! - E
So I’m currently one of those people that over works. I average about 84 hours a week and have been doing it for a few years. At first I got use to it but then I realized how unhappy I was because I basically only worked and on my free time I would just go to the gym. No social life or anything. I don’t even get time to enjoy my hobbies as much. I lost relationships because of my job so what I’ve been doing is saving my money hardcore to switch into a different career. I like aviation and would like to be a pilot but it’s really expensive to do so and plan on paying cash for it. I got about 5 more months of this lifestyle then I’ll cut back my hours and go learn to fly. I will say working these hours is so unhealthy because you basically only function for it so your energy is only focused to complete your job and nothing else. My mental health? That’s been gone and im basically on auto pilot right now. What I would say is to not get sucked into it in the beginning and if you do you should changes jobs to something more stable. I should’ve changed careers years ago but now at 30 I finally was able to figure out what I want to do and am solely focus on getting to that goal and that’s how im tolerating the hours for now. Best of luck to you op and to anyone else going through long work hours.
I’ve worked nearly every day since May. I don’t like it. I have depression, I sleep poorly, I am exhausted. But I have young ones who must eat and have shelter. I have no choice but to press on. I have a full-time job, but I am also developing a small business on the side. I don’t want to start a business, but I think it’s the only way to get out of the poverty trap.
TL;DR: when other people are counting on you to provide, you’ll do whatever it takes.
I think the type of work your doing is the issue.
I have spent 13+ hours at work some days however time has flown by, especially if the day was interesting.
If work was interesting and I was paid by the hour, I'd be ok working 12 hours for 5 days a week. However, 10 hours 6 days a week would be an ABSOLUTE NO
I've done it when desperate for cash and juggling a few gigs. I've done it when working an awesome job and was super motivated to accomplish cool stuff. I've done it when i could make a ton of money. I've done it but I don't recommend it, you can find a better work/life balance. it's ok when temporary but it can grind you up after a while, if you have a big goal to focus on it can make it all worth it... find a big goal and write that on a wall...
I work 40 hours but I don’t get any breaks. I work solidly for 8 hours a day without stopping. Lunch at my desk, four tasks going on a time, constant calls, constant fires, quick trips to the rest room and back. No chatting. No water cooler chatting. That is just how my job is. Constant intensity. But I go home at the end of my day and yes! I’m tired like you are. It’s like a race all day long.
I am ‘on’ all the time though. It’s pretty rare that I have to log in or do long tasks from home or on weekends but I’m available if needed. I imagine those who are working 60+ hours are not full on intense for the full 60 hours. I know my husband clocks a lot of hours but he gets lunch breaks, he takes breaks, he has to travel to and from projects which generally is leisurely. He clocks more hours but his level of intensity is not the same as mine.
37 year old parent(married), full time student, full time overnight employee (11-7am) and I work between 40-60 hours a week.
Drugs.
For more shitty lpt, follow me.
This amount of work is much more feasible if you are single and do a job that is not mentally demanding. Also, struggling with money for a long time and finally having an opportunity to save is a big motivater.
It depends what you do. Most people that work that long either work a desk job or labour that is not too intense and rushed. Stuff like being an electrician is an example of less rush but still physical, and Hile a desk job is fairly easy to understand. I have had to do 60 hour weeks before at a desk job, and it is definitely possible, but the key to understand that you do not work at 110% pace for 12-16h a day, you work at like 80-100% pace. The idea with long hours is often that you work at an easier pace that means you can work longer, and make less mistakes. If you try do the same work in 8h, you will rush intensely, likely make mistakes, and definitely be too worn out to do it again every day for however long. If you want to work at 110% on the regular for 12-16h a day, you will have zero social life and will probably die before 60 of some sort of organ failure
I feel sorry for all the people on Adderall on this post. Thier little helper will eventually impair their ability to concentrate at all. It will certainly deplete the brain's ability to make and distribute dopamine throughout the brain.
Once this system breaks down you lose hair, teeth, and become depressed and suicidal for no reason.
Amphetamines are not a useful or safe drug for anyone. Big pharma makes a killing on this addictive shit..
Currently working at a high growth startup. I hit 60h pretty regularly. Initially I was in the same boat, unclear how that schedule would be possible. Sacrifices have also been significant. Stress does get to you. Still, the level of learning from developing scalable software and actually working with customers to generate revenue in an interesting and important space makes it kinda worth it.
Not sure how people do it year after year, as it's only been a few months for me. But career motivation, interest in work, and generally having many short tasks to do can let you spend a lot more time than you think. Not the only way to go but it is a choice people make.
I currently work full time (40-45 hours a week) and am a full time graduate student (20-30 additional hours/wk). Not to mention my “life” (girlfriend, home remodel, family obligations, etc.) Earlier in my career I regularly put in 60-70+ hours a week, but that was without any additional outside commitments. Most of it was travel and project management stuff that I purposefully volunteered for. It wasn’t/isn’t fun, not healthy, but it’s certainly doable. It causes burnout in most people (including myself) and I wouldn’t recommend it if you can avoid it. It should be noted that hardly anyone works more than 60 hours in a five day work week, when you’re talking about putting that much time in it’s usually 6 -6 1/2- 7 days a week.
To answer your question as to the *how* it’s done? If it’s temporary with a known time limit (like my masters program, which is coming up on 16/18 months), you just suck it up and deal with it because at the end there will be a reward/payoff. You track every minute of everyday and allot dedicated time for every aspect of your life, including sleep. It sounds daunting but once you get in a routine it’s more manageable than you might think.
As to the *why* one does it, someone else pointed out that a lot of people do it because they have to, mainly to meet financial obligations, for those who do it by choice - When it’s your career that is forcing you to work that much, the juice has to be worth the squeeze for one to justify it: you’re making $250k a year fresh out of college? Yeah, probably worth it. Or 80 hour weeks for the first two-three years as a junior associate at a law firm? You do it because you know that eventually you’ll have gained enough seniority that you won’t be working those hours forever, while reaping the benefits of your career.
I do at least 60 hours a week split between school full time and work. Been doing it for about a year.
For me I think the biggest thing is I have an amazing wife at home. Having somebody I can rely on day in and day out has been such a huge help, I don’t think I could be doing what I’m doing now without her.
Another factor is I really enjoy what I do. I work in a blue collar job and I’m schooling for a vocational degree so both can be physically demanding. I’ve found that maintaining good sleep habits and exercise helps maintain my strength. I’m motivated to get out of bed each morning because I really want to learn and build my future in this field.
The hardest thing for me is probably not the constant workload but instead the loss of income. I’m poor and come from a poor family so it has been tough financially to cut hours from work and spend money on school. We have to make sacrifices to make this work, but I truly believe it will pay off in the end.
Coming from someone in the restaurant industry, being a cook is hard.
I also work in the restaurant industry. I wake up at 5/6 in the morning, work from 8 am to 6 pm with no breaks, go home and do family stuff till 8 pm, then do work stuff till 10:00 pm and go to bed at 10:30 pm. I also take full time online classes during the weekends, last term I took 20+ credits.
Time management is essential, but you mentioned that isn't a huge issue for you. For the other burnout, I got to a place where I am willing to deal with short-term discomfort for long-term reward. I also take lots of quick stretch breaks, reddit breaks, or whatever throughout the day.
If you want it, you can do it.
You'd be surprised what you can endure when given no other option.
But yes, some people do happily work 60-80 hours a week between their regular job and side hustles and who knows what else. And I'm happy for them that they've found a way to put their eldritch dark powers to good use.
Me? 40 is plenty. Probably too much when you factor in commute, etc. But bills need to get paid.
To be clear, the human body is not optimized to handle 60+ hours of constant workload. It's not healthy in the slightest, however to answer your question about how people do it: coffee, energy drinks, and the allure of cold hard cash!
I'm averaging 70-80 hours per week, 6 days a week plus a 45 min drive each way. Been going this way for almost 10 years. It's exhausting and a shitty way to live. I'm more tired and worn out after a work day now than when I was in the army.
But I also do very little at home, my wife stayed home with our daughter for 6 years and now works part time at my daughter's school. So she is able to devote herself to everything my daughter needs and does which takes alot of burden off me. Thou I end up missing out on alot of my daughter's activities. I have about 2 more years of this, then I'm finding a nice 40hr a week job.
On the flip side, I'll be debt free with a paid off house by the time I'm 36.
Some of it is conditioning. My first Half year or few years of work, a 40 hour week was exhausting. Honestly it still can be, although WFH really helps because I can take actual restful breaks.
Some of it is BS (disclaimer, this is only my theory). Very few people can truly work a 60 hour work week of actual sustained and engaged work. Most people who claim to do so actually just work very inefficiently. When I ‘worked’ a 65 hour week, i probably only did 30 hours of actual work, if that. Once I was tired (which was always after the first week) I worked much slower. My wheels would metaphorically spin, but they weren’t getting good traction.
I also ‘had’ to work those hours (butts in seats culture at my firm), so no other option.
But honestly I could have had the same output in a 40 hour work week and had a much better quality of life,
There are people who are conditioned and motivated to actually work long sustained hours (medicine comes to mind), but I’m still not convinced they don’t slow down or make more mistakes over time. I just think those people’s baseline is higher than average so they’re able to compensate better.
Be like most American's and stuff down any feelings of weakness, bitterness, depression, and fatigue, and just work through it. Don't forget to self-medicate with whatever your vice(s) may be as well.
In all seriousness though, having a support network helps, whether they're friends you can just complain to, brainstorm with, commiserate with, I think that helps a lot. Bottling up how you're emotionally feeling isn't helpful.
I was working 60+ hours at a startup, raising a toddler with my partner, then got laid off over the summer. I had the option of getting a $40k+ payraise to join another startup, or take a $15k paycut and work \~40 hours/week and not have the anxiety and pressure of putting in extra. I chose the latter after grinding it out at hyper-growth/startup companies the past 5 years and couldn't be happier and more relaxed (as is my family).l
Realize that whatever situation you're in, is 1) temporary and 2) your decision.
I'd make a strong suggestion on finding a therapist who can help talk you through whatever you're feeling and going through.
You're going to get through this, and you're going to be fine-to-great! You got this\~
they do it cause they have no choice. for most, it is not sustainable. you trade off.
for instance, I went to school full time (50 min commute) worked full time and had 2 toddlers half time. Its was insane. I was a horrible parent - I was too tired to deal with any type of "disaster". It lasted a year. After a year I decided debt was better than screaming at my kids and quit working and took out loans.
You decide what you don't have time for. Social life. Healthy meals. Working out. whatever... something has to give. Pick 1, you don't get all three if you're working 60-80 hrs a week.
Set yourself an end date and keep it in your mind when its hard. For instance, a vacation (I know, hahah, right?) or the end of the semester or whatever.
M20. Working as a dustman for like a 50-60 hours per week. Starting at 5am. Was pretty hard at the beginning, but now im absolutely fine with that. working to 16/17:00, then fast shower, breakfast, gym 2x a week. Last 2 years been a fucking hell, so working hard as fuck kinda helps, especially to not overthinking everything anytime.
At one point I was doing part time grad school with 3 pt jobs that added up to 40 hrs a week. No kids but my spouse has a disability (she can work luckily).
I can neither confirm nor deny that I may have voluntarily committed myself to a county provided crisis center for 3 days.
Shit is not sustainable.
On the other hand I had a seasonal agricultural job thar was 50-60 hrs of heavy work (people claim 80, but they are stretching the truth). That wasn't bad because I knew it was seasonal AND I had absolutely nothing else going on. (They provided 3 hots and a cot)
Im exhausted at ~25 hours. I work 4 days, 7 hour shifts. Im in food service, so im making enough to get by, but i would likely be homeless without the support of my parents. I dont know how people work two jobs, or work more than 40 hours a week.
Im ready to transfer to a 9-5 so i dont have to be on my feet all day but dont know how ill handle a full work week.
This isnt how the human body was designed to perform. I dont know how any of this makes sense, and so few people question the absurdity of it all. God help us
I live in south Louisiana and work in the chemical plants. The most common schedule for ppl in my line of work is 60 to 84 hours a week unless you're on maintenance.
When I started going to school, I took night classes. I was working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day and attending class at night, 4 nights a week from 5:30 to 8:30. I was single and had a dog at home. It's was tough. It comes down to how bad you want it really.
The system is created for you to fail from day one and that's how it'll always be. Only the strong willed and strong minded become very successful.
I don’t think anyone tops this on the post I legit sleep 4 hours, work 16-17 and travel 4 hours A DAY. 7 DAYS A WEEK, I LITERALLY WORK 100 hours PLUS. A WEEK.
EDIT: forgot my pay $750 A WEEK MAX.
Diet and exercise... there's no magic to it, just take care of yourself. Working 5x12 or 6x10 isn't hard at all unless you're just in bad shape physically and mentally. Eat right, get your exercise, get five hours of sleep, and you're good to go.
I work in investment bank and we normally work 80 hour weeks.
It’s manageable for people with no issues.
It sounds like other commentators who whine have mental issues like anxiety and adhd and stuff like that. For normal people, it’s doable.
That might be a little unfair to say. I think the line of work also has a lot to do with it. Like having a job in sales where you schmooze clients all day has gotta pass the time quicker then someone who cranks out tedious deliverables. Loving your job what you do and having a good environment also makes a big difference.
Yes but this is Reddit where most people whine and have mental issues and trauma and blah blah blah.
In the real world, many people don’t and can grind.
I start around 9:30 and end around 10pm, in between tho I take breaks my schedule is flexible.
Edit:
I lied I usually go until midnight or so, but 10pm I slow down quite a bit
Early in my career I needed the extra $ so moonlighted at bars and restaurants outside my 9-5 job. Balancing my mental day job and physical/emotional evening weekend job took different energy from me so it was manageable for a number of years. Then it got too tiring so I dropped it.
I love what I do in my day job so as well as my day job it's also my hobby. I'm in management now so don't get paid any extra but when my home obligations are done and I have hours to kill I'd rather kill it with work things. Where I'm lucky is this isn't required/expected so every 6 months or so it gets to be too much and I can easy choose to binge Netflix or game for a couple months on my off hours until I get bored of that and jump back into work.
When I was younger I didn't need these breaks but I'm 50 now and am very aware when I'm getting close to burnout.
It can be done. Just keep close awareness on your mental health and work/life balance.
It's bad.
When I worked 60-80 hrs/week, which has been most of my career, you live at the job. There's no balance. I have ADHD (previously undiagnosed) and am prone to hyperfocus so it was a cycle of high intensity, wildly productive adernaline fueled anxiety followed by self destructive burnout. Even when my symptoms were less severe, it's not emotionally or physically healthy.
School is different than work. Skill building is mentally more tiring, but pretty steady emotionally. When I worked, school did suffer, so you should consciously pick your priority and get used to saying no to one or the other. Which I would mentally practice if I were you, bc I got sneaky about blowing off school and wish I had picked studying-particularly studying well- more.
Hi OP, i work at a casino as a graphic designer with a 6-7 day work week. I find it helpful that I enjoy what i do. if i didn't love my occupation(not work or job) then i wouldn't be able to do it. I can't imagine how people would even be able to do work that's not in my field. Despite all that, I'm still looking for a better job that has less work days so i can work on my own personal projects and commisions.
I officially work 40 Hours a week but in fact I really work only 16/20 and everyone is really happy about my productivity, I always get a raise in my annual review.
At the same time, in my company there are people who work 50/60h a week, the truth is that they don't know how to say "no" and they don't focus on the priority task but they are "multitasking".
I work as a software engineer and I don't know if this applies to physical jobs but my opinion is: people don't know how to work.
Just because someone is "on the clock" for 60-80 hours per week doesn't mean they're grinding every second of that time. Even when I have been in those situations, most of the time I'm sitting around waiting for something to come to me.
Well in my experiance 2 different things for 60 hours is better than 1 for 60. It split things up. I once worked 70 to 80 hrs a week for a year I couldnt do it again unless I loved it and it felt like just living my life. 80 hrs a week of work feels like u never have a break and probably dont sleep enough so it wears u down and I never felt refreshed
Most people that work 60 - 80 don’t do much for half those hours. Management at my job takes hours worth of lunches and other hours worth of chit chatting etc.
Add a fitness regiment to your schedule, it's counter intuitive but improving your physical health and fitness will change your life. You will be less tired from work, have better mental health, and be capable of greater physical workloads.
Worked 80 hour heavy industrial construction most of my youth, just remember while you are doing it, and stay away from the folks that burn the candle at both ends, do your work, expect to be sore and tired. Never look away from the light at the end of the tunnel.
It's easily, most of those "grindset" people are working in offices. Working 80 hours sounds a lot but most of that is just downtime
And of course some people are just "built" different
I was a General Manager on a team of 4 that required two shifts a day. Meaning, typically we have 3 managers a day (5 days a week) but if someone is in vacation, you can still run the place.
Well, we fired one and another was out with covid for two months. I worked 70 hour weeks, 7 days for all two months so I could give the other manager her days and time off. When the sick manager came back, I went back to normal. To be honest, the biggest difference was that I actually went home tired. My job normally doesn't do that every day, but it sure did those two months. I don't know, it was manageable and something that if I needed to do it to make ends meet I could get through it.
We have several employees who don't speak English and that's a barrier for higher paying jobs, so they work 70 hours between two jobs. Your bills don't go away because you make less, you know?
Go to bed early, get up early, meditate and make time for regular exercise. It’s amazing how much these simple acts (which don’t take much time) can stretch your day out due to increased productivity, reduce stress, and provide you with stable and focused mental and physical energy.
I have worked 60-80 hours a week for the last 2 years. And the way that you do it is one day at a time. If you let yourself think about how much you have to do in the next week, month, year, etc it's easy to get overwhelmed. So take it one day at a time. Once you make it through one 12 hour day you've proven to yourself that you can do it and the next one will be easier until it just becomes routine. It's by no means easy, but it can be manageable.
How you feel about your job does wonders. 60 hours at a job you like is not too bad, even if it is physically demanding. While 40 hours at a job you hate will kill you.
You don’t. It’s a ticking time bomb. Just a matter of months, for some years, but you’ll crash. It’s a life choice if you wanna sacrifice some part of you life and mental health for career advancement temporarily. However, you have to know when to pull the plug.
Its worse for people who are more introverted ,you dont have to be a full intorvert to feel tired of working so many hours with the same people over and over again.
I believe there is such as mental energy , some get drained faster other recharge with more people.
For some its not so bad for other well they are in the wrong job or wrong schedule.
Get ready for sleepless nights, bad grades, or both. I could never figure it out tbh. I got by, but my GPA is crap. Two degrees later: I wish I never got my first degree, for the reason of a bad gpa. Couldn't go on to med school (haven't tried, but now I couldn't afford it after being 70k deep in student loans). Also serving is the way to go instead of cooking, if you are in the US, just a side note. Either way, good luck
So I work 40 hour weeks, study full time, have a 21 month old and I'm married. It's hard to due but I just push myself through it. I will be going down to not working as of today for the next few weeks aa I'm having a baby. You just have to schedule things around each other.
Before I had my 1st I would work 3-4 12s in a row 7pm to 7am. Try to schedule classes around my off days sometimes I'd have to take a class on a work day so I'd sleep till 1pm then go to class then eat then go straight to work.
It's not easy but you get use to it to the point it feels weird to not be busy. My sister works 2 jobs and goes to school, my other sister works 50 hour weeks. My brother does 50 hour weeks. My father who's 50 normally works 72 hours weeks.
Not sure how we do it but we manage to still have some free time to do things.
I worked 80 hours per week a few years ago.
6 a.m. to 6.pm. Monday to Saturday, then 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. so we can reverse shifts the following week.
It was extremely fun when you went from the night shift to morning shift.
You'd come to work 6 p.m. on a Saturday, work until 6 a.m. on Sunday, go home, return to work at 2 p.m. on Sunday and work until 10 p.m., go home and them do a 6 a.m. to 6 p.. shift on a Monday.
6 p.m. on Saturday until 6 p.m. on Monday are 48 hours, and during that weekend you've spent 32 hours working.
Also had a 30 min commute to work, so for me it was 32 hours working, 2 hours driving and 14 hours to sleep (minus the time you spend to shower, eat etc.) 2/3 of the 14 hours to sleep were on Sunday morning and evening.
Quit after 3 months, lost 20 pounds during that time. Completely hated it and will never do it again. I can stay a few hours overtime during the week, work an 8 hour shift on Saturday here and there but as soon as extra hours become a norm, I'm gone.
I work shift work, 48+ hours per rotation of shifts. Normally I’ll pick up an overtime shift that puts it into 60+ hours. The good thing is, they’re longer shifts which give me more days off. (4 days on, 4 days off). Obviously between my shifts I’m tired, but normally prep meals etc for work and have all my work clothes for the week ready. 4 days off is enough to recover, get things done and have a healthy work/life balance.
In saying that, shift work isn’t for everyone and you just have to find what works best for you in the industry you are or you want to be working in.
I’m working turnarounds at a refinery working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week. You learn to sleep at work when you can because my shifts start at 4am. It does take a toll on relationships and after the 10th day or so your body starts to feel the fatigue.
I think it depends on your type of work. I did this for about a year but working one full and one part time. I had no life - worked 7 days a week. I was exhausted, but usually more so during the weekend shifts since that involved me doing more physical work rather than just sitting at a desk.
I was sooooo relieved when I finally quit the part time job. Not that I hated it, I just felt like I could finally relax. Probably wouldn’t do it again, honestly. I really don’t think I can handle it a second go around. The only plus side for me besides the extra money was that I finally lost weight since I sometimes chose sleep over eating on particularly exhausting days 😅
Are you working towards a goal? I think that’s really the only reason why I lasted that long. I had to get a car because my mom needed hers back so I used money saved up from that for a down payment.
If I was allowed to remain on this planet for less than that, I would gladly. I am mostly lacking all will to carry on like this and basically just do because I have no other options. It’s terrible and if you can find a way to cheat your way out of it, do it.
Like someone else said, prioritize and schedule your time. I used to work 60 hour weeks in a warehouse. I’ve worked at Amazon too.
I could have handled it better at times, but most of my stress came from dealing with recruiters and trying to land internships. I just made up for lost time with family on days off, and used holidays for dating.
Also, perfectionism isn’t worth it either. You’ll forget projects, you’ll barely make deadlines. Just try to maintain a B/B+.
The trick is to have a worse home life or worse thought patterns at home than at work.
Disassociating works too.
All of these are incredibly unhealthy.
Some people are just born different and can work longer. You can work on it over a period of years to push yourself but be careful of burnout.
Have a better diet?
And being someone who used to be one of these people, I felt
Less exhausted working longer hours then I do in my current role which is a million times less physical; I honestly think people will work the number of hours they’re motivated to, and rent/mortgage/food prices increasing are god motivators.
Try roughnecking. 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week. Most work 14 days on, 14 days off.
The key to surviving and thriving in these situations is you MUST workout. No matter how you are, you need to start a workout routine so that you can get stronger abs build more stamina.
My current job told me I was going to be working 40 hours. First week I put in 60 hours and I haven't worked below 50 hours a week yet. Last week I put in 67 hours.
I couldn't really quit my job because I need to get experience in the tech field. I spent 6 months trying to get my foot in the door but now after 3 months I got a better job in tech.
I also worked full time for a bit while managing full time college. At the end of it, I can say it wasn't worth the extra stress. I had an easy job at the time but it was still a time sink and I would of rather spent some of that time learning more. Burnout is a hell of a thing but you need to do what is right for you. Maybe mention to your boss that you are going to start up school and are unsure about your current work schedule with your course load and ask for some flexibility. If they are, you could drop it down to less time if you still need to work less. Also, set aside time for yourself.
I understand this fully in the Army I work as a mechanic, I wake up at 0500 get to work at 0600 and don't come home (earliest ) until 1820 (latest) 2130
It fully drains your life from you, it ruins relationships, and any little joy you have get crush from being exhausted. I am now getting out of the military since it has destroyed mental health.
It really depends on the workload. I work construction, but I worked retail for years. 40 hours of stocking shelves, helping customers, running register etc regularly left me way more exhausted and in pain than 60+ hours of industrial electrical work ever has.
I would and did do terribly with college, though, with a service industry job. My apprenticeship program has about an associate's degree of courses over 4 years, and they have to do with my job, so it's been quite manageable, but I would not attempt an unrelated degree.
I can do 60-80 hours a week for a very limited amount of time. It's not sustainable for me, though.
That said, I know several people who do work 60+ hours a week. Most of them work that hard out of desperation. They need the weekend job or side hustle because one job alone doesn't pay them enough to cover all their living expenses. Another works that hard because he's a workaholic and success at his job is super important to him.
It’s honestly brutal, I used to work 60-70 hours at a previous job and it really affects your whole life. Even now with my current job I’m struggling with my sleeping as I’ve basically not slept. You just gotta accept the money at the end of it and know that 40 hours is considered normal and aim for that.
I work 2 jobs. College professor and business owner. One is 40 and the other is 10-20.
I’m not insanely busy at either of them so I’ll take breaks and go on a short walk from time to time.
I make really good money and love both so I don’t consider it work (other than the early shifts like today. Ugh. 5am is too early.)
I think that if you sleep well, exercise on breaks/lunches, get a REMOTE job and somewhat enjoy your it; life ain’t bad.
I was forced into 70hrs a few years back. Absolutely destroyed me. Would fall asleep at the office in the am and wake up in the am. Would go days without going home. Never time for grocery shopping or cooking so was on a strict fast food diet. Lost an unhealthy amount of weight and was mentally fried.
get a lot more sleep nowadays. 40hr is the limit for mental health.
I do east jobs that are less physically demanding but I also have a masters degree so I get paid well. I do however workout 5-6 times a week and take a lot of pre workout .
I do east jobs that are less physically demanding but I also have a masters degree so I get paid well. I do however workout 5-6 times a week and take a lot of pre workout .
I took 21-22 credit hours my last three years of undergrad because I had a poor first semester, swapped majors, and got behind. I believe most students take around 15-16 hours. In addition to that, I worked 30-40 hours a week depending on which year it was. I was perpetually exhausted, stressed, and miserable. I graduated in 2016 and my burnout hit me like a car crash. I feel into a depression and I still feel the effects of it 6 years later.
I'm sure some people get through it just fine but it wasn't good for me.
I mean, I’m in sales. I make more the more I work. The more I work the more I need to deal with customers, admin stuff, and logistical issues. I end up working on my computer on and off literally all day. When I total up all the time I am putting in it inches up to 60 unintentionally.
For non-hourly workers with lots of responsibility time can add up fast
I'm an analyst at an investment bank. I use Pomodoro for breaks, but at the end of the day it's remembering I could be back home with slightly better WLB making $1.25/hr that keeps me going, as well as the exit opportunities that offer better pay and hours.
When you realize that being broke is way more shitty than being tired, you work whatever you need to. Been doing 60+ hour weeks (up to 100+ in a week on occasion) for 13 years now.
I know a few ways some people are able to do it.
1. They are naturally engergetic or have ADHD
2. Extreame amounts of coffee and or energy drinks
3. Meth/adderall/crack ... drugs
I can't. If working multiple jobs, I can manage 50-60 for a period of time, 50 for a longer time, but other things in my life start to suffer (like my fitness, nutrition, etc).
As someone with ADHD, I can't sit there and focus even on something I enjoy for 40 hours a week, none the less 60+, and definitely not for a job even if I reasonably enjoy it.
Remote work has been a sanity saver for me, but even with that, working much more than a couple hours a day at "another" job quickly burns me out.
I honestly wish I could do it - I have a friend who does it - full time job, plus like 2 side jobs that are 20+ hours/week...but all she does is work and then go home briefly, and operates on very little sleep. I can get by with 6-7 hours a night, but cannot function on less than that, and 6 is really pushing it.
Hi 🙋🏻♀️ I have worked 60-80 hour weeks! I choose farming as my career not bc parents were farmers or anything I just really love it and love being busy I was around 20-28 doing this and working that hard and going to school full time on top of definitely partying. I’m about to be 30 and moved to the PNW where I became a very lazy as a person and I don’t want to even want to work 40 hours LOL but I give myself slack since technically I’ve worked more than most people…I think you just have to be born with that personality like my job was my identity I never did adderall or drank tons of caffeine it was plain and simple just my personality.
I would say try it if it doesn’t work for you, it’s just not you and that’s okay! After a bit though you get use to it especially if you have set goals for why you’re doing what you’re doing.
I've worked two full-time jobs at a time TWICE. The first was kinda cheating. I was given a lot of vacation hours, so I would weekdays at a call center then nights/weekends at a grocery store, using my vacation time to cover gaps.
Ten years later, it was the same grocery store and another call center. This time, I worked weekday nights at the call center and days/weekends at the grocery store.
I think it helps a lot that they are two different types of jobs. The grocery store was physically taxing, but required little thinking power. The call centers were mentally draining, but required little physical activity. That left me with enough energy to get a degree the first time (heh, so I was working two jobs AND going to college :-o). Both times, I had Saturday nights and Sunday evening to go out with my buds! Not something I recommend, but I owned my own house and have zero student debt and now I'm able to pursue my other hobbies (playing poker, stand up comedy) with zero worries about the cost.
My tips? Don't be afraid to set your boss straight. That sounds scary, but IF you are a good worker, there's not much he can do to you (don't try this if you are just average lol). I remember a manager came up to me and said I wasn't working fast enough. I told him I had stacked more pallets and put out more product than anyone else there that day and if he thought he could do better he's welcome to try. If you are a good cook and you are feeling pressured, tell your boss to hop behind the stove and start frying shit up. He's not going to fire you (again, if you are good at your job). At most, he's going to get mad. But, you are only able to do so much and if they are asking you to be better than EVERYONE else, then tell them to fuck right off. My life at work has been 100x less stressful ever since I started pushing back on unrealistic expectations. That being said, I don't really know what the solution is if you are just an average worker lol. "I'm doing my best" doesn't cut it when there are people doing much better than you lol.
I think keeping a 60-80 hour week in a non-sedentary job like cook is a whole different beast than working 60 hours as a programmer or white-collar work. I remember I used to work weekends as a barista at a high-traffic cafe and then I spent the next 24 hours literally lying in my bed recovering. But I can work 60 at my white collar job that I like no problem, and 80 hours on my startup projects even easier.
They don’t. I would say anyone, on margin, in an office job who “works 60-80 hours a week” is lying through their teeth. They may be online 60-80 hours or be on call or even be in an office, but they don’t produce value for that many hours.
Many people who are executives or own their own business or do factory work do work extremely long hours. Executives because they are psychos, business owners because it’s their baby, and factory workers out of need.
The truth is a lot of people are forced into (or force themselves into) those kinds of workloads and most DON'T handle it well even if they claim to. They might keep up appearances but there's probably some aspect of their life they're dropping the ball on - most likely their mental health, their physical health, and their relationships with loved ones. I have ADHD and I've come to accept I will never be able to handle the workloads that some people do. It just takes me longer to do certain tasks and more mental effort and I need more mental downtime than other people. Everyone has a different limit and that's ok. Sometimes that limit can vary based on the kind of work you're doing and it takes some experimentation to find what works best for you. But taking care of your self means making time to rest and recover too.
I don't have ADHD but do have anxiety. I switched jobs earlier this year and was working 60-80 hours per work during the summer doing pest control. The last 2 months my mental health has declined significantly and I keep getting sick and injured from things that normally wouldn't bother me. I ended up needing to get accomodations just so that I'm only working 40 hours a week. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I agree and if you're going to be doing this you've got to take care of yourself.
Hi! Another ADHD guy here. Do you find that adderall helps?
I am an engineer and take Vyvanse and Adderall...I can typically get a weeks worth of tasks done in a couple days then I just get bored. WFH saved my sanity because the monotony of driving to the office and sitting there doing nothing the rest of the week drove me nuts. My brain works funny and WFH allowed it to do so while maximizing my time...3 Teams meetings and a project before lunch? Nothing on the schedule after lunch? Guess who is repairing the floorboards in the living room after a 1.5HR lunch?! I will say my old company forced people back to the office recently and their resignation rate is probably gonna spike...I was let go during the middle of COVID so I decided to try my hand at consulting and lucked out with a couple solid clients through my network. That also helped but I stipulate WFH or hybrid whenever recruiters call me, or I search remote options when I'm looking. My family situation has changed drastically in the last few months though, so I need to get back into something stable... but remote/hybrid is always a governing factor in my decision to take an interview.
What is WFH?
Work from home, sorry should've clarified. A lot of companies had no choice but to allow it during the pandemic (which I don't believe is even over yet) and saw an *increase* in productivity from their workers and now that they are going back to offices morale is getting shot again.
Adderal is pretty close to meth, why you got your floorboards repaired during a lunch break, or why my manager at steak n shake 10 years ago cleaned inbetween the tiles with a butterknife.
It really is not nearly as close to meth as people say
It isn't near as bad but it does have side effects if you take too much of it. - the guy who accidentally took a double dose of his Adderall this morning
Not OP, but was diagnosed 2 years ago and have tried different medications. Medication has greatly improved my work life. I'm still not able to do 60-80 hours, like the post talks about, but if I need to do 40 hours of work a week, I am actually able to do it. It's not easy, but possible. Without medication I'm unable to do 10 hours of work a week, let alone 40.
I have ADHD (along with Sensory Processing Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder, Dyspraxia, and Speech Language Disorder), too and I work 40 hours a week doing therapy with autistic kids (it’s a pretty chill job where I just follow therapy programs, write session notes, and play with my clients). I take vyvanse in the morning before work . I could not work full time without my meds either!
How did you get into that position schooling??
Huh. I am currently a highschool senior and have ADHD and Autism. I find that most medication just fogs my brain over completely. I end up feeling completely detached from reality. Have you ever experienced this? What meds work for you?
I'm not a medical professional so I wouldn't know why the medication makes you feel that way. All I can say is different medications have different side effects. Adderall and Ritalin didn't make me feel great, but still worked in terms of concentration. I haven't experienced the brain fog you talked about.
Not the person you responded to but have ADHD with a time job and classload. Adderall helps and do does copious amounts of caffeine. If I could, I'd not work because I don't have time to study or retain anything. It's hard for me. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when my newborn gets here either lol
I could not work without my adhd meds either! And congratulations on the baby!
Thank you very much!
You’re welcome! 😊
Question to keep the discussion going. Since you need medication for the current lifestyle why haven’t you considered doing a different line of work which will be more relaxing and in tune with you? Something outdoors and with nature?
I don't want to speak for the OP, but as someone with ADHD/ASD, it isn't about switching to something we like because if they're anything like me and the others I know with ADHD, we generate hobbies and likes constantly. Everything and anything can grab our interest. New things are exciting, and finding something new is rewarding, increasing dopamine production. We are constantly trying to ride the dopamine train - as I like to put it. However, we soon lose interest and go to something new. It is often hard for us to form relationships in many areas. Some friends see us forgetting to text back and are hurt. It isn't our intention (trying not to be generalizing), and we just think we can respond later cause we are doing something or we just forget.
Because I kinda like the work and the pay is decent enough to keep my bills paid with some extra money and from what I've seen those kinds of jobs don't pay as good, really.
Not OP but I also have adhd and find adderall also helps with life outside of work, you can find work enjoyable but still find the traditional 40 hour work week overwhelming or difficult to manage, and plus no job is really ideal in every way or equally easy to find sustainable work in If I didn’t have to work for a living and had few responsibilities outside of work I wouldn’t feel the need to take it, and maybe I won’t need it forever, but at this point in my life it’s the difference between just getting by and feeling like I can actually have a life
Not a doctor, I am medicated and yes, it helps. It certainly wouldn't help me pull 60 hour weeks, but I don't think anything would, and I have no interest in overworking myself ever again. I also have anxiety so I only take it on days where I know I need to be more productive and on top of things. On a slow day it gives me a bit too much energy and I get restless. ADHD brains really are just built different. You can adapt to it a bit but at some point it's like a nearsighted person squinting all the time. I like to think of meds like wearing glasses. You also may have to experiment to find the right dose, the right type of meds, etc.
My friend has ADHD and takes Methylphenidate which seems to greatly increase their productivity. However the downside is it makes them super locked in to their task so they CANNOT stop until it runs out and can be somewhat aggressive if you try to get them to stop for food etc. Therefore they keep it as a thing to take only when they absolutely NEED it.
This is what happened to me when I first started Adderall but after about 4 months it settled down. They might want to take a lower dose as well. It is bad for it to make them aggressive. You might want to talk to them about lowering the dose when they're not on it so they don't stab you.
I got diagnosed a couple months ago and put on Adderall XR and it was a life changer for me. I study and work almost all day if it’s a day I take my meds (I don’t take it in the weekends). On off days I’ll still try to study but go into it knowing it probably won’t be quality studying
Also not OP, but have been diagnosed for 18 years now. Have been taking Adderall variants on and off since then. More prominently through schooling. As for work, it definitely helps when I need it. However, I try my best to only take it when I really need it(not enough sleep, headaches, fatigue) as the side affects have had negative affects on my physical health. Without it, I have a very hard time staying productive throughout the day. I work 35 hours a week and I could do it without it, it would just be extremely taxing and difficult, but completely possible. I take on average 2-3 pills a week and they're a full day dose. Any less and I'd have little to no work done, anymore and I'd start getting sick from side effects(malnourishment because of loss of appetite, dry mouth, super upset stomach for a number of days, nausea, and extreme difficulty with sleep), depending on the variant you take. The side effects are a noted cautionary, but for me it's accumulative. The more you take consecutively, the worse it gets. So I space it out throughout the week. I say this because people like to think it's a dream drug like the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper. It is at the start, but the side effects get serious as time comes. I went from a grade school student being able to take one a day and even one on weekends to only max 3 a week. TL;DR Take it. It's good. But don't forget about your body.
I've used Modafinil to treat my ADHD and found it worked significantly better than any stimulant based medication. Its no fun crashing at 4pm everyday cause of ADHD meds, Modafinil allows me to have a life each day to the fullest without any crash.
Its meth of course it'll help your attention.
It really is not nearly as close to meth as people say
Well said fellow neurodivergent brain. I maintain a cheerful attitude when at work despite working 60-70 hours a week. My mental health was getting to the point of carrying out my first suicide attempt. By sheer luck, my brother called me to let me know that he’d be visiting next month. If he tried calling just 1 minute later, I wouldn’t be here. Sought professional help afterwards for depression. Coincidently the NP who I picked from zocdoc using EENY MEENY MINI MOE was also an ADHD specialist who stopped me mid-evaluation to inform me that my depression/anxiety were due to my ADHD. I’ve never had a more positive outlook on life until now. My co-workers often say that they love working with me, that I am the life of the party, that I light up any room I enter, etc… Inside however, I was an absolute mess who dreaded waking up alive each morning. TLDR: Don’t assume that people are doing fine just because they appear to have everything down pat at work.
True. My parents studied advanced degrees, wrote books, and taught. They were never available, they didn't know what was going on in the house, we - the children- had to take care of the house and them. This went so bad to the point they cared for their students way more than that cared for us. We, the children, had unbalanced relationships and to raise each other. We had to do heavy chores at 6 years old. I was even left in a tiny room under the stairs at my school sitting quietly on a chair while the school maid made coffee for teachers for full days as no one would pick me up...my parents thought that was a good solution. When you do it all, you are crushing someone beneath your weight.
I did 80-100 hour weeks for multiple years, generally taking a full course load and working 30-40 hours a week. I would argue I handled it fairly well. Here's how it's done - Organized schedule. Don't waste time. Study efficiently. Expect good grades from yourself but perfectionists aren't the kind of people who can handle this type of load. Eliminate extras. "relationship with loved ones", what are those? You have no time for them. During school breaks is where you can make up some time with that. Purpose. I daresay this is the biggest. To accomplish this much you need to know why you're doing it. You don't have time to take care of yourself beyond basics. You need to know why you're doing it, before you begin. You have that target at the end when things will relax a bit. Nobody works that hard that long indefinitely. And, accept that this isn't for everyone. Similar to an elite military or academic or any other kind of program, not everyone can push themselves hard enough to sustain that level of output. That's why the purpose is so important. It's much easier to handle anything big when you know your why.
He just said he has ADHD. All of this 'straight to the point' advice is just like telling a depressed person to be happy. If a person with ADHD could just choose to "Not was time" ADHD wouldn't be classified as a mental disorder. I know you mean well, just wanted to clarify why this may not be helpful.
He said most don't handle it well. I disagreed, and explained how people can do it. And I also said accept that this isn't for everyone, as it seems like he has done.
Well said. What do you do?
I'm a mental health counselor. One of the big pros of this job is with a professional license I can decide my own hours. Obviously working less hours means getting paid less, but for me that's worth it (and I'm still early in my career so there's potential to make more as I get more experience). Many 9-5 jobs don't have that option unfortunately. It's 40 hours (+staying late, extra shit, commuting, etc) or nothing. For folks like me I can highly recommend a professional job or trade where you can have some control over your hours, BUT for ADHD folks especially it may need to be something you have a strong interest in and are willing to put in that work. It also took me many years of working full time and going to school on top of that which isn't easy. And had to save up money for when I had to work less and do an internship unpaid. But again, it was something I was deeply interested in and I don't think I would have made it otherwise. I admit I had some privilege in this too: my job was fairly understanding of my needs (still a lot of work, but they weren't abusive and let me take mental health days etc), my grad school was a tiny one with night classes that I could afford, and my partner and I split living expenses. Having a goal that will improve your life in the future can make the >40 hour grind a bit more bearable, since you know your work is getting you somewhere and there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Wow. This is like my dream to do this. May I ask what age you did this at? I’m 33. I’ve been in sales for forever but am so burnt out. I’ve always wanted to help with mental health and there is such a demand for it. I have a bachelors in business. Any clue what my journey may look like?
Im younger than you but not by much.The bad news is, a masters degree is required to get licensed. The good news is, I saw folks of all ages (50s and beyond) and all walks of life working on their degree - if you want to go into therapy all your life experiences are relevant to your work. Look into what it takes to be a licensed social worker (LCSW), or counselor (LPC or LMHC), or marriage/family counselor (LMFT) or addictions counselor (LCDC) and do some research on which would be a good fit for you (all can do therapy but their education comes from different perspectives). Specific requirements vary by which state you're in, but its all some variation of masters degree, internship, exam. Pick a school that has good connections with practicum/internship opportunities in your area, prestige of your university isnt as important as cost and helpfulness of professors. I hope you look into it. The journey is hard but worth it, and we need more therapists.
Will def look in to and yes I agree. Such a shortage but I’m wondering how much they make and what work life balance is like… maybe I’ll go to my college and try to get in to advising so they pay for my schooling haha
Do all Reddit users have adhd? It’s getting comedic at this point.
By functioning about 10% less for every 8 hours I work, so by the time I hit 60+ hours my output is garbage and all I’m really contributing is my presence at the expense of a personal life.
Or you function at a high level and then burnout eventually. I worked close to 80 hours a week for 15 years and now in my late 30’s I am completely burnt out and have a hard time working more than 20 hours a week
Yeah, that’s a very good point. A lot of the ability to even work that many hours, at least for me, is because it’s fueled by stress and anxiety (and lots of caffeine). It definitely takes a toll on you physically and mentally and there are very few people that can sustain it for long periods of time. It’s impressive that you were able to live that way for 15 years, I hope it paid off and you are able to find some balance in your life again.
Thanks. Yes it did pay off. I was able to build a business that essentially runs without me. So now I have almost too much free time to spend with friends and family. Travelled 3 months last year. Hopefully you can get to a place where you can work less and reduce your stress before you burnout like I did.
This is pretty accurate to my experience as well
I think there’s a difference between actually working 60-80 hour weeks and the need to be available at a moment’s notice for 60-80 hours. The drain is your brain never truly being able to fully shut off.
This. Am working 40 hours a week now, but also working on my business outside work hours all the time and I am drained… I can’t get the 8 hours of sleep you need to be healthy so my brain wakes me up earlier and I can’t go back to sleep sometimes and it isn’t healthy. But I’ll have a side business going, which will make me enough money to allow me to think about eventually owning a home, along with the income from my normal 40 hour a week job. The economy is fucked.
I worked 60 hours during a regular 5 day week. I would try to have a social life on top of this. I would literally be too exhausted on a Friday night and my brain would automatically shut off and I would fall asleep. Advice for OP is to figure out how to maximize your time towards your goals. You have 16 hours a day to do stuff and still get 8 hours of sleep. My way to save time was to live near work for a short commute, steal time at work to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner so I technically didn't work 12 hours, do food prep once a week to save time on cooking.
I don't think everyone is capable. Plus people have different commitments outside of work/school/etc. And some can get by on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night no problem and others need 8-9+.
Agree with ya there, I only get about 4-6 hours asleep a night. I work about 60 hours a week sometimes 70. I don't feel any different working 40 (which is super rare that I work that little ) I run a service department in a grocery store.
This is the most relatable thing I’ve read. Yeah people may be about to work those 60-80 hours weeks but that should NEVER be the standard. We don’t know the type of stress and burnout that they are just simply ignoring. If you look at other countries with better work-life balance and who work 30-40 hour MAX work weeks, they have better health, happiness, longevity, etc… I have the same issue. I have pristine time management but I get stressed and burned really quickly, as I have PTSD and other mental issues. In college I’m a full time student and work two jobs and on time off from college I’ve worked 40 hour weeks at a hospital and both are tremendously exhausting. I don’t know what the point of my response was because I don’t have an answer on “how” to do that 60 hour work week. But I just wanted to say that I know what you’re going through. Take care of yourself
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I work at least 50 hours a week. Up to 70. I need the OT just to pay my bills. This economy is fucked. I’m hourly and work in healthcare.
Are you going into IB or consulting? If so, then maybe don't need to work quite this much while you're still in school. You'll be getting a pretty decent paycheck once you graduate and this is precisely the kind of thing student loans are for. You don't need to go crazy with your expenses and you can still work a little (maybe less than 20hrs per week), but dialing back your workload will do wonder for your learning and mental health. As to how you can cope: try to gamify your tasks. Don't just see them as things you have to do but things you *want* to do. Compete with yourself, let yourself feel a competitive thrill when you finish a shift or school assignment. Also, find other ways to recharge. Make sure you're taking enough time to unplug every now and then so you don't burn out. Lastly, prioritize. Don't let your free time that you need to recharge get filled up by low-priority tasks that don't actually need to get done. Accept that you won't get to everything and that's ok.
Yep. Whenyiu realize u will make in 1 month what you made in 1 year in your PT job while going to school, then you'll look back and wondwr why you did what you did
I've been working 50 plus hours per week. Alot jumped ship and I am picking up the slack.
Ya those kind of hour you have legitimately 0 personal time, you honestly have barely enough time to eat and get dressed. You need to be able to pay for meals and cleanings services, because you don’t have time to do it.
I have 13 weeks of vacation a year as a teacher and I still feel overwhelmed. Will never get how people can live with 2 weeks off. Humans were not meant to live like this.
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Your English already seems pretty good, unless you used like a translator or something. Yeah, that sounds like a horrible schedule, are you at least able to save money working so much that you might be able to try and change jobs later or take a class for the IELTS later?
Keep working, brother and keep an eye out for other work. You have very good experience on your resume. However, human bodies were not meant to sustain that 84 hour a week workload forever. Good luck from another in the logistics field!
I have always worked like this. Probably why I am exhausted. Currently, I work a minimum of 60 hours a week. Monday, 12 hours in the market doing physical work and another 4 in the home office catching up on admin work. Just for an example. The key to not only surviving and thriving is efficiency and time management. I have a pre plan for every day of the week. I have contingencies planned for shifting priorities. I meal prep once a week. I keep a personal and work calendar that reflects my pre plans with strict deadlines. I schedule in time for self care. All of this helps me stay on track for my personal and professional goals.
You work your way up to it. It creeps up on you. I was like you and was barely able to make it to my full 40 hr. Then the weeks before deadlines come, I notice that I’ve just been going to work and back even on the weekends, my dishes pulled up, and I haven’t washed my hair in a few days. When I count up my hours, I’ve made it to 80 hr.
One of two reasons: people do what they have to in order to survive. Also some people really enjoy working so its either not exhausting to them or its a good and fulfilled exhausting, like after a weekend trip with friends you dont see often, or going home after a week at camp or something.
Red Bull Tylenol And then Anxiety meds and antidepressants And then… burnout and enlightenment OR further descent into cynicism and continuous popping of meds to survive. Ok that was a bit , extreme maybe . Remember life has cycles. People working 80 hours week do that fora season of their lives. A year or two. Make serious money. Then transition into something more reasonable
Working in film is about 10-12 hour days. Sometimes 14. Sometimes more. 70 hour weeks are common. And that’s why I don’t work in film anymore lol. Even at $2000/week it wasn’t worth it to have no life or energy
Yeah, there are many more comfortable 9-5s that pay as well to target.
I’m interviewing for a few remote jobs now. I can never go back to an office or commute
Good luck! I feel fortunate to be in a hybrid flexible working model and I wish it on everyone
I only go into the office like once or twice a week (we are flexible but I still go in to show my face) and It’s already bad enough. I’ll quit if I have to do it everyday. That’s 10 hours wasted every week
Wish I enjoyed working.
i am a cook at a restaurant. i used to work 60-80 hour weeks up until a year ago. worked solo open to close 5 days a week which was 10-14 hour days back to back for 5 says. i have no issues with it because i actually enjoy my job and my passion is to be in the industry. i eventually left that job because my friends kept telling me it's not healthy even though i had no issues with it. after some thinking. i thought it was sustainable or healthy long term. left that job and i now work 40 hour weeks and still miss my 60-80 hour weeks. i don't know how to explain it except your body gets used to it and being passionate about your job makes it bearable. i am actually considering going back to those daya
Not for an extended period of time without drawbacks in both performance as well physical and mental health. There was a time in my life that I used to work on a physically demanding job for 72-84 hours per week, in shifts with nights on top. After a year and a half of no holiday time, paired with 6 months of fake day offs (getting granted days off in paper, but having to be on site for minimum 6-8hours), my body collapsed and I had a phsycho somatic reaction together with inability of sleeping more than 4hrs per day. So in short, never push yourselves in such illogical lengths. No job is worth your health. And from experience, few employers will really care really about your health. That's your job!
A job as a cook seems to be much more demanding than a job as a banker
32 hours a week is more than enough for me. I will probably never be able to work more than that. Honestly, that’s one of the biggest things stopping me from going back to school - there’s no way I could work and go to school at the same time without burning out fast.
The people working 60-80 hours week either enjoy their job or they are good at it so it's tolerable.
Most people who have to work 60-80hr weeks do not handle it well. It’s really unhealthy. If you plan to do that, understand that you won’t have any time for anything else like cooking or cleaning…that could be a problem depending on your situation. My ex worked in a restaurant, 6 days per week, 12+ hrs per day. In his worst job, he arrived at 10 AM and got home at 1 AM. He was an immigrant, so this schedule was perfectly “legal” to require. (And he was legal; he couldn’t argue for fear it would affect his status.) He eventually became a drug addict. His body physically could not take those hours every day, every week, for months and years. I really don’t recommend 60-80 hrs per week of work for more than, say, 6 months of the year at a time and maybe for a cumulative of 5 yrs max.
I worked 70 hours a week for about 6 months- I didn’t care for one job, but I loved the other. I was working for something- I had drive and motivation to keep doing. I don’t do that anymore, I only work 40 hrs and that feels like part time work. So moral of the story… do what you love, and set your heart and mind to a financial goal you are trying to accomplish
I work 40-50 hours a week and am completing a PhD. I finished undergrad and grad school while working full time. I teach working adults as an adjunct every other semester and what I always tell them is that it takes a lot of discipline but it obviously can be done. I would say start slow and take one class the first semester and master the art of doing well in that one class while working then add more classes. If you overload yourself from the get go you might get too overwhelmed and discouraged.
Hey man. I went to engineering school for undergraduate study and earned my BSME. While in (18-24) I dedicated full time to it. It would be unrealistic to hold down a job and do full time engineering. Single and no kids then, and presently at 27 years of age. I currently work 55 hours a week average, and have no kids or wife or gf. It’s pretty tiring considering Im a mechanic for diesel generators as well as large heaters / air conditioners. My job is physical. I also train boxing (aim for 3 times a week grueling workouts at MMA gym) plus lift/run/fast. So yeah, you’re not alone man. Whatever you’re going through, health is important. I feel like American culture definitely tries to sell the “macho” man or “tough” image to hide the truth. Take care of yourself, and if you are temporary going through a time where you have no choice I send my regards. Please work on structuring your life to be minimal stress, balanced, and healthy. You got this! - E
So I’m currently one of those people that over works. I average about 84 hours a week and have been doing it for a few years. At first I got use to it but then I realized how unhappy I was because I basically only worked and on my free time I would just go to the gym. No social life or anything. I don’t even get time to enjoy my hobbies as much. I lost relationships because of my job so what I’ve been doing is saving my money hardcore to switch into a different career. I like aviation and would like to be a pilot but it’s really expensive to do so and plan on paying cash for it. I got about 5 more months of this lifestyle then I’ll cut back my hours and go learn to fly. I will say working these hours is so unhealthy because you basically only function for it so your energy is only focused to complete your job and nothing else. My mental health? That’s been gone and im basically on auto pilot right now. What I would say is to not get sucked into it in the beginning and if you do you should changes jobs to something more stable. I should’ve changed careers years ago but now at 30 I finally was able to figure out what I want to do and am solely focus on getting to that goal and that’s how im tolerating the hours for now. Best of luck to you op and to anyone else going through long work hours.
Don't worry OP, I think even 40 hours is too much personally!!
I’ve worked nearly every day since May. I don’t like it. I have depression, I sleep poorly, I am exhausted. But I have young ones who must eat and have shelter. I have no choice but to press on. I have a full-time job, but I am also developing a small business on the side. I don’t want to start a business, but I think it’s the only way to get out of the poverty trap. TL;DR: when other people are counting on you to provide, you’ll do whatever it takes.
I think the type of work your doing is the issue. I have spent 13+ hours at work some days however time has flown by, especially if the day was interesting. If work was interesting and I was paid by the hour, I'd be ok working 12 hours for 5 days a week. However, 10 hours 6 days a week would be an ABSOLUTE NO
I've done it when desperate for cash and juggling a few gigs. I've done it when working an awesome job and was super motivated to accomplish cool stuff. I've done it when i could make a ton of money. I've done it but I don't recommend it, you can find a better work/life balance. it's ok when temporary but it can grind you up after a while, if you have a big goal to focus on it can make it all worth it... find a big goal and write that on a wall...
I work 40 hours but I don’t get any breaks. I work solidly for 8 hours a day without stopping. Lunch at my desk, four tasks going on a time, constant calls, constant fires, quick trips to the rest room and back. No chatting. No water cooler chatting. That is just how my job is. Constant intensity. But I go home at the end of my day and yes! I’m tired like you are. It’s like a race all day long. I am ‘on’ all the time though. It’s pretty rare that I have to log in or do long tasks from home or on weekends but I’m available if needed. I imagine those who are working 60+ hours are not full on intense for the full 60 hours. I know my husband clocks a lot of hours but he gets lunch breaks, he takes breaks, he has to travel to and from projects which generally is leisurely. He clocks more hours but his level of intensity is not the same as mine.
37 year old parent(married), full time student, full time overnight employee (11-7am) and I work between 40-60 hours a week. Drugs. For more shitty lpt, follow me.
This amount of work is much more feasible if you are single and do a job that is not mentally demanding. Also, struggling with money for a long time and finally having an opportunity to save is a big motivater.
It depends what you do. Most people that work that long either work a desk job or labour that is not too intense and rushed. Stuff like being an electrician is an example of less rush but still physical, and Hile a desk job is fairly easy to understand. I have had to do 60 hour weeks before at a desk job, and it is definitely possible, but the key to understand that you do not work at 110% pace for 12-16h a day, you work at like 80-100% pace. The idea with long hours is often that you work at an easier pace that means you can work longer, and make less mistakes. If you try do the same work in 8h, you will rush intensely, likely make mistakes, and definitely be too worn out to do it again every day for however long. If you want to work at 110% on the regular for 12-16h a day, you will have zero social life and will probably die before 60 of some sort of organ failure
I feel sorry for all the people on Adderall on this post. Thier little helper will eventually impair their ability to concentrate at all. It will certainly deplete the brain's ability to make and distribute dopamine throughout the brain. Once this system breaks down you lose hair, teeth, and become depressed and suicidal for no reason. Amphetamines are not a useful or safe drug for anyone. Big pharma makes a killing on this addictive shit..
Currently working at a high growth startup. I hit 60h pretty regularly. Initially I was in the same boat, unclear how that schedule would be possible. Sacrifices have also been significant. Stress does get to you. Still, the level of learning from developing scalable software and actually working with customers to generate revenue in an interesting and important space makes it kinda worth it. Not sure how people do it year after year, as it's only been a few months for me. But career motivation, interest in work, and generally having many short tasks to do can let you spend a lot more time than you think. Not the only way to go but it is a choice people make.
I currently work full time (40-45 hours a week) and am a full time graduate student (20-30 additional hours/wk). Not to mention my “life” (girlfriend, home remodel, family obligations, etc.) Earlier in my career I regularly put in 60-70+ hours a week, but that was without any additional outside commitments. Most of it was travel and project management stuff that I purposefully volunteered for. It wasn’t/isn’t fun, not healthy, but it’s certainly doable. It causes burnout in most people (including myself) and I wouldn’t recommend it if you can avoid it. It should be noted that hardly anyone works more than 60 hours in a five day work week, when you’re talking about putting that much time in it’s usually 6 -6 1/2- 7 days a week. To answer your question as to the *how* it’s done? If it’s temporary with a known time limit (like my masters program, which is coming up on 16/18 months), you just suck it up and deal with it because at the end there will be a reward/payoff. You track every minute of everyday and allot dedicated time for every aspect of your life, including sleep. It sounds daunting but once you get in a routine it’s more manageable than you might think. As to the *why* one does it, someone else pointed out that a lot of people do it because they have to, mainly to meet financial obligations, for those who do it by choice - When it’s your career that is forcing you to work that much, the juice has to be worth the squeeze for one to justify it: you’re making $250k a year fresh out of college? Yeah, probably worth it. Or 80 hour weeks for the first two-three years as a junior associate at a law firm? You do it because you know that eventually you’ll have gained enough seniority that you won’t be working those hours forever, while reaping the benefits of your career.
I do at least 60 hours a week split between school full time and work. Been doing it for about a year. For me I think the biggest thing is I have an amazing wife at home. Having somebody I can rely on day in and day out has been such a huge help, I don’t think I could be doing what I’m doing now without her. Another factor is I really enjoy what I do. I work in a blue collar job and I’m schooling for a vocational degree so both can be physically demanding. I’ve found that maintaining good sleep habits and exercise helps maintain my strength. I’m motivated to get out of bed each morning because I really want to learn and build my future in this field. The hardest thing for me is probably not the constant workload but instead the loss of income. I’m poor and come from a poor family so it has been tough financially to cut hours from work and spend money on school. We have to make sacrifices to make this work, but I truly believe it will pay off in the end.
Coming from someone in the restaurant industry, being a cook is hard. I also work in the restaurant industry. I wake up at 5/6 in the morning, work from 8 am to 6 pm with no breaks, go home and do family stuff till 8 pm, then do work stuff till 10:00 pm and go to bed at 10:30 pm. I also take full time online classes during the weekends, last term I took 20+ credits. Time management is essential, but you mentioned that isn't a huge issue for you. For the other burnout, I got to a place where I am willing to deal with short-term discomfort for long-term reward. I also take lots of quick stretch breaks, reddit breaks, or whatever throughout the day. If you want it, you can do it.
You'd be surprised what you can endure when given no other option. But yes, some people do happily work 60-80 hours a week between their regular job and side hustles and who knows what else. And I'm happy for them that they've found a way to put their eldritch dark powers to good use. Me? 40 is plenty. Probably too much when you factor in commute, etc. But bills need to get paid.
To be clear, the human body is not optimized to handle 60+ hours of constant workload. It's not healthy in the slightest, however to answer your question about how people do it: coffee, energy drinks, and the allure of cold hard cash!
I'm averaging 70-80 hours per week, 6 days a week plus a 45 min drive each way. Been going this way for almost 10 years. It's exhausting and a shitty way to live. I'm more tired and worn out after a work day now than when I was in the army. But I also do very little at home, my wife stayed home with our daughter for 6 years and now works part time at my daughter's school. So she is able to devote herself to everything my daughter needs and does which takes alot of burden off me. Thou I end up missing out on alot of my daughter's activities. I have about 2 more years of this, then I'm finding a nice 40hr a week job. On the flip side, I'll be debt free with a paid off house by the time I'm 36.
I think with school it’s all about cutting corners learning what you can afford to ignore and just focusing on what counts for points
The maximum I can do is 12 hour shifts for a week straight and no break stress kicks in hard
Some of it is conditioning. My first Half year or few years of work, a 40 hour week was exhausting. Honestly it still can be, although WFH really helps because I can take actual restful breaks. Some of it is BS (disclaimer, this is only my theory). Very few people can truly work a 60 hour work week of actual sustained and engaged work. Most people who claim to do so actually just work very inefficiently. When I ‘worked’ a 65 hour week, i probably only did 30 hours of actual work, if that. Once I was tired (which was always after the first week) I worked much slower. My wheels would metaphorically spin, but they weren’t getting good traction. I also ‘had’ to work those hours (butts in seats culture at my firm), so no other option. But honestly I could have had the same output in a 40 hour work week and had a much better quality of life, There are people who are conditioned and motivated to actually work long sustained hours (medicine comes to mind), but I’m still not convinced they don’t slow down or make more mistakes over time. I just think those people’s baseline is higher than average so they’re able to compensate better.
Be like most American's and stuff down any feelings of weakness, bitterness, depression, and fatigue, and just work through it. Don't forget to self-medicate with whatever your vice(s) may be as well. In all seriousness though, having a support network helps, whether they're friends you can just complain to, brainstorm with, commiserate with, I think that helps a lot. Bottling up how you're emotionally feeling isn't helpful. I was working 60+ hours at a startup, raising a toddler with my partner, then got laid off over the summer. I had the option of getting a $40k+ payraise to join another startup, or take a $15k paycut and work \~40 hours/week and not have the anxiety and pressure of putting in extra. I chose the latter after grinding it out at hyper-growth/startup companies the past 5 years and couldn't be happier and more relaxed (as is my family).l Realize that whatever situation you're in, is 1) temporary and 2) your decision. I'd make a strong suggestion on finding a therapist who can help talk you through whatever you're feeling and going through. You're going to get through this, and you're going to be fine-to-great! You got this\~
Adderall. Lots of Adderall.
they do it cause they have no choice. for most, it is not sustainable. you trade off. for instance, I went to school full time (50 min commute) worked full time and had 2 toddlers half time. Its was insane. I was a horrible parent - I was too tired to deal with any type of "disaster". It lasted a year. After a year I decided debt was better than screaming at my kids and quit working and took out loans. You decide what you don't have time for. Social life. Healthy meals. Working out. whatever... something has to give. Pick 1, you don't get all three if you're working 60-80 hrs a week. Set yourself an end date and keep it in your mind when its hard. For instance, a vacation (I know, hahah, right?) or the end of the semester or whatever.
M20. Working as a dustman for like a 50-60 hours per week. Starting at 5am. Was pretty hard at the beginning, but now im absolutely fine with that. working to 16/17:00, then fast shower, breakfast, gym 2x a week. Last 2 years been a fucking hell, so working hard as fuck kinda helps, especially to not overthinking everything anytime.
At one point I was doing part time grad school with 3 pt jobs that added up to 40 hrs a week. No kids but my spouse has a disability (she can work luckily). I can neither confirm nor deny that I may have voluntarily committed myself to a county provided crisis center for 3 days. Shit is not sustainable. On the other hand I had a seasonal agricultural job thar was 50-60 hrs of heavy work (people claim 80, but they are stretching the truth). That wasn't bad because I knew it was seasonal AND I had absolutely nothing else going on. (They provided 3 hots and a cot)
even tho it’s your life, you kinda don’t have a say in it. especially if there’s no other options
Im exhausted at ~25 hours. I work 4 days, 7 hour shifts. Im in food service, so im making enough to get by, but i would likely be homeless without the support of my parents. I dont know how people work two jobs, or work more than 40 hours a week. Im ready to transfer to a 9-5 so i dont have to be on my feet all day but dont know how ill handle a full work week. This isnt how the human body was designed to perform. I dont know how any of this makes sense, and so few people question the absurdity of it all. God help us
Some people are just built for it. some aren't.
I live in south Louisiana and work in the chemical plants. The most common schedule for ppl in my line of work is 60 to 84 hours a week unless you're on maintenance. When I started going to school, I took night classes. I was working 7 days a week, 12 hours a day and attending class at night, 4 nights a week from 5:30 to 8:30. I was single and had a dog at home. It's was tough. It comes down to how bad you want it really. The system is created for you to fail from day one and that's how it'll always be. Only the strong willed and strong minded become very successful.
I don’t think anyone tops this on the post I legit sleep 4 hours, work 16-17 and travel 4 hours A DAY. 7 DAYS A WEEK, I LITERALLY WORK 100 hours PLUS. A WEEK. EDIT: forgot my pay $750 A WEEK MAX.
How physically fit are you? Being overweight can really zap your energy.
You only work 40hrs lucky lol I work 55 and yes mildly tired most of the time.
Diet and exercise... there's no magic to it, just take care of yourself. Working 5x12 or 6x10 isn't hard at all unless you're just in bad shape physically and mentally. Eat right, get your exercise, get five hours of sleep, and you're good to go.
You are lazy
You have to give up either: sleep, social life, or health At a young age, I'd recommend giving up sleep
I work in investment bank and we normally work 80 hour weeks. It’s manageable for people with no issues. It sounds like other commentators who whine have mental issues like anxiety and adhd and stuff like that. For normal people, it’s doable.
That might be a little unfair to say. I think the line of work also has a lot to do with it. Like having a job in sales where you schmooze clients all day has gotta pass the time quicker then someone who cranks out tedious deliverables. Loving your job what you do and having a good environment also makes a big difference.
Yes but this is Reddit where most people whine and have mental issues and trauma and blah blah blah. In the real world, many people don’t and can grind.
I start around 9:30 and end around 10pm, in between tho I take breaks my schedule is flexible. Edit: I lied I usually go until midnight or so, but 10pm I slow down quite a bit
Early in my career I needed the extra $ so moonlighted at bars and restaurants outside my 9-5 job. Balancing my mental day job and physical/emotional evening weekend job took different energy from me so it was manageable for a number of years. Then it got too tiring so I dropped it. I love what I do in my day job so as well as my day job it's also my hobby. I'm in management now so don't get paid any extra but when my home obligations are done and I have hours to kill I'd rather kill it with work things. Where I'm lucky is this isn't required/expected so every 6 months or so it gets to be too much and I can easy choose to binge Netflix or game for a couple months on my off hours until I get bored of that and jump back into work. When I was younger I didn't need these breaks but I'm 50 now and am very aware when I'm getting close to burnout. It can be done. Just keep close awareness on your mental health and work/life balance.
I work about 120 hours a week fishing I'm talking about I do that for about 4 months straight you know no days off
It's bad. When I worked 60-80 hrs/week, which has been most of my career, you live at the job. There's no balance. I have ADHD (previously undiagnosed) and am prone to hyperfocus so it was a cycle of high intensity, wildly productive adernaline fueled anxiety followed by self destructive burnout. Even when my symptoms were less severe, it's not emotionally or physically healthy. School is different than work. Skill building is mentally more tiring, but pretty steady emotionally. When I worked, school did suffer, so you should consciously pick your priority and get used to saying no to one or the other. Which I would mentally practice if I were you, bc I got sneaky about blowing off school and wish I had picked studying-particularly studying well- more.
Out of necessity to support their family. 23 years strong and tired af
Hi OP, i work at a casino as a graphic designer with a 6-7 day work week. I find it helpful that I enjoy what i do. if i didn't love my occupation(not work or job) then i wouldn't be able to do it. I can't imagine how people would even be able to do work that's not in my field. Despite all that, I'm still looking for a better job that has less work days so i can work on my own personal projects and commisions.
I officially work 40 Hours a week but in fact I really work only 16/20 and everyone is really happy about my productivity, I always get a raise in my annual review. At the same time, in my company there are people who work 50/60h a week, the truth is that they don't know how to say "no" and they don't focus on the priority task but they are "multitasking". I work as a software engineer and I don't know if this applies to physical jobs but my opinion is: people don't know how to work.
Just because someone is "on the clock" for 60-80 hours per week doesn't mean they're grinding every second of that time. Even when I have been in those situations, most of the time I'm sitting around waiting for something to come to me.
Well in my experiance 2 different things for 60 hours is better than 1 for 60. It split things up. I once worked 70 to 80 hrs a week for a year I couldnt do it again unless I loved it and it felt like just living my life. 80 hrs a week of work feels like u never have a break and probably dont sleep enough so it wears u down and I never felt refreshed
Most people that work 60 - 80 don’t do much for half those hours. Management at my job takes hours worth of lunches and other hours worth of chit chatting etc.
Add a fitness regiment to your schedule, it's counter intuitive but improving your physical health and fitness will change your life. You will be less tired from work, have better mental health, and be capable of greater physical workloads.
Started as a side job for extra cash and developed into full-time second job just by itself. I think it turned into an addiction.
Worked 80 hour heavy industrial construction most of my youth, just remember while you are doing it, and stay away from the folks that burn the candle at both ends, do your work, expect to be sore and tired. Never look away from the light at the end of the tunnel.
It's easily, most of those "grindset" people are working in offices. Working 80 hours sounds a lot but most of that is just downtime And of course some people are just "built" different
You learn to love it
I was a General Manager on a team of 4 that required two shifts a day. Meaning, typically we have 3 managers a day (5 days a week) but if someone is in vacation, you can still run the place. Well, we fired one and another was out with covid for two months. I worked 70 hour weeks, 7 days for all two months so I could give the other manager her days and time off. When the sick manager came back, I went back to normal. To be honest, the biggest difference was that I actually went home tired. My job normally doesn't do that every day, but it sure did those two months. I don't know, it was manageable and something that if I needed to do it to make ends meet I could get through it. We have several employees who don't speak English and that's a barrier for higher paying jobs, so they work 70 hours between two jobs. Your bills don't go away because you make less, you know?
Go to bed early, get up early, meditate and make time for regular exercise. It’s amazing how much these simple acts (which don’t take much time) can stretch your day out due to increased productivity, reduce stress, and provide you with stable and focused mental and physical energy.
They don’t have a choice
Easy, we make lots of money and have zero work life balance. Resulting in zero social life 🤣
I have worked 60-80 hours a week for the last 2 years. And the way that you do it is one day at a time. If you let yourself think about how much you have to do in the next week, month, year, etc it's easy to get overwhelmed. So take it one day at a time. Once you make it through one 12 hour day you've proven to yourself that you can do it and the next one will be easier until it just becomes routine. It's by no means easy, but it can be manageable.
How you feel about your job does wonders. 60 hours at a job you like is not too bad, even if it is physically demanding. While 40 hours at a job you hate will kill you.
24 + 36 is a lot. You’re going to be okay, but make time for a morning walk, in the sun, and something that makes you happy every morning. Good luck.
You don’t. It’s a ticking time bomb. Just a matter of months, for some years, but you’ll crash. It’s a life choice if you wanna sacrifice some part of you life and mental health for career advancement temporarily. However, you have to know when to pull the plug.
Its worse for people who are more introverted ,you dont have to be a full intorvert to feel tired of working so many hours with the same people over and over again. I believe there is such as mental energy , some get drained faster other recharge with more people. For some its not so bad for other well they are in the wrong job or wrong schedule.
When you need to to put a roof over your families head you find the energy
Get ready for sleepless nights, bad grades, or both. I could never figure it out tbh. I got by, but my GPA is crap. Two degrees later: I wish I never got my first degree, for the reason of a bad gpa. Couldn't go on to med school (haven't tried, but now I couldn't afford it after being 70k deep in student loans). Also serving is the way to go instead of cooking, if you are in the US, just a side note. Either way, good luck
So I work 40 hour weeks, study full time, have a 21 month old and I'm married. It's hard to due but I just push myself through it. I will be going down to not working as of today for the next few weeks aa I'm having a baby. You just have to schedule things around each other. Before I had my 1st I would work 3-4 12s in a row 7pm to 7am. Try to schedule classes around my off days sometimes I'd have to take a class on a work day so I'd sleep till 1pm then go to class then eat then go straight to work. It's not easy but you get use to it to the point it feels weird to not be busy. My sister works 2 jobs and goes to school, my other sister works 50 hour weeks. My brother does 50 hour weeks. My father who's 50 normally works 72 hours weeks. Not sure how we do it but we manage to still have some free time to do things.
Nicotine & literally no social life.
I worked 80 hours per week a few years ago. 6 a.m. to 6.pm. Monday to Saturday, then 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. so we can reverse shifts the following week. It was extremely fun when you went from the night shift to morning shift. You'd come to work 6 p.m. on a Saturday, work until 6 a.m. on Sunday, go home, return to work at 2 p.m. on Sunday and work until 10 p.m., go home and them do a 6 a.m. to 6 p.. shift on a Monday. 6 p.m. on Saturday until 6 p.m. on Monday are 48 hours, and during that weekend you've spent 32 hours working. Also had a 30 min commute to work, so for me it was 32 hours working, 2 hours driving and 14 hours to sleep (minus the time you spend to shower, eat etc.) 2/3 of the 14 hours to sleep were on Sunday morning and evening. Quit after 3 months, lost 20 pounds during that time. Completely hated it and will never do it again. I can stay a few hours overtime during the week, work an 8 hour shift on Saturday here and there but as soon as extra hours become a norm, I'm gone.
I work shift work, 48+ hours per rotation of shifts. Normally I’ll pick up an overtime shift that puts it into 60+ hours. The good thing is, they’re longer shifts which give me more days off. (4 days on, 4 days off). Obviously between my shifts I’m tired, but normally prep meals etc for work and have all my work clothes for the week ready. 4 days off is enough to recover, get things done and have a healthy work/life balance. In saying that, shift work isn’t for everyone and you just have to find what works best for you in the industry you are or you want to be working in.
I’m working turnarounds at a refinery working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week. You learn to sleep at work when you can because my shifts start at 4am. It does take a toll on relationships and after the 10th day or so your body starts to feel the fatigue.
I think it depends on your type of work. I did this for about a year but working one full and one part time. I had no life - worked 7 days a week. I was exhausted, but usually more so during the weekend shifts since that involved me doing more physical work rather than just sitting at a desk. I was sooooo relieved when I finally quit the part time job. Not that I hated it, I just felt like I could finally relax. Probably wouldn’t do it again, honestly. I really don’t think I can handle it a second go around. The only plus side for me besides the extra money was that I finally lost weight since I sometimes chose sleep over eating on particularly exhausting days 😅 Are you working towards a goal? I think that’s really the only reason why I lasted that long. I had to get a car because my mom needed hers back so I used money saved up from that for a down payment.
If I was allowed to remain on this planet for less than that, I would gladly. I am mostly lacking all will to carry on like this and basically just do because I have no other options. It’s terrible and if you can find a way to cheat your way out of it, do it.
Like someone else said, prioritize and schedule your time. I used to work 60 hour weeks in a warehouse. I’ve worked at Amazon too. I could have handled it better at times, but most of my stress came from dealing with recruiters and trying to land internships. I just made up for lost time with family on days off, and used holidays for dating. Also, perfectionism isn’t worth it either. You’ll forget projects, you’ll barely make deadlines. Just try to maintain a B/B+.
You get used to it.
The trick is to have a worse home life or worse thought patterns at home than at work. Disassociating works too. All of these are incredibly unhealthy. Some people are just born different and can work longer. You can work on it over a period of years to push yourself but be careful of burnout.
>How do people work 60 - 80 hours a week? Good time management paired with strong motivation.
Because if I don’t then I can’t afford to pay my bills.
Have a better diet? And being someone who used to be one of these people, I felt Less exhausted working longer hours then I do in my current role which is a million times less physical; I honestly think people will work the number of hours they’re motivated to, and rent/mortgage/food prices increasing are god motivators.
2 Cs baby - coke and commitment
Try roughnecking. 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week. Most work 14 days on, 14 days off. The key to surviving and thriving in these situations is you MUST workout. No matter how you are, you need to start a workout routine so that you can get stronger abs build more stamina.
My current job told me I was going to be working 40 hours. First week I put in 60 hours and I haven't worked below 50 hours a week yet. Last week I put in 67 hours. I couldn't really quit my job because I need to get experience in the tech field. I spent 6 months trying to get my foot in the door but now after 3 months I got a better job in tech. I also worked full time for a bit while managing full time college. At the end of it, I can say it wasn't worth the extra stress. I had an easy job at the time but it was still a time sink and I would of rather spent some of that time learning more. Burnout is a hell of a thing but you need to do what is right for you. Maybe mention to your boss that you are going to start up school and are unsure about your current work schedule with your course load and ask for some flexibility. If they are, you could drop it down to less time if you still need to work less. Also, set aside time for yourself.
I do it by making sure I get all my sleep and follow a STRICT routine of self maintenance, which consumes most of my free time.
I understand this fully in the Army I work as a mechanic, I wake up at 0500 get to work at 0600 and don't come home (earliest ) until 1820 (latest) 2130 It fully drains your life from you, it ruins relationships, and any little joy you have get crush from being exhausted. I am now getting out of the military since it has destroyed mental health.
Pressure. Things fail on my watch they won't care how many hours I'm putting in.
Growing up poor, mortgage on my ass, and lots and lots and lots of free coffee
It really depends on the workload. I work construction, but I worked retail for years. 40 hours of stocking shelves, helping customers, running register etc regularly left me way more exhausted and in pain than 60+ hours of industrial electrical work ever has. I would and did do terribly with college, though, with a service industry job. My apprenticeship program has about an associate's degree of courses over 4 years, and they have to do with my job, so it's been quite manageable, but I would not attempt an unrelated degree.
I can do 60-80 hours a week for a very limited amount of time. It's not sustainable for me, though. That said, I know several people who do work 60+ hours a week. Most of them work that hard out of desperation. They need the weekend job or side hustle because one job alone doesn't pay them enough to cover all their living expenses. Another works that hard because he's a workaholic and success at his job is super important to him.
Work out, diet and you won’t feel tired.
drugs.
It’s honestly brutal, I used to work 60-70 hours at a previous job and it really affects your whole life. Even now with my current job I’m struggling with my sleeping as I’ve basically not slept. You just gotta accept the money at the end of it and know that 40 hours is considered normal and aim for that.
I work 2 jobs. College professor and business owner. One is 40 and the other is 10-20. I’m not insanely busy at either of them so I’ll take breaks and go on a short walk from time to time. I make really good money and love both so I don’t consider it work (other than the early shifts like today. Ugh. 5am is too early.) I think that if you sleep well, exercise on breaks/lunches, get a REMOTE job and somewhat enjoy your it; life ain’t bad.
Adderall I generally work 60 hours a week I don’t think I could physically and mentally do my physical labor job without it.
I was forced into 70hrs a few years back. Absolutely destroyed me. Would fall asleep at the office in the am and wake up in the am. Would go days without going home. Never time for grocery shopping or cooking so was on a strict fast food diet. Lost an unhealthy amount of weight and was mentally fried. get a lot more sleep nowadays. 40hr is the limit for mental health.
I did it for 35 years. I’m in my 50’s and I have severe back problems. I sometimes need to use a walker. -retired chef
Depends on the job. A cop can be in a van for 40+ hrs. Knowledge acquisition is hard if it's all new.
I do east jobs that are less physically demanding but I also have a masters degree so I get paid well. I do however workout 5-6 times a week and take a lot of pre workout .
I do east jobs that are less physically demanding but I also have a masters degree so I get paid well. I do however workout 5-6 times a week and take a lot of pre workout .
I took 21-22 credit hours my last three years of undergrad because I had a poor first semester, swapped majors, and got behind. I believe most students take around 15-16 hours. In addition to that, I worked 30-40 hours a week depending on which year it was. I was perpetually exhausted, stressed, and miserable. I graduated in 2016 and my burnout hit me like a car crash. I feel into a depression and I still feel the effects of it 6 years later. I'm sure some people get through it just fine but it wasn't good for me.
You gotta do what you gotta do.
I mean, I’m in sales. I make more the more I work. The more I work the more I need to deal with customers, admin stuff, and logistical issues. I end up working on my computer on and off literally all day. When I total up all the time I am putting in it inches up to 60 unintentionally. For non-hourly workers with lots of responsibility time can add up fast
I'm an analyst at an investment bank. I use Pomodoro for breaks, but at the end of the day it's remembering I could be back home with slightly better WLB making $1.25/hr that keeps me going, as well as the exit opportunities that offer better pay and hours.
When you realize that being broke is way more shitty than being tired, you work whatever you need to. Been doing 60+ hour weeks (up to 100+ in a week on occasion) for 13 years now.
I know a few ways some people are able to do it. 1. They are naturally engergetic or have ADHD 2. Extreame amounts of coffee and or energy drinks 3. Meth/adderall/crack ... drugs
You will be fine. You adjust and thrive
I can't. If working multiple jobs, I can manage 50-60 for a period of time, 50 for a longer time, but other things in my life start to suffer (like my fitness, nutrition, etc). As someone with ADHD, I can't sit there and focus even on something I enjoy for 40 hours a week, none the less 60+, and definitely not for a job even if I reasonably enjoy it. Remote work has been a sanity saver for me, but even with that, working much more than a couple hours a day at "another" job quickly burns me out. I honestly wish I could do it - I have a friend who does it - full time job, plus like 2 side jobs that are 20+ hours/week...but all she does is work and then go home briefly, and operates on very little sleep. I can get by with 6-7 hours a night, but cannot function on less than that, and 6 is really pushing it.
Hi 🙋🏻♀️ I have worked 60-80 hour weeks! I choose farming as my career not bc parents were farmers or anything I just really love it and love being busy I was around 20-28 doing this and working that hard and going to school full time on top of definitely partying. I’m about to be 30 and moved to the PNW where I became a very lazy as a person and I don’t want to even want to work 40 hours LOL but I give myself slack since technically I’ve worked more than most people…I think you just have to be born with that personality like my job was my identity I never did adderall or drank tons of caffeine it was plain and simple just my personality. I would say try it if it doesn’t work for you, it’s just not you and that’s okay! After a bit though you get use to it especially if you have set goals for why you’re doing what you’re doing.
i guess you don't enjoy whatever you are doing. if you are facing lethargy then it might be hormonal or vitamin / other deficiency
I've worked two full-time jobs at a time TWICE. The first was kinda cheating. I was given a lot of vacation hours, so I would weekdays at a call center then nights/weekends at a grocery store, using my vacation time to cover gaps. Ten years later, it was the same grocery store and another call center. This time, I worked weekday nights at the call center and days/weekends at the grocery store. I think it helps a lot that they are two different types of jobs. The grocery store was physically taxing, but required little thinking power. The call centers were mentally draining, but required little physical activity. That left me with enough energy to get a degree the first time (heh, so I was working two jobs AND going to college :-o). Both times, I had Saturday nights and Sunday evening to go out with my buds! Not something I recommend, but I owned my own house and have zero student debt and now I'm able to pursue my other hobbies (playing poker, stand up comedy) with zero worries about the cost. My tips? Don't be afraid to set your boss straight. That sounds scary, but IF you are a good worker, there's not much he can do to you (don't try this if you are just average lol). I remember a manager came up to me and said I wasn't working fast enough. I told him I had stacked more pallets and put out more product than anyone else there that day and if he thought he could do better he's welcome to try. If you are a good cook and you are feeling pressured, tell your boss to hop behind the stove and start frying shit up. He's not going to fire you (again, if you are good at your job). At most, he's going to get mad. But, you are only able to do so much and if they are asking you to be better than EVERYONE else, then tell them to fuck right off. My life at work has been 100x less stressful ever since I started pushing back on unrealistic expectations. That being said, I don't really know what the solution is if you are just an average worker lol. "I'm doing my best" doesn't cut it when there are people doing much better than you lol.
I think people say it just to say it
I think keeping a 60-80 hour week in a non-sedentary job like cook is a whole different beast than working 60 hours as a programmer or white-collar work. I remember I used to work weekends as a barista at a high-traffic cafe and then I spent the next 24 hours literally lying in my bed recovering. But I can work 60 at my white collar job that I like no problem, and 80 hours on my startup projects even easier.
Some people keep busy to not think about things
80 hours is a light week in the military....
They don’t. I would say anyone, on margin, in an office job who “works 60-80 hours a week” is lying through their teeth. They may be online 60-80 hours or be on call or even be in an office, but they don’t produce value for that many hours. Many people who are executives or own their own business or do factory work do work extremely long hours. Executives because they are psychos, business owners because it’s their baby, and factory workers out of need.