The 30 Hour Work Day

Productivity is high at Fjelstad Industries, Inc.

Yes, you read that correctly… the 30 hour work day. I know what you’re saying:

“… but there are only 24 hours in a day?”

You’re right about that Nancy, but maybe it’s time to think outside the box.

How is it done? And why?

Basically, a high degree of motivation. For me, it works best if I have a project I’m interested in, a deadline and I have to be in the groove. I need laser focus to accomplish something like this.

The “why” of things might be a little more difficult to explain. I guess I do it just because I can. Or at least I’m pretty sure I can, but I like to be sure. To make sure that I can still do it. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t feel the effects of not sleeping. I do. Takes a good day or so to feel right again. That said, when you figure in how many hours of work, research, testing, etc can be done in 30 hours versus the standard 8 hour work day you have to say a day to recover seems like a pretty good deal.

How does it feel?

8:00 – 5:00 pm
Just a normal workday. Not feeling any better or any worse. At this point I’m not 100% sure I going to work through the night, but I do know that I have a lot of work in front of me and it’s going to be a late one.

7:00 pm
I thought I was settling in, but now I’m getting hungry which throws off my concentration. I decide to go to Walgreen’s for a sandwich, a couple sodas (gotta have some caffeine) and some sort of snack.

11:00 pm
I’ve been working on a video project and the person who wrote the script didn’t feel like she needed or could produce a good storyboard. Well, this lead to some errors, to me starting over a couple of times as I had some of the players miscast and basically, it’s been a nightmare.

2:00 am
I’ve got things back on track, but realizing now that because we didn’t have a storyboard we’re running a little light on footage for certain scenes. Again, the lack of a storyboard is making life difficult. Planning people… You have to have a plan!

5:00 am
I’m at the point where I’m starting to get tired. Earlier, when things weren’t going well I got stressed, ate my snacks, drank my soda and walked around the building. Now, time is short. I’ve still got quite a bit to do and before long the yahoos I work with will begin coming to work. More people means disruptions, less focus and things just take longer. Not good.

9:00 am
Being tired has faded and I’ve moved to the stage where I’m happy. I’ve accomplished a ton, I’m still at work and now I know I can stay up all night. Now the question moves to “can I still be productive all day?” I’m pretty sure the answer is yes, but productive and focused enough to finish the assignment are different.

On a side note… Brian has realized now that I didn’t leave. I did change my shirt and shower, but he noticed file time stamps. He knows and is surprised. Bordering on scared.

5:00 pm
The day has blown by. I finally finished the video and life is good. I’m tired, but not bad. Surprisingly still have energy and decide to ride my bike home. Good ride and I’m glad to be home. I grab a shower and change clothes. Time to relax.

9:00 pm
Brian is harassing me via text message about something (football) and wondering why I’m not asleep. I have to admit that laying in bed waiting for Lindsey to come home is making staying up so we can watch White Collar very difficult. I’m close to nodding off… and eventually, I do.

Conclusion: Was it worth it?

Honestly, I can make a case for both sides.On the positive side I proved that I can still stay up all night and function. On the negative side the crotch that didn’t do the storyboard was ungrateful as expected.

I thought I did some really nice work and what would take 3 solid days of work during normal business hours (emails, calls, visitors, etc are all interruptions) was accomplished in a night. Now that I think about it… it was worth it.