Does anyone do actual programming/coding over 40 hours per week?
 

Question for the programmers... How many hours do you code (PHP/Python/JS/JAVA/C# etc..) per day on a consistent basis?

I've done a little bit of research, and it seems that the "magic number" seems to be about 4 hours per day. That's the minimum I strive to complete per day which really doesn't sound like that much.





Less cognitively demanding tasks such as video editing, graphic design, HTML pages, moving files around, hosting/WordPress installs and setup, I can do on the computer for 8-12 hours per day without much difficulty. I've played internet poker for 20+ hours per day, but often struggle to churn out that 4 hour minimum of coding..

Some days I wish I pushed myself so hard that I fell asleep at the keyword like Bill Gates did when they were first starting Microsoft. When I first started learning PHP coding in 2003, I think I was coding about 6-8 hours per day, every day. Is this 4 hours per day just 40% of our potential? Have I lost the hunger?




Can anybody proudly post their time logging app screenshots (Rescue Time/ Screen Time) of consistently working over 40 hours per week in their coding IDE?

Hell naw. Most time is spent thinking, planning, research, trial and error, testing, trying to figure out how to accomplish something. Do you mean 4-8 hours of typing actual code on the keyboard?

Total time sitting at desk thinking, planning, typing etc. Minus the time going through Spotify/music playlists, checking email, checking GFY, browsing youtube..

I think a common industry joke is most time coding is spent thinking of what to name variables.

4 is the number you'll see often regarding creative work.

If your graphic design is not cognitively demanding, you should outsource your graphic design because graphic design is not what you are doing.

I think lack of motivation is a huge factor with getting in the hours. Programming can be so seemingly tedious at times. Sometimes taking an entire day to solve an issue that represents 0.01% of an app can make it seem like your efforts are futile. Sometimes I wish I had a job doing manual labor like brick laying because if I work for 8 hours on a job site, at least at the end of the day I'll have a wall to show for it.

Oh. The goal for me is 0 then :1orglaugh

^ I appreciate the honesty :)

The answer is 42.
The answer is always 42.

Thanks for all the fish.

You're almost there.

So long, and thanks for all the code :1orglaugh

The bold parts are so fucking true :)

I dont see why time spend on it is relevant - if there is matter which need to be solved, i will work on it till it's solved regardless how much time is needed. Coding just to fill some quota is kind a unproductive.

:thumbsup

I don't require graphic design that often, so I feel I can finish the job myself as quickly as I can find someone to do it and explain what I want done. I should probably outsource my domestic work such as grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning to a nice Mexican lady (I'm currently living in Mexico for a few months).

Haha I meant fall asleep at the keyboard. :upsidedow

Here's an example.. I'm my last Tube Ace update I added a feature for truncating long descriptions of videos that are of a certain length with a 'Read More/Less' toggle button. First, I had to test various code examples I found on stackoverflow and other coding blogs. I ended up going with the pure JS solution found here: https://www.w3schools.com/howto/howto_js_read_more.asp

Then, integrate the option in the plugin:

https://i.imgur.com/kqnS1vL.png

Second, I had to add the customization options of the "Read More/Less" button in the Tube Ace Play theme customizer.

https://i.imgur.com/5PtKecK.png

Live example: https://demo.tubeace.com/cute-blonde...s-and-cumming/

In total, it took about 6 hours, over two days to add such a seemingly trivial feature.

Same here!

But would it be YOUR wall, or would it forever belong to someone else?

A brick wall could last for hundreds or even thousands of years. We're lucky if people are still using our software for more than 5 years.

yea the real profit is in the planning and selling.

i'll code 15 to 18 hours a day, for 1 to 5 weeks, if i'm building something. i'm usually not building something tho.

#

My biggest mistake with Tube Ace was selling a lifetime license. I should have only offered yearly updates. The amount of people I have given hours and hours of support to over many years for only a one time payment of $79 is obscene.

I never asked you for any support :1orglaugh

If it's any consolation, you're not alone :1orglaugh

When I was a programmer, back in the day--COBOL, Natural, DB2, CICS, IMS, etc--the only time I coded anything like 8 hours/day was when I worked at a software company cranking code--a job I hated. Working as a contract programmer at large corporations (coz my experience was with big IBM iron) I coded maybe 4 hours a day tops. And I was fast and good, and often got work done way before deadlines, so had time to goof off.

The last assignment I did, my boss estimated it would take 40 hours to complete. I had it done in 1.5 hours, fully tested, and then quit on the spot as I'd done all I wanted to as a programmer. I'd already been shooting porn on weekends making more than I was making as a programmer, so was ready to pursue a lucrative career in the adult entertainment industry.

Good input from fellow programmers so far. I feel a lot better about myself now.

Donatos corporate office wanted me to do full stack web development and COBOL for them at 12 hrs/day 5 days/week, ...and it was 37k AFTER overtime pay. I didn't accept the offer lol.

Thank you so much. You're the ideal customer! :thumbsup

LittleGray Jamie

WOW <3 <3

you got some gold up in them hills!

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I try to code 40 hours a week but no more than 6 hours a day and I usually take a small break after 3 hours of coding, for me coding is like sex is all about the rhythm :winkwink:.

I guess I will pass judgement to the kids like this:

https://i.redd.it/4p2oyr55wih71.png

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???

My last rate as a COBOL/DB2 (etc.) contract programmer was $85/hour (in 2002).

Yeah, the pay was stupid low. I think I asked people on here about it and I told them that I'm not touching it for less than $60/hr. At the time, all of the stores still used really old computers with amber/black monitors for the POS.

It was 4 weeks office, one week on call type of schedule.

its not about the hours you spend, its about the value you add.

you will get brain fog and cognitive decline after being IN the IDE for hours, but honestly i don't know a single programmer that is only in the IDE, most are doing research, reading docs, reading specs, etc.

forcing yourself to work more has lots of detrimental effects, sometimes the best step forward is a step backwards.

if you are a one man team, you are not only a programmer either. so i think the question is flawed. it seems to me that you are wearing many hats graphics, video editing, etc are not developer tasks. thus if you are doing all those roles, there is no way to spend so much time on coding when all the other parts needs attention as well.

focus on your core competency and outsource the rest, you will live a much happier life.