The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 3 (of 5)

The Lifestyle

So, since I seem to be in one of my more social moods today, I figured I'd take advantage by asking a question for a change.

This question has two parts, so be careful with it. These things can be tricky.

1) What is your current lifestyle?
2) What is your ideal lifestyle?

In otherwords, what are the typical elements of your day and how you go about it, and what would you like them to be?

Dustin Alexander
Friday, November 21, 2003

Hard to have a lifestyle when working 15 hour days, 7 days a week for the past few weeks... *grumble*

Friday, November 21, 2003

I get up around 10 am. Then i send some email. then i go to the gym. then I play my piano for a few hours. then I send some more email. then I do about 3 hours of programming, depending on my mood. Then I go out to eat, or go to a bar. Then I go home. My ideal lifestyle, I would like to remove the email and programming parts, and replace them with more going to the gym, or maybe snowboarding, or spanish lessons, or reading a book, or perhaps having sexual intercourse with one of the better looking girls from the bar.

sven
Friday, November 21, 2003

I live with my husband (no children) and we are never do housework, we both work 40hr a week (business hours) he is an electrician.

My ideal lifestyle is that I work from home, never employ people, but have contacts (ie people with various skills that I can contract out to on occasion).

I would like to have some children, and suprisingly (well to my previously very tomboyish self) I would love to have time to be able to clean the house and cook and do nice things for my husband.

I would like to get back into running, and definetly want to be out jogging with the pram when I have children, I would like a house that is always clean, I relax better when things are clean. Ithis would probably mean hiring a housekeeper for half a day a week, before I suck (and hate) housecleaning.

Throw in a 12-18month working holiday to England, and I would be a happy lass.

I would also like to be going to church more often, reading my bible everyday and talking to God a lot more then I do.

Aussie Chick
Friday, November 21, 2003

Aussie chick, I know what you mean about never having time to go to church or study the bible. Always seems to be the thing that gets dropped off the end of the 'lifestyle'. *sigh*

A friend of mind suggested this, buy a cheap bible and either tear out, (or photocopy if you don't want to do this), passages that you would like to study. Then mail them to yourself. When you get the mail, you while be reminded that you should take the five minutes out of your 'lifestyle' to read it. You just have to remember to send them, but I'm assured that once you get into the habit, it's easy.

Like most programmers, I think my ideal lifestyle would also include more exercise... :-)

Louanne van Houten
Friday, November 21, 2003

I'd like to have sex with all the living organism in this planet that's my ultimate goal beside learning how the heck CLR works in .NET.

cerrone supernature
Friday, November 21, 2003

Stay away from my cat, dude.

Alyosha`
Friday, November 21, 2003

A bit of gardening, a lot skiing. Currently I don't have a garden andthe snow hasn't arrived :(

Friday, November 21, 2003

Get up and prepare for the day, walk to my study and work on a product i'm creating for java developers (thinking, testing, coding). Cruise blogs and techy sites learning as much as i can about possible competing and complementary products and technologies. Meet occasionally with a buddy I am working on a different startup with. Have lunch with friends from previous jobs.

Very content right now, as I'm working towards specific goals, so I wouldn't change anything significant.

Scot Doyle
Friday, November 21, 2003

>> perhaps having sexual intercourse with one of the better looking girls from the bar.

Sven

>> I would also like to be going to church more often, reading my bible everyday and talking to God a lot more then I do.

Aussie Chick

>> I'd like to have sex with all the living organism in this planet that's my ultimate goal beside learning how the heck CLR works in .NET.

cerrone supernature

-----------------------------

I think portions of this thread illustrate the image problem that programmers have. Noble & Godly to depraved, that's us. ;-)

Pick a story and stick to it!

Bored Bystander
Friday, November 21, 2003

My definition of success is to live your life in a way that causes you to feel a ton of pleasure and very little pain -- and because of your lifestyle, have the people around you feel a lot more pleasure than they do pain.
-- Anthony Robbins

Currently work stupid hours (new job).

Would like more time to follow my passions. (microlights and hunting)

Would like to not need to sleep (waste of time)

Would like more time to learn new stuff (genetic algorithms and neural nets)

Would like to have enough $$ to afford the new Rolls Royce (wow... that car has presence)

Would like to be able to drink 12 pints of Guiness and not get drunk. Whisky too!

Tapiwa
Friday, November 21, 2003

"I'd like to have sex with all the living organism in this planet that's my ultimate goal beside learning how the heck CLR works in .NET. "

http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/using/understanding/clr/default.aspx

That'll take care of the CLR part. Now that just leaves the other thing.

Mark Hoffman
Friday, November 21, 2003

Wake up 7 AM.
Shower, Shit, Shave
Coffee
Breakfast
Kiss Wife
25 min commute
arrive office 8 AM
Read email
Handle all immediate tasks (put out fires)
on Bad weeks, this repeats until 5 PM
on Good weeks, I work on other projects
Lunch @ 2 PM, usually just 30 mins
out the door 5 sharp
45 minute commute
6PM arrive home
kiss wife
dinner
Heineken
TV
Beer
Sex, possibly
Sleep.

On weekends, I skate my secret training facility.

Matt
Saturday, November 22, 2003

Matt, how come it takes you 20mins longer to travel from work to home than it does to travel from home to work ?

Marx
Saturday, November 22, 2003

San Diego Freeways. It's a Northbound vs. Southbound thing.

Most people get in late- after 9AM - so the AM commute is quick. But in the afternoons, rush hour is from 5-7PM, and EVERYONE is goin' home.

Matt
Saturday, November 22, 2003

where do you work, matt? my goal is to have a secret skate training facility, but warehouse real estate in Boston is way too expensive.

secretAgent
Saturday, November 22, 2003

Last year I had an almost perfect work routine, on Mondays I would get a flight to Sydney (Australia) sit around the office talk to a few people, stay the night, have a few meetings, and then fly home to Melbourne and do the actual development from my study for the next few days. This project lasted about 6 months and I really, really enjoyed it. It was a huge success too.

Alas, now the posting by Matt rings true for me too.

Realist
Saturday, November 22, 2003

> Would like to not need to sleep (waste of time)

Actually, sleep is some of the most IMORTANT time. Your body needs this on healing and preserving itself. Lack of sleep = psychologocal problems, mental problems, health problems, etc.

Make it a PRIORITY, if you care to be more optimally productive during the other 16 hours.

Bella
Sunday, November 23, 2003

Bella.

I know its important, and I do it (sometimes)

I just wish I did not have to!

Once every couple of weeks or so, I don't sleep. At all. No biggie. No effort required. Big cup of coffee in the morning sees me through, and sometimes I am still awake at 1.am the next day.

Wish every day was like that.

Tapiwa
Tuesday, November 25, 2003

That is a VERY unhealthy cycle. Do not let the caffeine stimulant fool you into thinking you didn't miss it. The caffeine stays in your system for 10 hours after you drink the coffee, THAT's why your still up at 1am. Not b/c you somehow didn't need the sleep, but b/c you're still wired on the atrificial stimulants.

Bella
Wednesday, November 26, 2003