| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you find yourself less productive when you have been working for weeks without a day off? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you find yourself less productive when you have been working for weeks without a day off?".
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I'm not sure I recall working for weeks without a day off. However, as a general rule, my productivity improves when I work without interruption. This is especially true if I'm working on a long document or shorter documents on the same subject. When I was employed and had regular weekend breaks, I used to notice that I was slower on Mondays and usually needed a day or two to hit my stride again.
[Edited at 2021-10-13 04:51 GMT]
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I don't take "regular" days off, but I have non-working days when I need them. As I normally schedule my work a couple of days in advance, if I find I'm starting to feel burned out I can afford to skip a day or two, regardless of weekends or weekdays or anything else.
This is one of the big advantages of being a freelancer. So "weeks without a day off" is not something that ever happens in my case.
| | | | Paul Lambert 
Sweden
Local time: 09:47
Member (2006)
Swedish to English
+ ...
| Errant answers to poll. | Oct 13, 2021 |
As of this moment, 26.2% answered: "No, I always take regular days off."
That is not what the question asked! That answer should not be an option. Taking days off is exactly what this poll question implies is NOT being done. In that specific situation, does one find oneself to be less productive? Full stop.
I can't believe that more than a quarter of the people answering thought that "No, I always take regular days off" was a good answer.
It would be like a... See more As of this moment, 26.2% answered: "No, I always take regular days off."
That is not what the question asked! That answer should not be an option. Taking days off is exactly what this poll question implies is NOT being done. In that specific situation, does one find oneself to be less productive? Full stop.
I can't believe that more than a quarter of the people answering thought that "No, I always take regular days off" was a good answer.
It would be like asking, "How many days do you think you can survive without water? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more?" and then getting the answer, "No, I always have a bottle of water with me wherever I go."
[Edited at 2021-10-13 07:02 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| What should I have answered then? | Oct 13, 2021 |
Paul Lambert wrote:
As of this moment, 26.2% answered: "No, I always take regular days off."
That is not what the question asked! That answer should not be an option. Taking days off is exactly what this poll question implies is NOT being done. In that specific situation, does one find oneself to be less productive? Full stop.
I can't believe that more than a quarter of the people answering thought that "No, I always take regular days off" was a good answer.
It would be like asking, "How many days do you think you can survive without water? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more?" and then getting the answer, "No, I always have a bottle of water with me wherever I go."
[Edited at 2021-10-13 07:02 GMT]
I chose that option because I have never worked for weeks without a day off, and I would hope that very few people here have. What’s the point of being a freelance if you work all the time? And of course productivity and quality would suffer in that scenario.
Added:
I think this option makes perfect sense as an answer to the question. No, I don't find myself less productive after working for weeks without a day off, because I have never let that happen.
PS Smilies indicate that something is meant light-heartedly or as a joke.
[Edited at 2021-10-14 12:30 GMT]
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Even robots need, from time to time, to recharge their batteries, lest they start malfunctioning…
I would say "time off", though. Days it too specific (and limiting).
Anyway, I have no appetite for a working 42-day marathon…
[Edited at 2021-10-13 07:36 GMT]
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My productivity is much more related to how well I slept the night before than on working a few weeks without a day off, what I do occasionally. Like Muriel, my productivity improves when I work without a break. It’s entirely my choice: I prefer working on the project until it’s done and dusted and then take a few days off (if possible)…
| | | | | weeks without a day off? | Oct 13, 2021 |
chained to a stiff wooden chair, right?
Why on earth are such questions asked? Is the translation profession prone to speed+diclofenac addictions?
To those who work weeks without a day off:
When do you spend the heaps of money you must be making? Amazon or Uber Eats?
What drug and dosage are most efficient?
Do you have a family? How long do you think you will keep it for?
How much remaining time will you be fit enough to work?
Are you not yet in ... See more chained to a stiff wooden chair, right?
Why on earth are such questions asked? Is the translation profession prone to speed+diclofenac addictions?
To those who work weeks without a day off:
When do you spend the heaps of money you must be making? Amazon or Uber Eats?
What drug and dosage are most efficient?
Do you have a family? How long do you think you will keep it for?
How much remaining time will you be fit enough to work?
Are you not yet in a position to make others work for you?
Did you enroll in Workaholic Anonymous?
Paul Lambert wrote:
...It would be like asking, "How many days do you think you can survive without water? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more?"...
Or, as a Uber driver, also a player of the gig economy, "how much time without sleep can you drive people out and about without squashing pedestrians?".
I suspect that those who replied "No, I take regular breaks" implied "what a stupid question, which deserves the only reply that makes sense."
I voted Other because I've never thought of knowingly shorten my life expectancy without any fun in return.
Philippe ▲ Collapse
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mona elshazly
Egypt
Local time: 10:47
Member (2016)
Italian to Arabic
+ ...
it is too tiresome as we are humans not machines even the machines are switched off.
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 09:47
Member (2006)
German to English
| What is wrong with working over a long period? | Oct 13, 2021 |
Philippe Etienne wrote: chained to a stiff wooden chair, right? Why on earth are such questions asked? Is the translation profession prone to speed+diclofenac addictions? To those who work weeks without a day off: When do you spend the heaps of money you must be making? Amazon or Uber Eats? What drug and dosage are most efficient? Do you have a family? How long do you think you will keep it for? How much remaining time will you be fit enough to work? Are you not yet in a position to make others work for you? Did you enroll in Workaholic Anonymous? Paul Lambert wrote:
...It would be like asking, "How many days do you think you can survive without water? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more?"... Or, as a Uber driver, also a player of the gig economy, "how much time without sleep can you drive people out and about without squashing pedestrians?". I suspect that those who replied "No, I take regular breaks" implied "what a stupid question, which deserves the only reply that makes sense." I voted Other because I've never thought of knowingly shorten my life expectancy without any fun in return. Philippe
I have had a few projects in the past where I have worked for 6 weeks without a day off. I "only" worked 8 hours a day though.
With some of the answers here, you would think that somebody who works for a few weeks without a day off is working 24/7....
When I was working in the normal industry, these sorts of working hours were also "normal" if there was pressure to get a project completed.
It is all how you go about it.....
[Edited at 2021-10-13 19:07 GMT]
| | | | Becca Resnik
United States
Local time: 03:47
Member
German to English
+ ...
| Ditto, plus... | Oct 13, 2021 |
Michael Harris wrote:
I have had a few projects in the past where I have worked for 6 weeks without a day off. I "only" worked 8 hours a day though.
With some of the answers here, you would think that somebody who works for a few weeks without a day off is working 24/7....
When I was working in the normal industry, these sorts of working hours were also "normal" if there was pressure to get a project completed.
It is all how you go about it.....
One component is also how interesting/engaging the material is. I powered through several weeks straight on one project recently, and save for a couple blips where I felt the need to take a longer break (coffee, stretch, and roughhouse with the dog), it wasn't an issue. The material was very interesting and was something I could have seen myself reading for recreation, so I didn't feel less productive. Nor excessively stressed, but to be fair, I can't underestimate the endorphins from always having my pup nearby!
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule |
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Liena Vijupe
Latvia
Local time: 10:47
Member (2014)
French to Latvian
+ ...
Paul Lambert wrote:
Moreover, that several people agreed with your snarky remark about which side of the bed I got up on shows that many of the translators here would not even be equal to the task of judging such a test.
I agreed with the general idea, not every word of it. Almost every day there is a poll with far less relevant reply options, I don't understand why are you so focused on this one.
The question was "Do you find yourself ... [in a particular situation]?". Answering with "No, because it never happens to me" (although phrased differently) makes sense to me.
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 09:47
French to English
Like Muriel, I find coming back to work can be tough, I'm no longer in my stride. So in fact I rarely take full days off.
Right now I have a project that should take two full working days, to be handed in on Monday. It requires a high level of concentration, which could trigger a migraine if I did it for eight hours straight two days in a row. So I'll be doing a couple of hours here, a couple of hours there, and taking the dog for a romp in the park or going out for a bike ride whenever I... See more Like Muriel, I find coming back to work can be tough, I'm no longer in my stride. So in fact I rarely take full days off.
Right now I have a project that should take two full working days, to be handed in on Monday. It requires a high level of concentration, which could trigger a migraine if I did it for eight hours straight two days in a row. So I'll be doing a couple of hours here, a couple of hours there, and taking the dog for a romp in the park or going out for a bike ride whenever I feel I'm losing steam. I can work for weeks non-stop like that - although I do still have plenty of down time, like last week when I only translated a few small texts, equivalent to about a day's work, but spread unevenly over seven days.
Oh, and it's more the quality of my translations that suffers rather than my productivity. I might forget to check whether the word I just changed crops up elsewhere in the text, or I'll forget to check for consistency in punctuation in bullet points.
[Edited at 2021-10-14 10:55 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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