These days it seems that the 40-hour workweek is a pipe dream of of a bygone past (if it ever was a reality). This seems especially true for the field of software development which seems to glorify working excessively long hours like an old fashioned pissing match.

It is pretty well documented that working long hours can end up being counter-productive. After working for a prolonged stretch, workers tend to get fatigued and the law of diminishing returns kicks in. I read of one study that demonstrates how productivity steeply declines in the 45th to the 50th hour. In my opinion, this is especially true for software development as code written in the wee hours of a marathon session tend to produce more work in the long run due to bugs. That gets budgeted elsewhere.

Software developers and management just don’t keep track of the real productivity numbers. They’ll remember that you got the code completed by the deadline via marathon sessions, but they won’t factor in the time spent debugging and fixing bugs found weeks later due to that session.

Not to mention the negative impact on employees relationships and physical health. It’s no wonder that a common new years resolution among developers was to get in better shape.

So I find it fitting that my friend Kyle sends me this article written by Joe Robinson, author of “Work to Live”. The title of it is “Bring back the 40-hour workweek – and let us take a long vacation”

I’ve written about work-life balance before, but I should make clear before anyone gets the wrong idea that desiring work-life balance does not make one a slacker. Unfortunately I have been having trouble personally applying this philosophy since I started a company, but as an owner, every extra hour benefits me. For many salaried employees, creating an environment where the bravado of working long hours is encouraged, primarily appears to benefit your corporate masters (unless you are paid in overtime etc…).

So for this year, make your resolution to work less and live more (unless you really are a slacker in which case you should get off your lazy butt). Spend more time getting into shape and other hobbies you enjoy. If all you want to do is code, spend that extra time contributing to an open source project. You might learn something that helps keep you competitive.