| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: If working long hours, how often do you take a break? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "If working long hours, how often do you take a break?".
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| | | | | | | Whenever I feel like it | Nov 2, 2023 |
Usually when I stumble over a word or an expression and I hit a mental block. The simple fact of getting up from my chair and moving away from the computer seems to have a “miraculous” effect...
| | | | Elena Gabrielli 
Sweden
Local time: 09:22
Member (2023)
English to Italian
+ ...
| Not as often as I should... | Nov 2, 2023 |
Ideally every hour, most of the time though I get so focused I forget. Good thing my dog lets me know when it's time for food or for a walk.
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 09:22
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Depending on my motivation and stress level : every hour to every 2 hours. I rarely work more than 2 hours in a row. It seems to be my limit.
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 09:22
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| I tend to work non-stop | Nov 2, 2023 |
I tend to work fairly long non-stop when I am "in the flow", which means taking a break every 3 hours or more.
Since I work in the creative field, I actually work also outside of the concrete time at my desk, with ideas flowing through my head.
But I also have a dog who reminds me of his needs.
Ps: One of my break activities is replying to KudoZ questions (or reading in the forums).
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:22
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| I set a timer for 30 minutes... | Nov 2, 2023 |
...and focus purely on work during that countdown. Before I begin I write down the start and end time, and how many characters I expect to complete, on a piece of paper I print for this purpose.
When the timer goes I write down how many characters I actually completed during the session, and that gives me an idea of how long the job is taking relative to a "typical" job. This in turn gives me a sense of how difficult it will be to hit the deadline. I find presentation materials ten... See more ...and focus purely on work during that countdown. Before I begin I write down the start and end time, and how many characters I expect to complete, on a piece of paper I print for this purpose.
When the timer goes I write down how many characters I actually completed during the session, and that gives me an idea of how long the job is taking relative to a "typical" job. This in turn gives me a sense of how difficult it will be to hit the deadline. I find presentation materials tend to take time (lots of small text fragments), whereas I go through free-flowing text much more quickly.
After every session I sit down (I work at a standing desk) for 5 minutes or so and rest, then I get to my feet and do another 30-minute chunk. Every couple of hours I do 30 minutes "sitting" in a Varier Balans kneeling chair for a change.
This is basically a Pomodoro approach. I find it both effective and efficient.
Dan ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 09:22
French to English
Dan Lucas wrote: ...and focus purely on work during that countdown. Before I begin I write down the start and end time, and how many characters I expect to complete, on a piece of paper I print for this purpose. When the timer goes I write down how many characters I actually completed during the session, and that gives me an idea of how long the job is taking relative to a "typical" job. This in turn gives me a sense of how difficult it will be to hit the deadline. I find presentation materials tend to take time (lots of small text fragments), whereas I go through free-flowing text much more quickly. After every session I sit down (I work at a standing desk) for 5 minutes or so and rest, then I get to my feet and do another 30-minute chunk. Every couple of hours I do 30 minutes "sitting" in a Varier Balans kneeling chair for a change. This is basically a Pomodoro approach. I find it both effective and efficient. Dan
This sounds like a lot of work! I'd rather just get stuck in.
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Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:22
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Each to their own, of course | Nov 2, 2023 |
Kay Denney wrote:
This sounds like a lot of work! I'd rather just get stuck in.
Well, it takes 10 seconds to hit the timer button and write down a couple of numbers. But yes, this is all subjective stuff, and I often don't bother with this approach myself if I have just one small project to do on a slow day.
However, the thread title specifically references long hours. I currently have 11 time-sensitive projects for several different clients to complete between now and Monday morning.
I'm a born procrastinator and so in this sort of situation I find that carefully structuring my timetable and holding myself accountable saves me from panic and missed deadlines.
Despite which I am posting on ProZ.com 🙄 Make of that what you will...
Dan
[Edited at 2023-11-02 10:21 GMT]
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 09:22
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Dan Lucas wrote:
When the timer goes I write down how many characters I actually completed during the session, and that gives me an idea of how long the job is taking relative to a "typical" job. This in turn gives me a sense of how difficult it will be to hit the deadline.
I have a similar approach, but in chunks of 1 or 2 hours. Since I mostly work with a CAT tool I perform every hour or every 2 hours an analysis, so I know exactly how many words I've translated during that time and based on that how long it will probably take me to finish the job.
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Lieven Malaise wrote: Dan Lucas wrote:
When the timer goes I write down how many characters I actually completed during the session, and that gives me an idea of how long the job is taking relative to a "typical" job. This in turn gives me a sense of how difficult it will be to hit the deadline. I have a similar approach, but in chunks of 1 or 2 hours. Since I mostly work with a CAT tool I perform every hour or every 2 hours an analysis, so I know exactly how many words I've translated during that time and based on that how long it will probably take me to finish the job.
Surely you need to work out roughly how long it's going to take before you accept the job?
And surely the first 1-2 hours of any job will be the least productive?
Do you really need that kind of precision anyway?
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 09:22
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Ice Scream wrote:
Surely you need to work out roughly how long it's going to take before you accept the job?
I have a 'universal' translation speed average that I use to fix deadlines.
Ice Scream wrote:
And surely the first 1-2 hours of any job will be the least productive?
Mostly, yes. But that's not a problem, really. Most of the translations I do take 10+ and not seldomly even 20+, 30+ or 40+ hours and I perform an analysis every hour or every 2 hours, so my prediction how long it will take to finish, gets more accurate by the hour.
Ice Scream wrote:
Do you really need that kind of precision anyway?
If you want to stuff your schedule like I do, you have to know rather precisely how long jobs will take and how much work you are able to accept for the coming hours, days or weeks. I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary, but it prevents chaos and provides peace of mind.
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Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:22
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Again, it's not going to work for everyone | Nov 6, 2023 |
Ice Scream wrote:
Surely you need to work out roughly how long it's going to take before you accept the job?
I can't speak for Lieven, but it's partly because I track my work that I have a decent grasp on how long different documents are likely to take. Kind of a chicken and egg issue. Of course, most of the time it doesn't matter that much, because I usually build in ample margin for error. On the other hand, I dislike turning down work so at peak times this results in a full schedule and difficult timings, and that margin for error disappears. If I'm busy with a large number of small-ish jobs - as I was in the weekend just gone, for example - tracking helps me a good deal.
Do you really need that kind of precision anyway?
Define "need"! There is very little that is strictly necessary, but there is a good deal that is desirable. Exactly what constitutes "desirable" will depend on the person.
Personally, I find that setting myself a target and saying "I did 450 characters in the previous 30-minute slot, let's aim for 550 in this next one" is motivating. I have a big timer parked by the keyboard where I can see it and a glance at the digits ticking down rids me of the temptation to, say, go and look at cat pictures, or browse for (motor)bike components*.
Different people will respond in different ways. Some individuals respond poorly to pressure (whether imposed by others or by oneself) or gamification, others thrive on it. I kind of like it, and it offsets my natural propensity to mess around and waste time.
Ultimately, I can only suggest that people adopt a mindset of trying new things. I think about how to become more efficient pretty much every day, and sometimes the changes that I make do indeed enhance my workflow. I find it gratifying and humbling in equal parts that I can still find room for improvement despite decades of experience. It's taught me never to say to myself "Yeah, I'm pretty much as good as I can get".
Dan
*A propos of nothing, do you remember the glossy Freewheel catalogues of the 1980s?
| | | | Zolboo Batbold
Italy
Local time: 09:22
Member (2021)
English to Mongolian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Whenever I feel like it | Nov 6, 2023 |
I take a break as soon as I notice my focus starts decreasing.
| | | | Hasrina Munajat
Malaysia
Local time: 15:22
Member (2023)
English to Malay
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | How often do I take a break | Nov 8, 2023 |
I normally take a break every 2 hours to avoid burn-out and losing focus
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