Interesting Links for 16-03-2012

[andrewducker]

• Working more than 40 hours per week will quickly make you less productive. Do not do it for more than a couple of weeks.
  (tags: work time sleep business )
• Guidance on how to fill out the equal marriage consultation for England/Wales/NI.
  (tags: lgbt marriage law uk )
• A fascinating look at the infighting going on at high levels in China
  (tags: china )
• New Star Wars Identities Portraits are Awesome!
  (tags: design poster star_wars )
• On making clothing locally
  (tags: etsy branding local localism manufacturing clothing )
• Livejournal releases actually new functionality!
  I have no idea why they didn't make LJ-Cuts work inline rather than adding a whole new tag which basically does what DW does with cuts.
  (tags: livejournal )
• You can now pay the TSA not to grope you! Does this count as blackmail?
  (tags: tsa security_theatre usa )
• Alan Garner to conclude Weirdstone of Brisingamen trilogy. (Oooooooh. Must re-read the original two!)
  (tags: AlanGarner books writing children Yay )
• White rice associated with higher levels of diabetes
  (tags: diabetes rice food diet )

Comments

[andrewducker]

Sorry, yes. it may well be that the extra bits I do (like today, where I'm going in for 4 hours) are more productive than the bits I spend in meetings.

But they're still less productive than when I'm working a 40-hour week (or less).

[fearmeforiampink]

I'm in the office more than 40 hours a week. But that's firstly including my lunchtime (which I generally have on my own and somewhere quiet, reading or online looking at casual/personal stuff whilst I eat), and secondly including the general facebook/IRC/reading the news/fucking about online that I do. My hours in my contract are 35/week.

This mostly comes from the fact my employers know I care about improving (perhaps even unlocking) the democracy in the UK, therefore they don't have to worry about me bunking off; I come in at 10am (or sometimes 5-20 minutes later than that), eat porrige and beans on toast whilst reading the day's media monitoring whilst I let my brain spin up to speed, then start getting properly into things. And I leave around 5-5:30 if I missed/had a very short lunch and have things to do elsewhere, 6-6:30 most days.

[andrewducker]

You have sensible employers.

[fearmeforiampink]

I have employers who got half a year (albeit, 4 days a week, 1pm-6pm or thereabouts) of free work out of me, have known me for a year, and as mentioned, who are fighting for a cause I consider important.

Other stuff also helps; that I essentially consider getting more out of the (somewhat creaky at times) membership database that is my primary responsibility, to be an interesting challenge, and one where I can easily see the progress that I've made; that really aids in keeping me engaged.

The big one is the fact that I am doing this 'for the cause', as it does basically eliminate the issues that most employers have (or at least feel they have) with their employees working for the pay, not for the results.

If I won enough on the lottery to never need to work again, I'd carry on at Unlock Democracy, and I'd consider doing so in some more formalised form than the volunteering I did before, because being staff results in me having more input, and being able to much more 'own' projects and see them work.