80 years ago, long working hours seemed to be on the decline, with ideas like the six-hour work day being floated. Now, that trend has reversed — and so has the way we think about them.The New Yorker has a look at the way long working hours have become more accepted, and even sometimes a point of pride
The general question they float is whether or not long hours are good. This can be tricky for people; I've found individuals I associate with enjoy their leisure time but (typically) also want to earn the best living they can. Where is the boundary between too much and too little work?
I'm a bit of an odd case, what with working at least a few hours of overtime every week, going to school, writing and publishing with varying degrees of regularity, and still having all my little pet projects going. In between all that I understand it's important to see the ladyfriend and relax a bit when possible. Personally, I define the boundary between too much and too little work as, "too tired to answer the bell." When my body begins to demand 10 to 12 hour sleep cycles it's a sign that I need to scale back for a few days.
In my opinion, the path to success is pushing yourself to lengths you thought were impossible. I'm at my best with too much to do and too little time to do it, and I personally enjoy it when I have an excess of responsibility. Millennials (like myself) have weathered a number of worsening economic conditions over the past 15 years and the long term outlook of my peers is hardly as rosy as it was for previous generations. Most hope they will do 'okay' but few with any experience in the labor market are absolutely certain they will do better than their parents or grandparents. Developing a powerful work ethic gives someone an edge over competitors who will flame out instead of putting in the additional effort, which is critical when dealing with 6.7% - 23% Unemployment depending on who you want to believe.
When I go back and study successful people of the past or present, I find an ironclad desire to work through all obstacles. An easy example is found in writers. The most successful authors were rejected dozens (or hundreds) of times with very few exceptions. I met a children's author when I was 17, and when I asked her how to succeed in her field she told me, "You will often be turned away at the door, so that means you need to find an open window to crawl through."
How many people look at their careers or their personal aspirations the same way? My guess is there are fewer who are willing to really do the work necessary to hit their goals without saying, "Meh... good enough." And all this doesn't even begin to get into the question of focused, intense practice.
So to answer io9's question: Yes, long hours are good. People are rarely overnight sensations and it's better off that way. Money and influence can only get a lazy person so far. Hard work is a gold standard all it's own, and one that never suffers from inflation.
