As programmer: How many hours in average you stay with computer a day?

Question

I am wondering how many programmers here are spending more than 10 hrs (on average) in front of a computer regardless what they do while they are on the computer.

No programmer/gamer doesn't like using their computer at home. But I love it and my average is 11hrs/day. Hopefully I am not alone.

Answer 1

you are not alone. I'd say I code about 11 hours. My 9to5 wasn't enough work, so I take side contracts. Not for the cash, just because I love to code. (well the cash isn't bad)

Answer 2

I think that if you spend more hours than you want, then you need to revisit planning the project. Personally, I spend about 9 hours a day and make sure I'm home to my family at 5pm. I find with a well planned project and focusing my time properly (few interruptions) I can be more much more productive than the 12-15 hour day developers.

If you aren't forced to spend the time and just do because you love it, keep going!

Answer 3

Not sure this is a programming related question, but I'll answer anyway.

I find noodling around on the internet to be a great way to wind down for the evening, so I'll spend maybe an hour before bed perusing sites like stackoverflow.com.

Finding an answer to a question immediately has become addicting. I'll find myself running to Google whenever I have a stray thought, which adds to my computer time.

Sorry I can't come up with an exact figure for you.

Answer 4

var totalHours = 24 - 7 - 2 - 2; 

//must deduce 7 hours for sleeping...altough normally i dream in code as well
//and then another 2 hours for the (well) spent learning from StackOverflow
//and another 2 for time spent reading a book in the evening (a development book ie)

So basically, I spend half my day developing, and the other half learning to become a better developer (I sometimes even dream about ways to refactor my code...!)

Damn, I think with the above statement as a reply to this question, I have just realised that I may be spending a little too much time thinking in code...

...but then again, who cares? I simply can't live without code.

Off to work now, to start another day in the life of a developer.

Answer 5

I'm now doing volunteer work full-time, but while I was in school my computer was within five feet of my body 23-24 hours a day, for most of which I was using it.

Answer 6

Umm Let say it 5 hours but in that 5 hours I am trying learn new stuffs about asp.net and others like jquery and lets add a 5 time to do make my real come true.

Answer 7

Nope definitely not alone :)

I am aproaching 40yrs old and still find myself averaging about 10+ hours a day during the week and when I can on the weekend in front of the computer and thats all mainly coding.

Answer 8

$hours['sleep'] = 6;
$hours['way_to_work'] = 1;
$hours['way_from_work'] = 1;
$hours['be_with_wife'] = 3;
$hours['time_for_food'] = 2;

$code_hours = 24 - array_sum($hours);

Answer 9

I average around 12 hours or so in front of a computer. This is mainly due to the fact that I don't watch tv, but I stream and download everything I watch. Sometimes I feel like I'm glued to my laptop and if I want to read a book I make sure I turn my laptop off or I will get sucked into using it somehow.

Answer 10

There is seriously not enough time in a day.

The first thing I do when I wake, involves my computer, its in the same room with me, It doubles as my alarm clock.

Sometimes I'll even just skip sleeping one night because I lose track of time, and just want to keep muddling around with stuff.

And games are not involved, I find plenty to do without resorting to games.

I've even tried poly-phasic sleeping so I don't need to net as much total sleep in a 24h period and can spend more time doing semi-productive things, despite the fact currently I'm not paid for any of it.

# crontab -e 
15 *  * * * beep -f 10000 -l 5000
30 *  * * * beep -f 10000 -l 5000
30 *  * * * mplayer -ao alsa /home/kent/01\ --\ Kid\ For\ Today\ \(\ Boards\ of\ Canada\ \).flac

It hasn't worked wonderfully, sometimes I'll get distracted doing stuff and ignore the alarms telling me to sleep, and likewise, sometimes I'll sleep through the contra alarms, or utilise my admin gene and automatically find an open terminal and killall -9 mplayer without waking up.

Sometimes I wonder If my subconscious does more than that while I consciously sleep.

I know I've programmed in dreams, the debugger there is an absolute <redacted>

edit Actually, I'm half fond of sleep, I feel so conflicted, the relaxation of sleep and the dreams there In are so awesome, and sleeping is highly beneficial as a part of the problem solving as it allows subconscious problem solving to occur which can be more powerful than conscious problem solving, sometimes you wake up and the problem that bugged you the day before is miraculously gone.

What I would really like to work out how to do is high-function sleeping, in that, you are constantly awake, and constantly asleep, at the same time, or somehow find a way to selectively powerdown parts of the brain while using the other parts so one part recuperates and does idle problem solving while the other half lets you perform normal tasks. Ahh, dreams are free.

Answer 11

Well I..

work on it, work with it, shop with it, laugh with it, relax with it, think with it, learn with it, get in contact to my pals with it, and more more more...

round about half of the day me uses this system, and longer as more is possible with it.

Answer 12

I sleep more with my laptop than with my wife.

Answer 13

I seem unable to quit work before about 9 or 10 hours; then as often as not I spend another 1-3 playing around on the laptop in the evening.

Answer 14

As little as possible, so long as i get everything i want done :)

Usually ends up at 9-10 hrs per day though :(

Answer 15

yup definitely more than 12hrs a day. sometimes i wonder if i might get blind from staring into the screen too much. reading, coding, watching movies, blogging, chatting, etc.

with the increased power of computers and the internet plus my work as a programmer... the only time when i'm actually away from my computer is when i'm on a holiday...

else you would need a broom to keep me away from my preciiooouuusss...

Answer 16

At least 12+ hours a day, but that's not all work by any means. I don't watch tv so I stream everything i watch and listen too, play games and other social stuff. And yes I do have a family and a life as well,

I also work for myself as a Consultant so there's part of the development time that is work, part play, and a whole lot that is gray. For example I'm rather fond of Second Life so I play on that an hour or so a day - but I have a positive cash flow from it of around $300 a month so is that work or play? ATM I'm exploring the iPhone SDK - and at some point I'm sure to develop and application - so same question, work or play?

Answer 17

At work 9h, at home 2<->5 :( It's not easy to be programmer.

Answer 18

10-15 hours a day, on some occations more and in weekends less time is spent with the computer (I do have a time consuming hobby, on top of my passion for programming etc.)

Answer 19

I'd say 12 hours a day in front of a screen in some capacity or other.

I'm at my desk before 8, rarely leave before 6, meetings and lunch aside I'm in front of the tube almost all of that time - although SO and similar might not strictly count as work. Then there's certainly some tinkering at home on the laptop, possible with the TV in the background (so two screens ...).

10 hours easy.

Answer 20

Most of the answers here are pathological.

Keeping up those hours is going to lead to serious long-term health damage.

Nobody claiming to do any sports? Visit friends & family?

Answer 21

9h at work, 1-3h for my own projects (which i never finish..). As "the" server administration guy sometimes a lot more at unhealthy times...

Answer 22

12+

In the evenings I sit/lie in my bed, the laptop is in my lap.

Answer 23

It would be interesting if people would also add to their answers whether they have a Wife/Girlfriend/Husband/Boyfriend etc.

When I was single I spent every waking second on my PC, I was up to date on all sorts of software/programming technologies - however now I am no longer single, I have no time for using the computer after work, and do hardly any coding at home - too busy being social, and sorting out meals etc (no more meals at 2am, and going to bed at crazy hours etc!)

Answer 24

14+

Work, watching movies, reading books, coding for fun, playing games and even exercise (DDR)

Answer 25

mmhh :( I've made 18 hrs today :(

Answer 26

I sleep 4hrs aday, I'm in the car for another 2 hrs...I do not eat much 1hr (for eating throughout the day) +- 15hrs(on my laptop).

Answer 27

I only code 7 hours of my 8 hour job, after work I code 1 or 2 hours on private projects but only 2 days a week because my girlfriend also wants some of my rare time and then there still some hobbys I need time for

Answer 28

me a total of 12 hrs. minimum

Answer 29

Probably average 10 hours or so as long as we stick to the workweek. Primary job is 9h of computer work M-F. Part-time job is another 2-3h in the evening for the days I do that. My other part-time "job" (as a non-computer club officer) requires 4-5h one evening a week and there's not a computer in sight. Weekends I'm lucky to be home/around a computer long enough to check my e-mail a couple times.

Answer 30

7 -> 16 job, 17 -> 22+ home, mmm 13+ hours a day ;}

Answer 31

I take my lunches at my desk, so I have a true eight hour workday. Whatever coding I get done happens during this time, usually. I do have about an hour and a half on the train each way that I am on my laptop - usually proof of concept work, project documentation, design work, etc.

When I get home, I usually only check my mail and the news before going to be and after waking up. I would say that I am between eleven and twelve hours a day.

Answer 32

I average 16 hours a day in front of a computer, only because I've been single the past year or so.

Answer 33

...hey i think we calculate time wrong. Being near computer makes time continuum different. so 10h at computer != 10h in bus ;}

T = H * mc^2; // ;} relativity its beyond of speed of light ;}