I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch too, I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work.

Anonymous wrote:"Thinking" time is definitely "real work!" Non-work time, to me, is small talk with coworkers, phoning to make a doctor's appointment, checking personal email, etc.

This. I never even considered "thinking" as non-work. It's a big part of my job. But it is active thinking in that I'm making notes, looking up info, etc.

"Thinking" time is definitely "real work!" Non-work time, to me, is small talk with coworkers, phoning to make a doctor's appointment, checking personal email, etc.

Anonymous wrote:It varies, for me, but on average I'd say I do maybe 2 hours of real, actual work on any given day. A lot of time is spent thinking about various projects or issues and coming up with solutions and strategies, but real concrete work...not that much.

I'm about the same, but that thinking time is work in my field. I can't just sit down and WRITE A GRANT or WRITE A PAPER-I need time to strategize and think and go down paths that are dead ends. I've learned to balance my work, so I do some more concrete tasks each day just so I don't feel lazy and unproductive. Usually a period of time when I don't feel like I'm working is followed by a period of intense productivity.

I am a designer, so process is a big part of my work. I am surprised to hear so many people say that active thinking about solutions to problems is not real work. I must live in a different world!

All of it except lunch break.

I hit the ground running at work. My time at work is typically 7-13 hours, I don't take breaks, and I literally never sit. If I eat it's a bite while walking from point a to point b.

Anonymous wrote:My whole entire shift from 0800-1630. I don't get the luxury of any down time.

This.

Since work is...well...work. And people die if I don't do my job.

My whole entire shift from 0800-1630. I don't get the luxury of any down time.

4-5 hours of productive work and another 3-4 of phone tag BS.

I'm a developer, so I would say in my case "actual" work is writing code. That's probably about 5-6 hours depending on the day, with the rest of the time in meetings, on calls, etc. It's gotten as low as 2, but thankfully that's a rare occurrence.

My job involves talking to people all day long, followed by maybe 90 minutes of paperwork. In a typical 8-9 hour day I'm working at least 6-7 hours.

Painfully little. I get stupider every day. I'd love to find something more engaging.

A lot. I spend an hour and a half doing yoga & showering/changing. I eat while working. Everyone I talk to is generally having a conversation about work-related stuff.

Probably 6-7 hours a day is actual work.

It varies, for me, but on average I'd say I do maybe 2 hours of real, actual work on any given day. A lot of time is spent thinking about various projects or issues and coming up with solutions and strategies, but real concrete work...not that much.