What's your secret for balancing your personal, work and open source lives?

[ladislas]

IMO you are an inspiration to what a developer should be and a great example for all of us using your software.

[mxcl]

I’m not sure I balance these things in a conventional sense and the relative proportion I spend on all these things has varied a good deal over the years.

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Way back in 2002 when I started open source I was working a year in industry and hating it, so I spent all my free time on open source (Filelight) while doing a 9-5. Towards the end of that year I was getting up early, doing open source, going to work late, coming home for lunch, taking a two hour lunch for open source, leaving early, doing open source until I was tired then going to bed.

I could only do that because I was 20. And because it was a barely paid year in industry, and my boss didn't care and it was Britain (USA would never let you do this).

I had a girlfriend at the time, but both of us were pretty boring people so she would just let me work when she came to see me, and when I went to see her I missed code.

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After that I had one year left an university and I basically didn't go to class, I didn't socialize and I worked on open source (amaroK)

I almost failed my degree so I went home and lived with my parents. I worked 20 hours a day on open source, never saw my parents, slept when they were awake mostly. Ate alone. But provided I didn't think about the fact my life was up in the air I was happy.

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The next fews years I got into the industry, first with Last.fm, and I loved working there so I stopped doing open source. I also socialized almost every day I after work.

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Then I quit and created Homebrew. I spent 6 months constantly on it, no socializing.

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But I ran out of money so joined TweetDeck. This was the most balanced I'd been so far, I socialized a lot, and worked 9-5 and did a lot of open source. I burned out. Fortunately other people stepped up to help with brew. I talk about this in my brew create video.

So balance was hard.

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In the years since I have really alternated. Right now I am full-time on open source, trying to fund it with donations. But it isn't yet enough so I am also looking for small contracts that can pay enough that I can continue to build my patronage.

My Current Day

• Wake up 9
• Drink coffee, have a miso soup
• Work until noon or so, I have a large document of things to work on, and generally pick whatever takes my fancy. Morning work is most productive, so I'm careful about my choice.
• Leave the hours for 30-60 minutes, take a book, fiction preferably. I read at Forsyth Park here in Savannah †
• Return and work until 3:30
• Work out for 20-30 minutes
• Work until 5 (this work will be more minor tasks)
• Cook dinner
• Spend a few hours with wife
• Work if I still have energy
• Bed, read if not quite ready to sleep, ignore phone

How am I to get the paid work in effectively? I'm not sure yet. I've historically struggled to multitask and really I think it's pretty difficult for programmers. I’ll update when I have data.

†

[ladislas]

Thanks a lot Max for your answer and insights! It's great to see how things changed and evolved along the journey. It helps put our own struggles and/or successes in perspective.

The brew create video is amazing, I live in Paris and I'm sad I missed it. You'll come back ;)

[mxcl]

You'll come back ;)

Would love to! Had a great time. I love Paris.