Confessions of an IT Manager_Phil Factor

Section VI: Hiccoughs in the Working Day 255
I could do it in my Sleep
First published 23 February 2006
We sleep, but the loom of life never stops. Highpressure
projects often cause Phil to start
programming in his sleep, even being heard to cry out
'Save, save!' when shaken awake in the morning.
Could he possibly start charging clients for time spent
in slumber?
Like many other programmers, I have adapted to a rather cat-like lifestyle of
intense activity followed by relative languor. This coincides with the cyclical
nature of the industry: Either there is too much work or too little. At the
moment, there's too much work, so I'm tending to work around twelve-hour
days, often more.
Of course, insomnia isn't a problem; not with my copy of 'SQL Server 2000
with XML' on my bedside table. Two pages, and I am insensible, even if I pick
it up at noon, after drinking strong coffee. Every doctor should prescribe this
book. I recommend it unreservedly.
Definitely, insomnia isn't my problem when I'm tackling a high workload.
The worst problem is being hardly able to see the screen by the end of the day.
Almost as bad is the fact that I carry on programming in my sleep. In this
strange state of unconsciousness, I'm not entirely sure what I'm programming,
or why. This is, I suppose, not far off the everyday work experience of the