Post #1238018

> I don’t understand why you wouldn’t just continue working your normal hours. Some of it comes down to real social pressure. People work harder when they've literally got the boss at their desk saying "We need to hit Deadline X or Consequences Y will happen". For people past their breaking point, I tend to see them work *less*. If you're already on the job hunt (or if you've landed a job or queued for retirement or whatever), enthusiasm for doing your current job plummets. If you think you're about to get fired, same. But for folks who genuinely believe they've got a future at the firm - at least for another year or three - it often boils down to "Do I want to be stressed forever, or just get over this hump and survive until things die down?" Hitting the deadline and getting the project over the line typically comes with a refractory period of sorts. A slowdown in work hours and a more relaxed pace. Missing the deadline means *even more* work and *even more* stress and *even more* of my boss at my desk (or my boss's boss or my boss's boss's boss) staring at my computer and asking why the thing isn't done yet.