I work at home, in a comfortable house, with a nice view, on a small mountain. My time is mostly my own. I rarely need to go out, as there's no need for office space, since our staff spans many timezones. We connect by email, IRC, CVS, JIRA, and our in-house wiki. My schedule is flexible, I sleep when I want, I have time to read and relax.

So how is it possible that I feel stressed and overworked? I mean, from a mindless exhaustion standpoint, I'm way better off than when I was commuting to Lotus an hour each way. That was a hell I'm glad to be rid of. The worst part was that I couldn't simply take a nap while I was working, and that I had to stay clear-minded enough to drive home at the end of the day. I'm sure you're thinking, "Poor baby," but it really did affect my creativity and productivity.

These days, when things aren't jiving, I take a nap break, and when I awake, the problem's solved. Later, when things are cooking along and the code's flowing, I can keep going till my brain hits the wall, then sleep.

A nearby couch is one of the most effective productivity tools I know of. Edison had a cot in his workshop and took frequent naps, and look what he did. Shouldn't we be patterning ourselves after someone like him rather than glamorizing the ninety-hour week cubicle culture?

Stress impacts on nearly everything we do. In software development, with a clear mind, we can have insights that open up complete new realms. We can have ideas that save weeks of effort. Without that clear mind, we're banging on the keys with a rubber mallet, causing more harm than good.

It's all about pacing, like a marathon. When I run too fast, too earlier, I get overwhelmed easily and the distance weighs me down. When I'm thinking just about the hundred yards in front of me, the time just slides by smoothly and when I finish, I'm surprised I'm done.

Do the next right thing. Stay in the moment. Yada yada yada.