"Don't stay back so late"

I and another colleague stayed back late to complete our respective projects last night. Eventually I packed up my bags and prepared to go home.

On my way out, I turned back and said, "I know people like to say 'Don't stay back so late' but it's a useless comment, seeing how we have to finish the work on time. So I won't say it!"

I actually like staying back late because most people have gone home, I'm finally not stuck in meetings or answering phone calls, so I can actually concentrate on getting my work done. Of course, that only applies because I like my work, most of the time.

We shouldn't be as extreme as the HP employee who died of overwork last year. She felt she had 'no choice'. We CAN make the choice go home and leave the work for tomorrow. But when we know we have something else tomorrow (like another full day of meetings), there's no other time to finish the existing work, except at night. Or else the workload accumulates mercilessly.

Anyway, I have to get all my work done before I leave for SXSW, which consistently clashes with our financial year closure which pressurises us to complete all our projects in time. Last year, I fell very ill as I tried to do full-time work every night after coming back from SXSW. I hardly had any sleep. In the end it was counterproductive as I fell ill and took a few weeks to recuperate. So I'm going to do minimal office work while I'm in Austin, just (b)logging all my notes for the day.