Day in the life of John Carmack

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

GUEST BIO:
John Carmack is a legendary programmer, co-founder of id Software, and lead programmer of many revolutionary video games including Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake, and the Commander Keen series. He is also the founder of Armadillo Aerospace, and for many years the CTO of Oculus VR.

PODCAST INFO:

SOCIAL:

[virgiliustancu]

John Carmack: "my brain turn to mush after 12 hours'
Me: my brain turn to mush after 1 hour.

[larssonk]

[sits a computer opens a terminal]
[cracks open a diet coke]
[Doom music intensifies]

[zoeherriot]

Speaking of misinterpreting things. The primary concern with overwork in the games industry is not so much about being concerned about a 40 hour week, it's about being expected to do 80 hours because of really poor planning. We all know we can push harder and achieve more - but you've always done it on your terms - not a publishers.

[bigbronx]

Carmack was a co founder of id Software. Most programmers in the gaming industry today are not co founders but are expected to work hard and do extra hours.
That's the key difference.
They are not going to be buying Ferraris even if they do 12h a day no matter how successful the game they are developing is when they release it.

I understand Carmack's point of view but I think it is important to make that distinction. Working for your own company and working for a salary is completely different. The level of dedication and passion cannot be the same. Should not be the same. Nobody should expect that.

[GandalfTheBrown]

I am one of the "normal" people Carmack talked about - I get burned out, I need breaks, etc. But I really love that he's trying to make space for others like him who actually can work 60 hours a week for decades and be fulfilled about it.

[jjdawg]

I can always listen to Carmack! Speaking of burnout..for me it comes from realizing the project, person or company you are working for just isn't worth the effort. When younger, just learning something new or completing a task, regardless of it's larger significance, was enough...not so much anymore.

[zeppelin]

These clips are a godsend. Maybe I'll listen to the entire interview someday, but for now, these are perfect.

[phyrr]

Deep work also lays a foundation for better work ahead.

Work is different when you absolutely love it vs. somewhere beneath that. If your mind naturally works in the state the work requires, it's a different synergy.

Some of us do "work" just analyzing every day life.

[davidrobertson]

An interesting point to consider is that his efficiency is not based on doing one task. He has a choice of activities where he expends his energy. As his experience in each of these tasks increases, the less fatigue he accumulates because each new activity is a break point. There is much more going on there than just 'hard work'. Read between the lines.

[graeliengrayson]

This is my game developer hero! Thanks for Doom & Quake Mr. Carmack!

[jefmes]

Working more and harder depends on the type of work and what kind of work you're doing. John has taken part of some amazing projects, where working more and making a breakthru is important. Many jobs that are more operations and maintenance based, working more hours is overall detrimental to mental health because it's essentially a treadmill doing a lot of the same types of work day in and day out. Totally respect those who want to "work harder" for breakthroughs, but in my mid-40s now there are few projects that would seem so important that working 80-100 hours a week would be worth it. There is so much more art, entertainment, and ideas to explore in the world that it would seem wasteful to dedicate so much time to one thing. But to John's point, it all depends on what you love doing!

[Timmeh_The_tyrant]

Yeah if you’re probably paying people for that level of work great but not if you pay them $45, 000 a year and then expect them to work 80 hours a week so you can make $1 billion for your shareholders that’s bullshit

[HavokR]

John Carmack is savage. what a legend.

[nanokoder]

He's got the key to not being burned out. He is working a lot of hours, but he knows not to go past what his brain can deal with in a given day. A lot of people get fatigued because they go past that point and work to exhaustion.

[Greenman]

I truly believe John Carmack cannot answer a question with a single yes or no.

[cmaxwellmusic]

I love this! As a musician, I often get lectured about over-working myself when I'm pulling 80 hours a week. I always find this silly, because I also have big periods of my life where I only work 20 hours a week, or where I only work 40. I never feel burnout, because there is always a light at the end of the tunnel for me.

[rumble]

Depends on the work. I was almost burned out by a 40 hour work week, working on an app with an unstable backend + an ineffective organisation. Now I'm building another app, no middle managers in the way, an organisation that trusts me - I'm happily plowing 50-60 hours into it.

[manuelluciano]

He is not wrong. More than 8 hrs is more total productivity and less productivity per hour. But still more overall. It really comes down to whether people SHOULD be expected to put in those kind of hours.

[decoyslois]

This is all great and inspiring. But what do you do on that 7th day? How does John Carmack take a break? What’s a ‘B’ day like? We often hear about productive days, but I wish there were more out there on the structure of an off day. I doubt he rolls out of bed at 1PM, smokes a doob and watches Star Trek. He probably wakes up early and makes the most of his break - I’d love to hear him and other inspirationally productive people describe their break days.

[Colspex]

13:35 "8-9 Diet Cokes a day - makes the success stay!"