Pause Social Life While Onboarding?

I'm not sure whether this "working extra" thing works. Here's the biggest reason why: your team might just expect you to work these hours as a baseline.

The larger problem is not leaving room for slack. There will be days when you're not 100%. There will be weeks where you only push 2 diffs instead of your usual 10. Despite all this, you'll need to set yourself up to succeed. Leave some wiggle room please.

Personal Anecdote

In my first quarter at university, I ignored what everyone else said and signed up for 4 upper-level Math classes (think Real Analysis, Combinatorics, Abstract Algebra). Each class takes about 15-20 hours of study per week to get an A. It was hell. Almost every waking hour was spent studying, and by Week 3 I was already getting burnt out. My GPA that quarter was 2.02/4.

I had so much brain fog that I scheduled a date on the day of an exam. Needless to say, I flaked on the date (which they had dressed really nice for) and got a 11/100 on the exam.

Had I taken half the Math classes and put in 60% of the effort, my GPA would have been well over 3.0/4. And probably done okay on both the date and the exam.

Sometimes you need to make sacrifices, but you definitely shouldn't do it long term. On top of the baseline expectation problem Collaborative Tarodactyl mentioned, there's also the burnout problem where being socially isolated for long periods of time tanks your mental and emotional health.

Make sure to follow the advice from the productivity course as much as you can before resorting to sacrificial tactics: Maximize Your Productivity As A Software Engineer

I'd start by asking yourself why you want to work more:

• Is there a hidden belief that you're not as good as others?
• Are you trying to take pressure off yourself by giving yourself more time?
• Do you just love your job and want to contribute as much as possible?

Whatever the answer is, look for the right strategy.

• If it's a limiting belief, work to address that first.
• If it's the pressure, work on understanding your manager's and team's expectations. Is the pressure real or in your head?
• If you just love doing work, then it's up to you how much of your personal time you want to give to your job.

But, remember that working longer ≠ more productivity or higher confidence. It isn't a sustainable long-term strategy. At best, it's a short-term patch.

My experience

I've been guilty of using this myself. In most cases, I regretted it because I was mentally trading - my time and freedom for some prize I wanted in return (promotion, raise, etc.). In most cases, I didn't get that prize.

The few times that I didn't regret it when I just wanted to help out my team before a big project launch. I didn't expect anything in return. I just wanted to be a good colleague.

Whatever you decide, good luck!