[gregfjohnson]

My programming brain has two modes. One is playful mode, and the other is drudge workaday mode. 9-to-5 Monday through Friday is workaday mode. Other times are playful mode. As it turns out, I am a far better programmer in one of those two modes. It won't be hard to guess which one. In drudge mode, I may spend three hours some afternoon trying to force my way through a problem. No turning back, the clock is ticking! In play mode if I spend three hours goofing around with the exact same problem and it's kinda not happening, well, screw it. That was sorta fun, but let's goof around with it some more and try something else. BANG! Sweet clean obvious beautiful solution straight from Erdos' BOOK. The powerful sense of joy in the latter mode sustains my love for programming, but I wish I could convince my lizard brain that it would be OK, indeed far better, to stay in play mode and not get sucked into the dark doldrums of drudge mode during "job" time.

[Sharlin]

I’m convinced that going for a walk, or staring out of a window, or browsing Reddit, or even taking a nap to let your brain work is an essential part of programming work and that should be understood by any employer. And employee.

[incognition]

If you want to kill passion for anything make it your job

[m-a-r-c-e-l]

For me it's the opposite: if your job is your passion, it doesn't feel like a job anymore!