Per LRT: Always send your staff home at closing time - I get being in a flow state and wanting five more minutes. A once off extra hour is fine - but if that once off extra hour is every day: 251 working days = an extra 251 hours you give your company for free over a year.

If you get paid $40ph, that's $10,040 you just gave of worth to your organisation for free. You might argue if you're salaried that that's expected. If you're expected to CONSISTENTLY and FREQUENTLY do additional time, you are required to be paid for it.

Don't swindle yourself.

By doing this, you ALSO swindle OTHERS. People who DO want to get home feel they can't leave in fear of looking less productive or engaged. Certain directors (bad ones) focus on time in the seat rather than work executed, and if you stay by choice, others stay in fear.

I can't be bothered with yearly crunch discourse - we all know it's bad - but an extra hour here or there doesn't feel like a big deal, till you do it three times a week, or for a month here or there, and don't make up the time in subtraction on the other side.

Suddenly that's just factored in to the expectations of your productivity by those that don't see you in the seat anyway, so might even figure you are doing this in your working hours - especially during COVID WFH time.

Treat yourself how you would as if you were a great fair boss - allow room for flow, but temper it with there's always tomorrow and you need rest. If you ARE the boss - show, don't tell - leave on time and tell others it's time to finish up for the day as often as you can.

I am grateful to work at an organization that is completely flexible about working hours, time, taking care of ourselves & one another. This is not always the norm in the industry, nor is being trusted to manage your time/workload, & be heard when communicating timeline concerns.

I often used to get into moods where I would push and do more more more, but I know now that this isn't setting a good precedent for me or anyone who comes after me. Just because I can do it today, doesn't mean someone else should be forced to tomorrow.