If you are the interviewer, you'd better rephrase your question: "How much do you accomplish?" "Tell me about the jobs you completed, and how long they took you." 'Hard work' is only time and money spent on "who knows what?" if it isn't productive effort. With the right question, you'll be able to "Thank" the 'hard worker' for his time, instead of curse him for it later, when you show him the door.

If you are an employer, don't get snowed by the "new work ethic". Timesinks and burnout have the same value in the new economy, as they ever did in the 'old'. Don't measure performance by how much time is being put into the job, unless you have a reasonable metric for production: a particularly dificult thing to do, with an essentially intellectual task, like programming. But, "how much do you accomplish" is still the right question to ask.

If you are productive, your employer can even thank you for the time you spend on Perl Monks!

Sorry to have been compact at the cost of clarity, bladx! Not good economics!

mkmcconn