--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I still have a full-time day job, which…" description: "\"I still have a full-time day job, which is why it took me five years to write An Ear to the Ground, and why I won't have another book finished by next ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/ken-thompson-15903_book_i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-i_1405791.jpg" --- # I still have a full-time day job, which is why it took me… ![“I still have a full-time day job, which is why it took me five years to write An Ear to the Ground, and why I won't have another book finished by next week.” quote by Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/ken-thompson-15903_book_i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-i_1405791.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/ken-thompson-15903_book_i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-i_1405791.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/ken-thompson-15903_book_i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-i_1405791.jpg) > “I still have a full-time day job, which is why it took me five years to write An Ear to the Ground, and why I won't have another book finished by next week.” [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing a full-time job with creative work extends timelines, limiting output **In simple terms:** Full-time work slows creative projects Key Takeaway Plan realistic timelines for creative work Themes technology productivity creative writing Mood pragmatic realistic Type career creative When to use this quote - software development - authoring - project planning Key Concepts software engineering time management discipline Questions to Reflect On - How can creators protect time for writing? - What systems help manage dual careers? A Different Perspective Burnout risk when juggling responsibilities ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > ['I Drink' took me two years to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gauthier/i-drink-took-me-two-years-to-write/) [Mary Gauthier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gauthier/) > [My first book took five years to write and I made $1,000 on it. The second took three years and I made $3,000. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-first-book-took-five-years-to-write-and-i-made-1-000-on-it-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It took me five or six years to write 'How Should a Person Be?' and there were many times when I felt discouraged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/it-took-me-five-or-six-years-to-write-how-should-a-person-be-and/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [It took me ten years to write The Night Journal, so that was a big ordeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-crook/it-took-me-ten-years-to-write-the-night-journal-so-that-was-a-big/) [Elizabeth Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-crook/) > [The more of my readers I encounter who say, often apologetically, that they are actually listeners, the more I write for the ear rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/the-more-of-my-readers-i-encounter-who-say-often-apologetically-that/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [I've always known I could write. I have an ear for production and melody. It was just that, in those early years, I let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/i-ve-always-known-i-could-write-i-have-an-ear-for-production-and/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [I write by ear. I tried writing with the typewriter, but I found it too unwieldy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/i-write-by-ear-i-tried-writing-with-the-typewriter-but-i-found-it-too/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“So you killed him with what now?" "I tried that Dr. Phil book at first"..."And I finished it off with the toilet seat. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-petersen/so-you-killed-him-with-what-now-i-tried-that-dr-phil-book-at-first/) [Jesse Petersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-petersen/) > [A book is never finished; it's abandoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-fowler/a-book-is-never-finished-it-s-abandoned/) [Gene Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-fowler/) > [... you should wait until the book is finished before making a judgment on its content. By the time you have gone through twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/you-should-wait-until-the-book-is-finished-before-making-a-judgment/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [“A book is never, ever finished. You simply get to a point where you and your editor are reasonably happy with how it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-pauley/a-book-is-never-ever-finished-you-simply-get-to-a-point-where-you-and/) [Kimberly Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-pauley/) > [I knew a book of mine was finished when I was in intensive care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/i-knew-a-book-of-mine-was-finished-when-i-was-in-intensive-care/) [Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/) > [I've always viewed myself as a brand. When I started 10 years ago, that was very controversial. 'Marketing' and 'PR' were dirty words for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camilla-l-ckberg/i-ve-always-viewed-myself-as-a-brand-when-i-started-10-years-ago-that/) [Camilla Lackberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camilla-l-ckberg/) > [I never really know the title of a book until it's finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wesley/i-never-really-know-the-title-of-a-book-until-it-s-finished/) [Mary Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wesley/) > [Were I to await perfection, my book would never be finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/were-i-to-await-perfection-my-book-would-never-be-finished/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ken Thompson > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1,000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1-000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [There's a lot of power in executing data - generating data and executing data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-power-in-executing-data-generating-data-and/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [One is that the perfect garden can be created overnight, which it can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-is-that-the-perfect-garden-can-be-created-overnight-which-it-can-t/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I am a programmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-am-a-programmer/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [It's always good to take an orthogonal view of something. It develops ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/it-s-always-good-to-take-an-orthogonal-view-of-something-it-develops/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I view Linux as something that's not Microsoft - a backlash against Microsoft, no more and no less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-view-linux-as-something-that-s-not-microsoft-a-backlash-against/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [It is only the inadequacy of the criminal code that saves the hackers from very serious prosecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/it-is-only-the-inadequacy-of-the-criminal-code-that-saves-the-hackers/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I think the major good idea in Unix was its clean and simple interface: open, close, read, and write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was-its-clean-and-simple/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [Grant, if we edited Fortran, I assume that you'd put a column thing in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/grant-if-we-edited-fortran-i-assume-that-you-d-put-a-column-thing-in/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [If you want to go somewhere, goto is the best way to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/if-you-want-to-go-somewhere-goto-is-the-best-way-to-get-there/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I don't think there are many people up in research who have strong ideas about things that they haven't really had experience with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-don-t-think-there-are-many-people-up-in-research-who-have-strong/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [We tried to avoid, you know, records. We were told over and over that was probably the most serious mistake and the reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/we-tried-to-avoid-you-know-records-we-were-told-over-and-over-that/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [In fact, we started off with two or three different shells and the shell had life of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/in-fact-we-started-off-with-two-or-three-different-shells-and-the/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [The average gardener probably knows little about what is going on in his or her garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/the-average-gardener-probably-knows-little-about-what-is-going-on-in/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) [Explore all 41 Ken Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I still have a full-time day job, which is why it took me five years to write An Ear to the Ground, and why I won't have another book finished by next week.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-is-why-it-took-me-five-years/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-is-why-it-took-me-five-years/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/ken-thompson-15903_book_i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-i_1405791.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/ken-thompson-15903_book_i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-i_1405791.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddb/ken-thompson-15903_book_i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-i_1405791.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I still have a full-time day job, which is why it took me five years to write An Ear to the Ground, and why…” — Ken Thompson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ken Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I still have a full-time day...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-is-why-it-took-me-five-years/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-is-why-it-took-me-five-years/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```