Just wrapped our fourth 70-hour week trying to hit impossible deadlines. My team’s burnt out, I’m missing every family dinner, and leadership keeps saying ‘this is just how tech works.’ Is this truly inevitable? Looking for proven strategies to push back without looking uncommitted.
i just say yes to everything! free meals & beanbags make up for late nights right? 
but fr how do u set boundaries without sounding lazy??
“Crunch time” = management failure. Start tracking death march hours as budget debt. When CTO asks why were late, show them the 200% overtime burn rate. They either staff up or ship less. Your kids will still hate you but at least you tried.
Had this exact crisis last year - was missing my kid’s recitals constantly. Started doing ‘protected time’ blocks in calendar with loud red borders. Told team I’m unreachable unless building’s on fire. First month was rough but now they actually respect the blocks! Still answer slack from bathroom tho…