It depends on the nature of your job. Very early in my career, I had a job manning the tech support line for an ISP. That's the sort of role where you have to be in your seat in case the phone rings.
Even if you're not in a reactive role like sales or support, it may be important to be around and available to interact with or be consulted by your colleagues. In large organisations, it's rare for people to work entirely in isolation. They're usually part of a team or wider group that collaborate. If some members of the team/group keep strange hours, that can lead to delays (e.g. a quick question could end up not being answered until the following day). This is one of the downsides of offshoring work to different timezones.
It's very easy and glib to say "If you're not being productive, just go home!" - and that may well be the right thing to do if you work for yourself - but keeping regular hours greases the wheels of large organisations.
Besides, there are alternative methods of clearing your head. Early in my career, I found that the solution to a tough technical problem would often come to me while I was having a cigarette. I realised that the act of stepping back from the problem was what allowed me to solve it. I don't smoke anymore but I frequently get up from my desk to go for a walk around the block, pick up a coffee or just go do a bit of window-shopping for half an hour. Then I come back to my desk, refreshed, productive and still available if my clients/colleagues need to speak with me.
Sometimes, I don't even need to leave my desk - I just do a bit of web-browsing and read some discussions on HN. :-)
The problem with surfing sites like HN, S.O. is that it is engaging. On one hand, if you can use the creative side of your brain, supposedly this will help you with other problems, but on the much worse side of things, you get pulled into another activity for a long time, and you never gave your mind a break.
Taking a short walk is great because it doesn't take much of your brain to walk, so you can collect your thoughts. As one person on HN said some months ago, he used to have to take longer walks but now even a 5 minute walk is enough to clear his head.
The worst part about this for me is that it is a small office of non-developers with a serious work ethic, so any time I step out during the day, I feel like they are looking at me like I think I'm an elitist doing whatever I want. So, I try to limit walks to times where I'm really frustrated.
> The problem with surfing sites like HN, S.O. is that it is engaging. ... Taking a short walk is great because it doesn't take much of your brain to walk, so you can collect your thoughts.
Very good point.
> The worst part about this for me is that it is a small office of non-developers with a serious work ethic, so any time I step out during the day, I feel like they are looking at me like I think I'm an elitist doing whatever I want.
This is a tough one. Essentially, if you adopt working practises that maximise your productivity/output, you risk creating the impression that you are lazy. In an ideal world, either they would recognise that you need to work differently to them or their opinion wouldn't matter because the boss understands what you're doing.
It might be worth thinking about raising the subject in conversation. Sometimes getting things out in the open and discussing them is the best way of clearing the air.
I would also suggest thinking about what you can do to avoid giving them the impression that you're slacking off. For example, say you had a whiteboard next to your desk. Whenever you felt the urge the go for a walk, you could draw out the problem you're trying to solve first, look at it ponderously for half a minute, then go for a walk, come back, amend the drawing and sit down to code up the solution.
Okay, so it's largely theatre, but if it allows you to go clear your mind (and, therefore, be more productive) without giving your colleagues the impression that you're slacking off... shrug
Even if you're not in a reactive role like sales or support, it may be important to be around and available to interact with or be consulted by your colleagues. In large organisations, it's rare for people to work entirely in isolation. They're usually part of a team or wider group that collaborate. If some members of the team/group keep strange hours, that can lead to delays (e.g. a quick question could end up not being answered until the following day). This is one of the downsides of offshoring work to different timezones.
It's very easy and glib to say "If you're not being productive, just go home!" - and that may well be the right thing to do if you work for yourself - but keeping regular hours greases the wheels of large organisations.
Besides, there are alternative methods of clearing your head. Early in my career, I found that the solution to a tough technical problem would often come to me while I was having a cigarette. I realised that the act of stepping back from the problem was what allowed me to solve it. I don't smoke anymore but I frequently get up from my desk to go for a walk around the block, pick up a coffee or just go do a bit of window-shopping for half an hour. Then I come back to my desk, refreshed, productive and still available if my clients/colleagues need to speak with me.
Sometimes, I don't even need to leave my desk - I just do a bit of web-browsing and read some discussions on HN. :-)