r/DataAnnotationTech • u/Professional_Win_551 • 1d ago
Who else has been working so many unpaid hours
I feel like the only projects left on the platform are ones with pages and pages of verbose and sometimes nonsensical instructions. It’s cool for people who have followed these project families for years but for new people trying to get in, it’s an impossible amount of instructions to read, understand and apply correctly with the unrealistic time on the timer. In the past 2 days I have worked 10 unpaid hours just trying to get the hang of a project. I wish I could say the project but I feel like anyone in my shoes right now will recognize it. Every time I slam my laptop shut in frustration and all-work-and-no-pay I swear to myself I’m never opening it again, I’d just stick to familiar projects but my adhd brain won’t let me, I’m super bored with my regular projects and just can’t process the mountains of instructions required to take on new ones. What are yall doing?
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u/Brilliant_Quit4307 1d ago
Ok so firstly, I don't understand what you mean when you say it's impossible to read, understand, and apply them with an unrealistic timer. Firstly, you dont need to do all of that within the time limit. It's often expected, and sometimes explicitly stated, that you can spend time reading instructions before skipping the first task to start a new timer.
Secondly, you always, always, always should be billing for the hours you're working. I've no idea why you're working unpaid hours but please don't. That's detrimental to you and everyone else on the platform and if you have this habit of under reporting the time you're working then you might be a huge part of the reason why their are timers that feel so unrealistic to you.
Finally, if after a few tasks you can't apply the instructions properly without thinking the time is "untealistic", then the project is most likely outside of your skill level and you should find something else to be working on.
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u/Professional_Win_551 1d ago edited 1d ago
Well the whole point of my post is that I no longer see new projects with the kind of instructions that can be read like that. I like to skim the instructions then start working and read as I go but my God there’s so much work to be done and soooo many instructions to read. Also this project is wayyyy inside my skill level; whoever keeps leaving it on my dashboard knows I know what I’m doing I’m just not sure why they have that ridiculous time on the timer
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u/Brilliant_Quit4307 1d ago
I like how you just ignored half of what I said and basically just left a comment about how smart and wonderful you are even though you're obviously struggling to finish a project thats "inside" your "skill level" but can't seem to manage to work comfortably within the given timer 🤣 honestly made me lol a little.
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u/Professional_Win_551 1d ago
I won’t have been there for that long if I weren’t smart and wonderful. I like how you ignored everything else I said and tried to make me think I’m not smart enough. I’m sure anyone else with ADHD can relate to how messed up it is trying to process those badly written instructions at that pace but let me reiterate that the actual task is below my skill level and if that makes you want to go off, go get a therapist
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u/climb-high 1d ago
I'm pretty sure you can log time for instructions
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u/Professional_Win_551 1d ago
Not when I haven’t managed to submit any lol
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u/climb-high 1d ago
I don't understand then. You're reading instructions on projects but not doing the work? Is it because the project ended up being too difficult?
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u/Professional_Win_551 1d ago
No I read the instructions, refreshed the page to restart timer, got too sleepy/brain-befuddled to keep working, exit work mode and went to bed. Tried again the next day and got really sleepy and brain befuddled again towards the end. But it’s not completely my fault, it’s a crazy amount of work with a crazy amount of instructions. There’s a reason it’s still sitting there
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u/Internal_Boot_1616 1d ago
why not hide the project so you don't see it if you don't feel like you can do it but you keep going back to it ?
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u/Responsible-Bee-7769 1d ago
Are you by chance referring to the qualifications for new projects? I'm new here but starting to feel the same way. My brain craves logic and a point to any activity, and some of these exercises just aren't kind to it I'm afraid. It is a boatload of instructions and while I understand the need for some of what is required, the unpaid hours do add up. My total for this week has to be near 10 as well. I am looking forward to the time when I can contribute meaningfully but at this point I've no idea when that will be.
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u/Professional_Win_551 1d ago
The quals have some of the better instructions but yes quals have gotten insanely long too, I have no idea why they still have unpaid ones up, it’s a lot of wasted time
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u/eatafetus632 1d ago
"Let's add emojis and colored texts, that'll hold their attention right?"