# Making 20% Time Work

DevFeed: [Making 20% Time Work](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/making-20-time-work-21469.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://begriffs.com/posts/2016-01-29-making-twenty-percent-time-work.html>)

Published: 2016-01-29T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Joe Nelson](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/joe-nelson.md>)

Topics: [Open Source](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/open-source.md>), [Maintainers](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/maintainers.md>), [GitHub](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/github.md>), [Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code.md>)

Tags: [apply](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apply.md>), [blog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blog.md>), [blog-post](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blog-post.md>), [contribute](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/contribute.md>), [contribution](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/contribution.md>), [developers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developers.md>), [experiments](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/experiments.md>), [github](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/github.md>), [how-to](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/how-to.md>), [maintainers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/maintainers.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [project](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/project.md>), [projects](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/projects.md>), [teamwork](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/teamwork.md>), [work](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/work.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains how companies can structure employee "20% time," a weekly period for self-directed projects, so that it produces useful tools and open-source projects instead of becoming unproductive. It introduces a contribution matrix for coordinating teamwork and begins describing the BASEDEF contribution categories, including blogging about a project and applying it in another project.

## Source excerpt

2016-01-29 Following Google's lead many companies have instituted "20% time" for their employees. This is one day per week in which employees can work on projects of their own choosing. The practice keeps developers motivated and sharp, produces tools to solve company problems, and in the best case creates open source which builds prestige and helps recruitment. But there's one problem with twenty-percent time: it takes discipline to pull it off.