Yeah, likely a lot of us do "lie" about how much do we work exactly, but you shouldn't lose your sleep over it because:

1. Mental health is important. Doing a grind 8-9h a day is, let's face it, no more than a 10-year affair for probably 95% of all folks out there (workaholics do exist and their lives usually end very ugly and sad; don't be a workaholic). Start working at 20 and when you hit 30 you likely can no longer do the grind. Let's not kid ourselves. We all know it but we don't talk about it because that's somehow going to tarnish our perfect reputation or whatever.

2. Most programming jobs do NOT pay that well. HN is a special bubble and I hope the more privileged programmers around here are aware of their non-standard status -- but there's a LOT of work, both creative and laborious, that is being done out there by Eastern European / Asian / South American folks for some meager 4000 EUR a month. And I can bet my neck they work much harder than many other SV-based engineers. So the conclusion is: work according to the money you receive. The median EU programming wage is in fact not that good. Let your efforts reflect that.

3. Expectations from business people tend to grow to infinity. Another thing we should not lie ourselves about is that if you put more work regularly then at one point this becomes the baseline expectation and when you finally get weary and normalize your workload, what happens then? They start to grumble about your "underwhelming performance", of course. You know what? F_ck them. Give them some base amount they are relatively happy with, hustle every now and then to show them that you can get stuff done when sh_t hits the fan and that they can rely on you, then quickly dial back your efforts to the previous baseline. Then chill. Rinse and repeat.

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I guess what I am trying to say is: don't take work very seriously because it's means to an end. I am 41 and I am really good at what I do but I can't bring myself to care enough to work as hard as I did even some mere 5 years ago. Most people are not that fortunate so as to work with a smile on their face. That's a fact.

And it's not worth it. My wife had to literally drag me to bed several times this year and this really has put things into perspective for me. With the Covid situation I have also grown to appreciate enjoying things while I have them because now, even with three vaccinations, I still have to wear a mask literally everywhere except on the street. And I have no guarantee that if I go take a vacation with my girl in another country, we wouldn't have to self-isolate for 10 days, why? Because f_ck you that's why, who cares that you got all the vaccines right? But that's a different topic. My point was: enjoy things in life while they last. Covid has clearly shown that even the small things we have can be taken away by a central authority even if we're good citizens.

As my mother still loves to say (she recently turned 69): work was here thousands of years ago and will be there long after you die. You have to stop stressing about work and career and future and try to enjoy life. I wish I could listen to this advice but I am working on it literally every day and I am gradually getting there.

I know some here will classify me as toxic or a lazy guy but meh. I always put some work into networking so I know I have where to land if things with my current employer turn sour. I have lost my ability to be truly loyal in a business setting. 99% of the employers out there will stab you in the back the minute it suits them financially so don't go ruining your health for them.

In short: yes, you likely are lying about how much work you are doing, especially in a remote work setup. And? You shouldn't care. You are doing your part of the bargain well enough.