weekend effect analysis
investigating why weekend threads show +5.2pp higher resolution rates (48.9% vs 43.7%)
who works weekends?
| user | weekend | weekday | wknd % | wknd res | wkdy res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @concise_commander | 312 | 907 | 25.6% | 60.3% | 60.6% |
| @steady_navigator | 139 | 1032 | 11.9% | 61.2% | 65.8% |
| @verbose_explorer | 50 | 825 | 5.7% | 62.0% | 83% (corrected) |
| @precision_pilot | 19 | 71 | 21.1% | 94.7% | 78.9% |
| @patient_pathfinder | 13 | 137 | 8.7% | 38.5% | 54.0% |
@concise_commander dominates weekends — 312 threads (46% of all weekend work). @steady_navigator is second with 139. together they account for 67% of weekend threads.
correction: prior analysis incorrectly showed @verbose_explorer at 32.1% weekday resolution due to spawn misclassification. corrected weekday rate is 83%. @precision_pilot shows weekend uplift (94.7% vs 78.9%).
task type shifts
weekend workers favor different tasks (normalized by period):
| task type | wkdy % | wknd % | delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| optimize | 1.48% | 2.82% | +1.34 |
| debug | 1.81% | 3.12% | +1.31 |
| refactor | 2.01% | 2.38% | +0.37 |
| investigate | 3.74% | 1.49% | -2.26 |
| create | 2.36% | 1.63% | -0.73 |
weekends see MORE optimization and debugging, LESS investigation and creation. this suggests weekend work is focused on improving existing code rather than exploring new territory.
resolution by task type (weekend vs weekday)
| task | wknd res | wkdy res | delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| fix | 52.8% | 35.3% | +17.5pp |
| review | 70.8% | 50.6% | +20.2pp |
| optimize | 63.2% | 47.5% | +15.7pp |
| implement | 59.3% | 49.4% | +9.9pp |
| migrate | 41.7% | 10.0% | +31.7pp |
| debug | 42.9% | 51.4% | -8.5pp |
| add | 42.1% | 48.9% | -6.8pp |
fix tasks show massive weekend advantage: 52.8% vs 35.3%. the migrate delta (+31.7pp) is striking but low volume.
behavioral differences
| metric | weekday | weekend | interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| avg turns | 42.6 | 57.9 | longer, more thorough sessions |
| avg steering | 0.30 | 0.41 | more course corrections |
| avg approvals | 0.59 | 0.86 | more explicit approval signals |
| steering rate | 0.71% | 0.71% | same steering-per-turn ratio |
weekend threads are 36% LONGER but steering rate per turn stays constant — users aren’t correcting more often, they’re just going deeper.
outcome distribution
| status | weekday | weekend | delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| RESOLVED | 43.7% | 48.9% | +5.2pp |
| UNKNOWN | 34.0% | 30.5% | -3.5pp |
| HANDOFF | 12.6% | 10.5% | -2.1pp |
| COMMITTED | 6.4% | 7.4% | +1.0pp |
| EXPLORATORY | 2.8% | 1.9% | -0.9pp |
fewer exploratory and handoff threads on weekends — people finish what they start.
time-of-day patterns (weekend only)
best weekend hours:
- 1am: 85.7% resolution (n=14)
- 15:00: 67.5% resolution (n=40)
- 14:00: 64.3% resolution (n=28)
- 13:00: 62.1% resolution (n=29)
worst weekend hours:
- 17:00: 28.2% resolution (n=39)
- 23:00: 35.3% resolution (n=34)
- 16:00: 35.1% resolution (n=57)
early afternoon (1-3pm) is peak weekend productivity, while late afternoon/evening crashes hard.
hypotheses explaining the +5pp weekend effect
-
selection bias: only high-value tasks get weekend attention. users self-select important work, skipping exploratory threads.
-
fewer interruptions: no meetings, slack noise, or context switches. this enables the longer sessions we observe (57.9 vs 42.6 turns).
-
user composition: @concise_commander + @steady_navigator represent 67% of weekend work. both have ~60% resolution rates. their weekend dominance pulls up the average.
-
task type mix: more optimization/debugging (finishing work) vs investigation/creation (starting work). finishing has higher success probability.
-
depth over breadth: 36% longer sessions with more approval signals suggests sustained focus rather than quick experiments.
the real story
the weekend effect isn’t magic—it’s a combination of:
- WHO works (high-performers self-select)
- WHAT they work on (completion tasks over exploration)
- HOW they work (longer uninterrupted sessions)
the +5pp resolution isn’t weekends being “better”—it’s weekends filtering out the noise that drags down weekday averages.
implication: recreating weekend conditions (focused time, selective task choice, low interruption) might improve weekday outcomes.