Just 8 hours a day !

I am working in software industry for more than 6 years. Initially,I worked like dogs - giving my sweat to this industry. I was starry-eyed graduate who wanted to reach great heights in her career and some how time put in the office for work became proportional to heights achieved in career. But now with time things gave changed for me.I dont like to work for more than 8 hours a day in office. I want to come on time and leave on time and also,do my work up to the mark . The very fact that i want to do my work properly means than I have not become un ambitious. But there is some change in attitude and thinking. I like a life of sweet 7 o'clock mornings with sunrise and 10pm all quiet and lights off. I do not desire to be awake later than 11:00pm in the night. I feel sane with that routine of ontime. My life seems to be in control. For the rest of the day, I would prefer to do other things like cook, clean, organise, think about my life, spend time with my people or just sit and do nothing. That is my personal choice of life.

I understand that software industry is based on competition but we should also understand that it is based on quality of work.

Is it possible to have a 9 to 5 routine and be a good performer? Not in the industry I come from. I have scintillating evidence for that. May be people never thought that it could be done. I distinctly remember that when i was studying in 11th standard,my friend's elder sister "Jitendra Kaur" was in 12th standard. She was our role model-studious,good in sports and without any affairs attached to her (:-) and high moral values-dream child for her parents. Now she is senior research scientist in AIIMS delhi after doing her MPhil from DU.I remember that she never burned mid-night oils like all of us.She told me that she will do most of studies in class room only,go back to home & study for another 2-3 hours and thats it. I remember that at that time fashion/fad was to study till mid-night 12'o clok for last 5 months of board exams.But she never did that and still passed with some 85%. I believe that brain needs rest and with rest,it works better. If we can use the concentration and brain power when you are awake-one need not work for more than 8 hours a day.
Lets come to point which i was thinking- putting in 8 hours a day in IT industry and still be good at our work. Now I am tired of long working hours and I dont want them no more. I want to organise my house,do cooking,read newspaper,pray to GOD and generally be happy.

Actually it all depends on what you want to commit yourself to. If you are committed to only that one thing in life and that is career, you going the right way by putting in long working hours. But what if you have more than one loves in life and you want to do justice to all of them. What if you want to have a balanced life- a little bit of everything? Some electronics, some sunlight, some moonlight, some good old music, some nice cooking, sometime to go for a long nature walk and some peaceful good old sleep. Is it too difficult to achieve.I think it is rational. Maybe I should try and experiment to see how much of it is possible. Just 8 hours every day!