4 ms·

Ask HN: How do you focus if you work online?

12 points by josephjrobison 11y ago

I have to work on the internet all day because I do independent digital consulting. But the internet is also the most distracting device in history. What are you strategies for staying focused beyond the usual suspects of browser-blocking plugins, Pomodoro, etc?

staunch 11y ago
The hard part is getting started. Productivity is all about momentum. Blocking reddit or whatever is distracting you the most can help you from falling in the procrastination loop. Start working on something small at first. Tweak a color or whatever to get started.
tinkeredlife 11y ago
Procrastinate until you have to do your work.
- josephjrobison 11y ago
  That's the current M.O.
eecks 11y ago
Grow up? Sorry to be harsh but I used to be distracted by the internet in college. Now I can take it or leave it and just focus on my work. Maybe I feel I have exhausted the internet - social networks don't hold my attention any longer, digg/reddit sites just annoy me now because the user bases seem so immature.
- sp332 11y ago
  That's jaded, not mature.
  - eecks 11y ago
    Yeah - I didn't mean to imply I was mature.
ljk 11y ago
- minimize unnecessary windows - install browser plugins that block certain sites for some time. e.g. leechblock on Firefox can block certain sites for X minutes every X minutes, similar to the tomato method - discipline
xyzzy4 11y ago
You have to work on something that provides so much value to you that you become obsessed with it.
mindslight 11y ago
A bit tangential, but develop an awareness of how ambient light affects your concentration on different tasks. Brightness positively kills my desire to focus on intellectual problems.
josho 11y ago
Go outside and get some fresh air, if that isn't possible step away from your workstation until you are ready to work. You'll come back to your desk feeling refreshed and ready to focus. This practice becomes even better when just prior to returning to your desk you devise a plan of action for when you sit down. That way you won't be tempted to sit back down at your desk and check email or see what's new on YC.
- josephjrobison 11y ago
  Definitely agree - after going on a short walk I always wonder why I don't do it for 5 minutes every hour.
stuxnet79 11y ago
Whenever I need to do work that the boss needs to see asap, somehow I fail to get distracted by all the usual suspects (e.g. HN). But whenever work is light or I'm stuck on a bug or something then yes, it is a problem. Look at when and why you lose focus, and try to fix your issues on a case by case basis. Focus and attention is a reservoir that is depleted slowly. The more you structure your habits, to avoid distractions in the first place (to a point where focusing doesn't require force of will) the better you will get at this. But it is never ever perfect so don't beat yourself up if you slip.
- josephjrobison 11y ago
  Totally agree that the laser-like focus kicks in when you have a definitive deadline due, with a boss or colleague waiting on you. Have learned as well that focus is a reservoir like you said, and that task switching is cognitively draining.
suprjami 11y ago
Separate browser profiles on separate Linux desktop workspaces. My "work" workspace has my work email, work calendar, work websites, work terminals, work files. This is the place where work gets done, no browsing for fun here. The other workspace has a personal Firefox profile where I can check my own email or look at Facebook. This is the place where work doesn't get done. Set yourself times when you're allowed into the personal workspace, maybe over your lunch hour and a 15 minute break in the morning and afternoon. The rest of the time, do work.
- e19293001 11y ago
  VirtuaWin[0] makes virtual desktop in windows possible. [0] http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/ http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/
Mz 11y ago
Eat right. Exercise. Good sleep hygiene. Etc. I have a medical condition. So looking to my physical health has long played an important role in being able to focus. When I can't focus, it often means I am dehydrated, hungry, running a fever or something like that. I strongly suspect that when other people complain they just can't concentrate, it suggests they have some kind of minor health issue, such as an unrecognized allergy or poor sleep quality for some reason. When I was in really poor health and had a corporate job, I took a break every hour on the hour to have a snack, a drink and a bathroom break and try to get myself pulled together enough to focus. I need less of that these days, but I still have days when an afternoon break and snack and drink and some caffeine can help get me going again when I am flagging.
vincentbarr 11y ago
What I've learned: Accountability. This can mean sharing with a colleague what you intend to complete at the start of your day, and then sharing what you actually completed at the close of the day. It can also mean finding a location where you feel the risk of your distractions being observed when you begin to indulge them (e.g. sit next to the CEO of your company; manage your work on a large, external monitor that's within your team's line of sight). Sleep. The poorer my sleep habits, the easier it becomes to focus on and become excited by the wrong things. What's tricky is that you may actually feel more energized or alert when sleep-deprived, but this is perhaps due to the extra releases of dopamine that help fuel you through the day, a mechanism that was once useful in hunter-gatherer days when survival depended on persisting through fatigue to complete a successful hunt. Nutrition. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I require all three if I wish to maintain consistent performance.
hnuser123 11y ago
I once worked in an environment where such distractions are tightly monitored by management (they use some sort of tools to track what you browse, plus it's an open office space where everyone can see what you do). This helped me a lot in being more focused and stricter to myself. I guess regardless of what tools you use to block distractions, it's all down to your strong will to resist it. It helps much more if your task is what you love to do.

staunch 11y ago

The hard part is getting started. Productivity is all about momentum. Blocking reddit or whatever is distracting you the most can help you from falling in the procrastination loop. Start working on something small at first. Tweak a color or whatever to get started.

tinkeredlife 11y ago

Procrastinate until you have to do your work.

josephjrobison 11y ago
That's the current M.O.

eecks 11y ago

Grow up? Sorry to be harsh but I used to be distracted by the internet in college. Now I can take it or leave it and just focus on my work. Maybe I feel I have exhausted the internet - social networks don't hold my attention any longer, digg/reddit sites just annoy me now because the user bases seem so immature.

sp332 11y ago
That's jaded, not mature.
- eecks 11y ago
  Yeah - I didn't mean to imply I was mature.

ljk 11y ago

- minimize unnecessary windows - install browser plugins that block certain sites for some time. e.g. leechblock on Firefox can block certain sites for X minutes every X minutes, similar to the tomato method - discipline

xyzzy4 11y ago

You have to work on something that provides so much value to you that you become obsessed with it.

mindslight 11y ago

A bit tangential, but develop an awareness of how ambient light affects your concentration on different tasks. Brightness positively kills my desire to focus on intellectual problems.

josho 11y ago

Go outside and get some fresh air, if that isn't possible step away from your workstation until you are ready to work. You'll come back to your desk feeling refreshed and ready to focus. This practice becomes even better when just prior to returning to your desk you devise a plan of action for when you sit down. That way you won't be tempted to sit back down at your desk and check email or see what's new on YC.

josephjrobison 11y ago
Definitely agree - after going on a short walk I always wonder why I don't do it for 5 minutes every hour.

stuxnet79 11y ago

Whenever I need to do work that the boss needs to see asap, somehow I fail to get distracted by all the usual suspects (e.g. HN). But whenever work is light or I'm stuck on a bug or something then yes, it is a problem. Look at when and why you lose focus, and try to fix your issues on a case by case basis. Focus and attention is a reservoir that is depleted slowly. The more you structure your habits, to avoid distractions in the first place (to a point where focusing doesn't require force of will) the better you will get at this. But it is never ever perfect so don't beat yourself up if you slip.

josephjrobison 11y ago
Totally agree that the laser-like focus kicks in when you have a definitive deadline due, with a boss or colleague waiting on you. Have learned as well that focus is a reservoir like you said, and that task switching is cognitively draining.

suprjami 11y ago

Separate browser profiles on separate Linux desktop workspaces. My "work" workspace has my work email, work calendar, work websites, work terminals, work files. This is the place where work gets done, no browsing for fun here. The other workspace has a personal Firefox profile where I can check my own email or look at Facebook. This is the place where work doesn't get done. Set yourself times when you're allowed into the personal workspace, maybe over your lunch hour and a 15 minute break in the morning and afternoon. The rest of the time, do work.

e19293001 11y ago
VirtuaWin[0] makes virtual desktop in windows possible. [0] http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/ http://virtuawin.sourceforge.net/

Mz 11y ago

Eat right. Exercise. Good sleep hygiene. Etc. I have a medical condition. So looking to my physical health has long played an important role in being able to focus. When I can't focus, it often means I am dehydrated, hungry, running a fever or something like that. I strongly suspect that when other people complain they just can't concentrate, it suggests they have some kind of minor health issue, such as an unrecognized allergy or poor sleep quality for some reason. When I was in really poor health and had a corporate job, I took a break every hour on the hour to have a snack, a drink and a bathroom break and try to get myself pulled together enough to focus. I need less of that these days, but I still have days when an afternoon break and snack and drink and some caffeine can help get me going again when I am flagging.

vincentbarr 11y ago

What I've learned: Accountability. This can mean sharing with a colleague what you intend to complete at the start of your day, and then sharing what you actually completed at the close of the day. It can also mean finding a location where you feel the risk of your distractions being observed when you begin to indulge them (e.g. sit next to the CEO of your company; manage your work on a large, external monitor that's within your team's line of sight). Sleep. The poorer my sleep habits, the easier it becomes to focus on and become excited by the wrong things. What's tricky is that you may actually feel more energized or alert when sleep-deprived, but this is perhaps due to the extra releases of dopamine that help fuel you through the day, a mechanism that was once useful in hunter-gatherer days when survival depended on persisting through fatigue to complete a successful hunt. Nutrition. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I require all three if I wish to maintain consistent performance.

hnuser123 11y ago

I once worked in an environment where such distractions are tightly monitored by management (they use some sort of tools to track what you browse, plus it's an open office space where everyone can see what you do). This helped me a lot in being more focused and stricter to myself. I guess regardless of what tools you use to block distractions, it's all down to your strong will to resist it. It helps much more if your task is what you love to do.