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I like the idea of applying less time, but more strenuous effort, towards programming, but how does someone do this?

by cagmz 10y ago

maxxxxx 10y ago
I avoid useless meetings and "coordinating" with clueless people and focus on getting things done. It's a fine line though. If you totally ignore the outside there is a danger that you will miss the latest information that may impact your project. But with some practice you can filter out a lot of noise. It's good to have friends in your organization that keep you updated on the important trends. Also: When you are at work, really work.
kd5bjo 10y ago
I don't have the whole answer, but here are some things that you can practice regardless of what you're working on, and will make you a more valuable programmer if you get good at them: - Getting the entire algorithm in your head before writing anything - Predicting where the bugs will be in the code you've just written - Shifting your attention back and forth between what this code is trying to achieve and the means by which it works - Given the context in which your code will be used, predict how requirements might change in the future and structure your code so that those changes will require minimal refactoring
caseysoftware 10y ago
I started five things a few years back and have had great results: - I set up an email filter where if I'm not on the TO line, it skips my inbox for another folder. I only read that folder twice a day. If it's important, they'll write to me directly. - I (almost) never accept a meeting with less than 2 hours notice. The exceptions are rare and far between.. and usually come down to a few legitimate emergencies. Poor planning is not an emergency. - I never accept a meeting without an agenda. It doesn't need to be detailed but "I'd like to chat about X, Y, and Z" gives me the opportunity to prioritize, reject, or get you to someone more appropriate. - I only answer my phone when I'm expecting a call. If you and I have a call planned, I will be there and respect your time by closing email, etc. If you're just calling me to catch up, I'll get back to you on my schedule. - My phone & computer never enter the bedroom. You are welcome to email, slack, DM, etc me at 2am but you should assume I won't see it until the next morning. Limit your distractions, take control of your time, and your work will become more effective and you'll feel better about what you accomplish.
- Schwolop 10y ago
  I never normally take advice about email habits, but that simple filter is a good one. I already have ~100 filters that move things and mark-as-read useless things - and that works for me - but that one addition might well keep the inbox (which is basically my task list) cleaner.
dustingetz 10y ago
to apply maximum strenuous effort in less time my cofounder and i use pair programming on unsolved problems (not cookie cutter silicon valley baloney), to be able to pair and control technology stack we needed to start a company, to do this we needed money (alot) so i freelanced for two years at ever higher rates, to high rate freelance successfully you need portfolio proving skill so before that i refused to work for companies that don't keep up with open source, which means you need to have a nose for knowing what the best technology is/will be (and be right), to develop the nose i worked through a few books a year in free time and learned a new language every year and have taken multiple three month periods off to learn something deeply. Each of these offtime periods has ended with me having zero savings and the first time 10k credit card debt, but a 30% raise at next gig will erase that. My first offtime period was Recurse Center. TLDR carve out your own path and make your own luck. Look at your best software role model (Mine is probably Rich Hickey) - did he wait around for opportunity to come to him or did he go out and make something happen?

I like the idea of applying less time, but more strenuous effort, towards programming, but how does someone do this?

by cagmz 10y ago

I like the idea of applying less time, but more strenuous effort, towards programming, but how does someone do this?

I avoid useless meetings and "coordinating" with clueless people and focus on getting things done. It's a fine line though. If you totally ignore the outside there is a danger that you will miss the latest information that may impact your project. But with some practice you can filter out a lot of noise. It's good to have friends in your organization that keep you updated on the important trends. Also: When you are at work, really work.

kd5bjo 10y ago

I don't have the whole answer, but here are some things that you can practice regardless of what you're working on, and will make you a more valuable programmer if you get good at them: - Getting the entire algorithm in your head before writing anything - Predicting where the bugs will be in the code you've just written - Shifting your attention back and forth between what this code is trying to achieve and the means by which it works - Given the context in which your code will be used, predict how requirements might change in the future and structure your code so that those changes will require minimal refactoring

caseysoftware 10y ago

I started five things a few years back and have had great results: - I set up an email filter where if I'm not on the TO line, it skips my inbox for another folder. I only read that folder twice a day. If it's important, they'll write to me directly. - I (almost) never accept a meeting with less than 2 hours notice. The exceptions are rare and far between.. and usually come down to a few legitimate emergencies. Poor planning is not an emergency. - I never accept a meeting without an agenda. It doesn't need to be detailed but "I'd like to chat about X, Y, and Z" gives me the opportunity to prioritize, reject, or get you to someone more appropriate. - I only answer my phone when I'm expecting a call. If you and I have a call planned, I will be there and respect your time by closing email, etc. If you're just calling me to catch up, I'll get back to you on my schedule. - My phone & computer never enter the bedroom. You are welcome to email, slack, DM, etc me at 2am but you should assume I won't see it until the next morning. Limit your distractions, take control of your time, and your work will become more effective and you'll feel better about what you accomplish.

Schwolop 10y ago
I never normally take advice about email habits, but that simple filter is a good one. I already have ~100 filters that move things and mark-as-read useless things - and that works for me - but that one addition might well keep the inbox (which is basically my task list) cleaner.

dustingetz 10y ago

to apply maximum strenuous effort in less time my cofounder and i use pair programming on unsolved problems (not cookie cutter silicon valley baloney), to be able to pair and control technology stack we needed to start a company, to do this we needed money (alot) so i freelanced for two years at ever higher rates, to high rate freelance successfully you need portfolio proving skill so before that i refused to work for companies that don't keep up with open source, which means you need to have a nose for knowing what the best technology is/will be (and be right), to develop the nose i worked through a few books a year in free time and learned a new language every year and have taken multiple three month periods off to learn something deeply. Each of these offtime periods has ended with me having zero savings and the first time 10k credit card debt, but a 30% raise at next gig will erase that. My first offtime period was Recurse Center. TLDR carve out your own path and make your own luck. Look at your best software role model (Mine is probably Rich Hickey) - did he wait around for opportunity to come to him or did he go out and make something happen?