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So to me it made some sense. Putting it in my own terms, he argues knowledge workers are _by default_ overloaded and they use distractions as a necessary form o

by harryf 8y ago

So to me it made some sense. Putting it in my own terms, he argues knowledge workers are _by default_ overloaded and they use distractions as a necessary form of relief from the pressure - the distractions aren't the problem, they're a symptom. Right now we're too focused on tools and strategies to make us "more efficient", block distractions and promote collaboration. Instead we should focus on reducing the mental drain of knowledge work (e.g. the need for endless multi-tasking and alt-tabbing), find ways for positive mental relaxation (here I guess implied is NOT drugs or alcohol) and support getting "back on track" e.g. if you finish the day half way through fixing a bug, when you start next day, it's not just your IDE but also say your browser with all the Stack Overflow tabs and such you had open, related to the bug, all together in a "session" that makes it as easy as possible to pick up where you left off. So in summary I guess he's saying in the search for solutions to burnt out knowledge workers we're focused too much on symptoms like distractions.

philipodonnell 8y ago
Can chrome or Firefox do an "exit but save all my tabs"? I find myself force closing Chrome because I can use the recover tabs when I come back.
- cortesoft 8y ago
  You can do "restore previous session" from the hamburger menu the next time you start up, even if you don't force close.
- kbenson 8y ago
  If you close Chrome normally and on reopening attempt to undo closing a tab (Ctrl-Shift-t on Windows) it will reopen all the closed, and even separate windows with their own tabs (maybe that takes a second Ctrl-Alt-t, I can't recall). Firefox just opens with all the same tabs by default (at least it does for me. I don't recall if it's a setting I selected).
  - goodcanadian 8y ago
    Firefox just opens with all the same tabs by default (at least it does for me. I don't recall if it's a setting I selected). It's a setting. In your preferences, under start-up, check restore previous session. IIRC, you can also restore the previous session from the history menu even if you don't have that option checked.
- throwawaymath 8y ago
  Yes, both have a setting for that. You can find it in preferences under default pages to open upon startup. It'll leave you where you left off if you quit. Likewise, Chrome in particular will also allow you to recover closed tabs if you accidentally close the window. I'm not sure if Firefox has the setting but I would assume it does.
  - kbenson 8y ago
    Firefox has the same capability, with the same key-combo to do so (on Windows, at least, where it's Ctrl-Alt-t).
- est31 8y ago
  Usually I want all tabs to be closed when closing Firefox. Sometimes though I don't, and then I do ctrl+alt+esc and click onto Firefox. Works in X11 at least. It will kill the process and the next time Firefox starts it'll recover the closed tabs because it thought it crashed or something.
- 6nf 8y ago
  Chrome is easy. Just hit X to close it normally, and then on re-launching: menu -> history -> recently closed -> XX tabs It will open all the tabs you had going when you closed.
  - masonic 8y ago
    Unless incognito mode was used.
- joshwa 8y ago
  I use an extension called "onetab"[0] that saves (and closes) all my tabs in one click. [0] https://www.one-tab.com/ https://www.one-tab.com/
- TeMPOraL 8y ago
  I just do `killall firefox` in the shell. On the next start, you'll get a session restore page. I learned to treat browsers like this because of Chrome, actually, and its resident processes that still eat my RAM even after I close all browser windows.
- donkeyd 8y ago
  I personally use this, which also does what you want: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabs-outliner/eggkanocgddhmamlbiijnphhppkpkmkl?hl=en https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabs-outliner/eggk... Also, on the subject, it helps me by being able to store a window, or a group of windows for later. And when I've opened a bunch of tabs for a specific task, I can easily pop them out into a separate window to focus on them, or to have less distraction when showing stuff to a colleague. I've used this plugin for years and it's been great.
ehnto 8y ago
Minimizing context switches has been my angle after I burnt out. I automate things that take me out of context and use every last feature of my IDE to make sure I don't have to alt tab all over the place. Terminal, database, docs and code is all in my IDE. It feels more like sitting down at a specialized workstation than a general computer and it keeps me focussed and in flow. Not only is that a less stressful state of mind to work from, it also means I ultimately spend less time in work mode and I can cleanly delineate work from not-work.
- jungler 8y ago
  I'm moving towards an approach of batch processing more things. What this means in practice is that more of my tasks use limited interactivity - e.g. "draft and redraft" vs "draft and edit". This has the effect of the "yes and" in improv, where I make errors but have to keep going regardless. Working within that mode also means that I can activate on a reflexive, pre-flow state level where I flex the project-management muscles, not the problem-solving muscles. Flow means I am challenging myself, and with so many years of experience, challenging myself means that I am overcomplicating it. As well, I'm more likely to treat looking up docs as a research project where I copy relevant snippets of the text into one place for easier reference. I'm still unhappy with a lot of aspects of how I code, but most of it isn't on the end of the day-to-day editing, but rather things like, "oh, I switched languages again - time to relearn the string library".
  - ehnto 8y ago
    That id an interesting take on flow meaning you are overcomplicating things. That explains what was happening to me pretty well I think. I was too bored to reach a state of flow but if it were more challenging I would have been re-inventing something. I have switched domain since I burnt out which is perhaps why I can now find new challenges and be able to reach flow.
    - txdejk 8y ago
      As someone who works in healthcare and has to juggle quite a bit of technical info on quite a few different active individual patients and who has also read other poster's responses above, I'm kinda taken aback that there is such a lack of higher level organization going on. Is it just something that isn't taught or that is but people just don't want or like to do?

by harryf 8y ago

philipodonnell 8y ago

Can chrome or Firefox do an "exit but save all my tabs"? I find myself force closing Chrome because I can use the recover tabs when I come back.

cortesoft 8y ago
You can do "restore previous session" from the hamburger menu the next time you start up, even if you don't force close.
kbenson 8y ago
If you close Chrome normally and on reopening attempt to undo closing a tab (Ctrl-Shift-t on Windows) it will reopen all the closed, and even separate windows with their own tabs (maybe that takes a second Ctrl-Alt-t, I can't recall). Firefox just opens with all the same tabs by default (at least it does for me. I don't recall if it's a setting I selected).
- goodcanadian 8y ago
  Firefox just opens with all the same tabs by default (at least it does for me. I don't recall if it's a setting I selected). It's a setting. In your preferences, under start-up, check restore previous session. IIRC, you can also restore the previous session from the history menu even if you don't have that option checked.
throwawaymath 8y ago
Yes, both have a setting for that. You can find it in preferences under default pages to open upon startup. It'll leave you where you left off if you quit. Likewise, Chrome in particular will also allow you to recover closed tabs if you accidentally close the window. I'm not sure if Firefox has the setting but I would assume it does.
- kbenson 8y ago
  Firefox has the same capability, with the same key-combo to do so (on Windows, at least, where it's Ctrl-Alt-t).
est31 8y ago
Usually I want all tabs to be closed when closing Firefox. Sometimes though I don't, and then I do ctrl+alt+esc and click onto Firefox. Works in X11 at least. It will kill the process and the next time Firefox starts it'll recover the closed tabs because it thought it crashed or something.
6nf 8y ago
Chrome is easy. Just hit X to close it normally, and then on re-launching: menu -> history -> recently closed -> XX tabs It will open all the tabs you had going when you closed.
- masonic 8y ago
  Unless incognito mode was used.
joshwa 8y ago
I use an extension called "onetab"[0] that saves (and closes) all my tabs in one click. [0] https://www.one-tab.com/ https://www.one-tab.com/
TeMPOraL 8y ago
I just do `killall firefox` in the shell. On the next start, you'll get a session restore page. I learned to treat browsers like this because of Chrome, actually, and its resident processes that still eat my RAM even after I close all browser windows.
donkeyd 8y ago
I personally use this, which also does what you want: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabs-outliner/eggkanocgddhmamlbiijnphhppkpkmkl?hl=en https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabs-outliner/eggk... Also, on the subject, it helps me by being able to store a window, or a group of windows for later. And when I've opened a bunch of tabs for a specific task, I can easily pop them out into a separate window to focus on them, or to have less distraction when showing stuff to a colleague. I've used this plugin for years and it's been great.

ehnto 8y ago

Minimizing context switches has been my angle after I burnt out. I automate things that take me out of context and use every last feature of my IDE to make sure I don't have to alt tab all over the place. Terminal, database, docs and code is all in my IDE. It feels more like sitting down at a specialized workstation than a general computer and it keeps me focussed and in flow. Not only is that a less stressful state of mind to work from, it also means I ultimately spend less time in work mode and I can cleanly delineate work from not-work.

jungler 8y ago
I'm moving towards an approach of batch processing more things. What this means in practice is that more of my tasks use limited interactivity - e.g. "draft and redraft" vs "draft and edit". This has the effect of the "yes and" in improv, where I make errors but have to keep going regardless. Working within that mode also means that I can activate on a reflexive, pre-flow state level where I flex the project-management muscles, not the problem-solving muscles. Flow means I am challenging myself, and with so many years of experience, challenging myself means that I am overcomplicating it. As well, I'm more likely to treat looking up docs as a research project where I copy relevant snippets of the text into one place for easier reference. I'm still unhappy with a lot of aspects of how I code, but most of it isn't on the end of the day-to-day editing, but rather things like, "oh, I switched languages again - time to relearn the string library".
- ehnto 8y ago
  That id an interesting take on flow meaning you are overcomplicating things. That explains what was happening to me pretty well I think. I was too bored to reach a state of flow but if it were more challenging I would have been re-inventing something. I have switched domain since I burnt out which is perhaps why I can now find new challenges and be able to reach flow.
  - txdejk 8y ago
    As someone who works in healthcare and has to juggle quite a bit of technical info on quite a few different active individual patients and who has also read other poster's responses above, I'm kinda taken aback that there is such a lack of higher level organization going on. Is it just something that isn't taught or that is but people just don't want or like to do?