4 ms·

Decide what seems like a reasonable ratio for your given situation, and budget time for each appropriately. Use the Pomodoro as a unit, if that helps.

lowglow 16y ago
I guess I feel guilty when I'm not producing code and simply learning for the sake of it. There is no good ratio if I'm not sure what I'm studying can be applied to what I'm producing. Also looking into Pomodoro (http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/ http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/)
- michael_dorfman 16y ago
  I'm a firm believer in the value of learning for learning's sake, so I don't worry if the things I am learning can be directly applied to what I am producing at the moment-- as long as I am producing at the moment. What's your general situation? Self-employed? In control of your schedule? If so, why not start with 7.5 hours a day on production, and half an hour a day of research/playing. Give that a couple weeks, and adjust if necessary.
  - lowglow 16y ago
    I work at beyond full time at a start-up cranking out code and putting out fires (~10am-7pm+). Then I come home and crank out more code on a project I'm working on (~7pm-1am+). There are just a ton of things to research/play nowadays. I feel like I'm constantly playing catch-up with things I need and want to know. Do people get to play with new tech at work? Should I be pushing for more hours to try something new at work?
lowglow 16y ago
also how does the Pomodoro technique work for coding? : 1. Choose a task to be accomplished 2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer) 3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper 4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK) 5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break
- michael_dorfman 16y ago
  That's about the size of it. The basic idea is to work with focus and discipline for 25 minutes, without distraction-- and then reward yourself with a five minute break.
  - katieben 16y ago
    Hey, I used to be a pomodoro user too, just switched to Vitamin R for OSX - it's awesome. It asks you for a clear objective before you start the timer, auto kills distracting applications when you start, and then after the time's up, asks you to rate your focus and records it. Like a pomodoro, with a lot more handholding, which is helpful for me.

lowglow 16y ago

I guess I feel guilty when I'm not producing code and simply learning for the sake of it. There is no good ratio if I'm not sure what I'm studying can be applied to what I'm producing. Also looking into Pomodoro (http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/ http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/)

michael_dorfman 16y ago
I'm a firm believer in the value of learning for learning's sake, so I don't worry if the things I am learning can be directly applied to what I am producing at the moment-- as long as I am producing at the moment. What's your general situation? Self-employed? In control of your schedule? If so, why not start with 7.5 hours a day on production, and half an hour a day of research/playing. Give that a couple weeks, and adjust if necessary.
- lowglow 16y ago
  I work at beyond full time at a start-up cranking out code and putting out fires (~10am-7pm+). Then I come home and crank out more code on a project I'm working on (~7pm-1am+). There are just a ton of things to research/play nowadays. I feel like I'm constantly playing catch-up with things I need and want to know. Do people get to play with new tech at work? Should I be pushing for more hours to try something new at work?

lowglow 16y ago

also how does the Pomodoro technique work for coding? : 1. Choose a task to be accomplished 2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer) 3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper 4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK) 5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

michael_dorfman 16y ago
That's about the size of it. The basic idea is to work with focus and discipline for 25 minutes, without distraction-- and then reward yourself with a five minute break.
- katieben 16y ago
  Hey, I used to be a pomodoro user too, just switched to Vitamin R for OSX - it's awesome. It asks you for a clear objective before you start the timer, auto kills distracting applications when you start, and then after the time's up, asks you to rate your focus and records it. Like a pomodoro, with a lot more handholding, which is helpful for me.