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I'll raise my head above the parapet and admit that I don't get it. How about just scheduling things? If you want to spend more time on things that matter, just

I'll raise my head above the parapet and admit that I don't get it. How about just scheduling things? If you want to spend more time on things that matter, just pick a date and time, and get going. That said, perhaps the alluring part was gathering data on one's self.

renewiltord 6y ago
Because Akrasia. I currently am supposed to be doing other things but I am spending it on HN.
- dundercoder 6y ago
  akrasia akrasia /əˈkreɪzɪə , əˈkrasɪə / (also acrasia) ▸ noun [mass noun] mainly Philosophy the state of mind in which someone acts against their better judgement through weakness of will. – ORIGIN early 19th century : from Greek, from a- ‘without’ + kratos ‘power, strength’. The term is used especially with reference to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics.
  - jader201 6y ago
    So basically procrastination. Not exactly the same, but the same sentiment.
    - renewiltord 6y ago
      Procrastination would be one such behaviour, certainly. An example of a non-procrastinating behaviour that is an example of akrasia is poor diet adherence: I know that I will be healthier not eating this pint of ice-cream, but I do so nonetheless.
- mcjkrw 6y ago
  How about scheduling consistent time for work and then at the end of the day, logging whether the work session was 100% focus on the task or if there was any distraction. Then you can see how many days in the month were focused, how much were distracted and if you care about it enough, you could set a goal that 95% of the sessions in a month should be distraction-free and keep working towards that.
TeMPOraL 6y ago
'renewiltord mentioned Akrasia. That's one big thing. Another thing is that you may not have enough time to fit the things you want with your schedule - and you first need to optimize your things in your life. That may involve optimizing your productivity at work, to free up time or energy for your own things. That also will involve taking a look at what you do around and after work. All of us live at least partially on autopilot, so bad habits tend to sneak up and stay unnoticed. You need to shine a light every now and then to identify and eradicate them - and then that's more time and/or energy freed up for doing the things that matter to you. Perhaps a less contentious way of saying "focus on productivity" is to say "making the wisest use of the 24 hours one has in a day".
- tanujraghav 6y ago
  Hi, I agree with your view. And over a couple of years of (failed) scheduling/optimizing techniques, I learned a thing or two that I would like to share. The approach OP used in her article is undoubtedly, a great way of looking at your footprints. I used to do a similar (revising over time) thing, but looking back on how much time i "wasted" and how little i was "productive", was not worth the effort. Over time, I've changed and perfected (well, kind of) this approach to a new way. The New Way* I divide my day in 3 sections. The first one, Morning Drill, from a set wakeup time (it really helps) until breakfast. I comprises things like regular morning routine, say exercise, freshening up, etc. It give me a good start into the day. I prefer not to do anything "productive/work-related" in the morning. Next, I take up my todo list for the day (i manage is using Todoist), understand my priorities and think of a general direction of the day, is it going to be a work-day or a fun-day?. I'm strict about my list, but not so much that I would not talk to anyone till i'm finished. I like to play it cool. The third section, i've finished all i had planned today, so i can do anything i want, read a book, go out with friends, and other cool stuff. This kind of summarises a day. > All of us live at least partially on autopilot, so bad habits tend to sneak up and stay unnoticed. I love keeping notes, and reading old notes and revising your day, really helps for such a thing. Results of new approach: When I go to bed, I sleep sound realizing the day wasn't a complete mess as opposed to drooling over "I've not been productive enough". All in all, this was a wonderful article with beautiful insights and a magnificent approach of data science in daily life. Conclusion: "The more you focus on productivity, the less you make it." PS. I have been following *this approach for over 5 months now, and I've never been better.
johndubchak 6y ago
But, to that point, why not just ask Alexa or Siri. I’m certain they have increments at a finer granularity of time than every 15 minutes.
andrewjl 6y ago
Not everyone is able to stick to a schedule. This can be for internal reasons such as akrasia as the sibling comment mentions or for external reasons due to being in chaotic environment and not being able to change that.
the_local_host 6y ago
Productivity is a scam. Jeff Bezos doesn't double his own productivity; he doubles Amazon's.
- smegma2 6y ago
  There are other productive activities besides those that increase your wealth. For example, if I'm trying to learn an instrument, then I would consider practicing to be a productive activity. In this sense productivity is not a scam at all; it's a necessity to live a good life. Speaking purely in terms of money: yes, doubling the productivity of those working for you is better than doubling your own productivity. But many of us don't have that option. If you are a normal employee, increasing your productivity is one of the few ways to increase your earnings.

renewiltord 6y ago

Because Akrasia. I currently am supposed to be doing other things but I am spending it on HN.

dundercoder 6y ago
akrasia akrasia /əˈkreɪzɪə , əˈkrasɪə / (also acrasia) ▸ noun [mass noun] mainly Philosophy the state of mind in which someone acts against their better judgement through weakness of will. – ORIGIN early 19th century : from Greek, from a- ‘without’ + kratos ‘power, strength’. The term is used especially with reference to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics.
- jader201 6y ago
  So basically procrastination. Not exactly the same, but the same sentiment.
  - renewiltord 6y ago
    Procrastination would be one such behaviour, certainly. An example of a non-procrastinating behaviour that is an example of akrasia is poor diet adherence: I know that I will be healthier not eating this pint of ice-cream, but I do so nonetheless.
mcjkrw 6y ago
How about scheduling consistent time for work and then at the end of the day, logging whether the work session was 100% focus on the task or if there was any distraction. Then you can see how many days in the month were focused, how much were distracted and if you care about it enough, you could set a goal that 95% of the sessions in a month should be distraction-free and keep working towards that.

TeMPOraL 6y ago

'renewiltord mentioned Akrasia. That's one big thing. Another thing is that you may not have enough time to fit the things you want with your schedule - and you first need to optimize your things in your life. That may involve optimizing your productivity at work, to free up time or energy for your own things. That also will involve taking a look at what you do around and after work. All of us live at least partially on autopilot, so bad habits tend to sneak up and stay unnoticed. You need to shine a light every now and then to identify and eradicate them - and then that's more time and/or energy freed up for doing the things that matter to you. Perhaps a less contentious way of saying "focus on productivity" is to say "making the wisest use of the 24 hours one has in a day".

tanujraghav 6y ago
Hi, I agree with your view. And over a couple of years of (failed) scheduling/optimizing techniques, I learned a thing or two that I would like to share. The approach OP used in her article is undoubtedly, a great way of looking at your footprints. I used to do a similar (revising over time) thing, but looking back on how much time i "wasted" and how little i was "productive", was not worth the effort. Over time, I've changed and perfected (well, kind of) this approach to a new way. The New Way* I divide my day in 3 sections. The first one, Morning Drill, from a set wakeup time (it really helps) until breakfast. I comprises things like regular morning routine, say exercise, freshening up, etc. It give me a good start into the day. I prefer not to do anything "productive/work-related" in the morning. Next, I take up my todo list for the day (i manage is using Todoist), understand my priorities and think of a general direction of the day, is it going to be a work-day or a fun-day?. I'm strict about my list, but not so much that I would not talk to anyone till i'm finished. I like to play it cool. The third section, i've finished all i had planned today, so i can do anything i want, read a book, go out with friends, and other cool stuff. This kind of summarises a day. > All of us live at least partially on autopilot, so bad habits tend to sneak up and stay unnoticed. I love keeping notes, and reading old notes and revising your day, really helps for such a thing. Results of new approach: When I go to bed, I sleep sound realizing the day wasn't a complete mess as opposed to drooling over "I've not been productive enough". All in all, this was a wonderful article with beautiful insights and a magnificent approach of data science in daily life. Conclusion: "The more you focus on productivity, the less you make it." PS. I have been following *this approach for over 5 months now, and I've never been better.

johndubchak 6y ago

But, to that point, why not just ask Alexa or Siri. I’m certain they have increments at a finer granularity of time than every 15 minutes.

andrewjl 6y ago

Not everyone is able to stick to a schedule. This can be for internal reasons such as akrasia as the sibling comment mentions or for external reasons due to being in chaotic environment and not being able to change that.

the_local_host 6y ago

Productivity is a scam. Jeff Bezos doesn't double his own productivity; he doubles Amazon's.

smegma2 6y ago
There are other productive activities besides those that increase your wealth. For example, if I'm trying to learn an instrument, then I would consider practicing to be a productive activity. In this sense productivity is not a scam at all; it's a necessity to live a good life. Speaking purely in terms of money: yes, doubling the productivity of those working for you is better than doubling your own productivity. But many of us don't have that option. If you are a normal employee, increasing your productivity is one of the few ways to increase your earnings.