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I enjoyed the article, but I disagree. Back in the day, the Getting Things Done book said to organise tasks by energy level. That does make things easier; howev

I enjoyed the article, but I disagree. Back in the day, the Getting Things Done book said to organise tasks by energy level. That does make things easier; however, easy to procrastinate by saying I'll do it later when I have energy. I have taken to the more disciplined, priortized approach pushed by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger/Jocko Willink/David Goggins... the items that are a priorty or important get done first. Hammer through the first 2-4 hours, then you can have flexibility in the rest of the day. Even if you're not feeling it, go through the motions, make it a habit to make it easier.

dasil003 5y ago
I tend to think all of this is extremely personal and the system is mostly window-dressing. If you are able to focus on work which is engaging and useful (by whatever measure you choose) regularly, over time you will get good results. Different kinds of systems like habit-building, reminders or GTD can help; as can cutting yourself some slack and making room for inspiration to find you without obsessing over productivity. But ultimately you either do things you are proud of or not, and any system or reflection you put on top of amounts to rationalization. If that helps then more power to you, but don't lose sight of the actual work.
TameAntelope 5y ago
> Even if you're not feeling it, go through the motions How? This is the whole problem; for many folks, this isn't helpful advice because the whole problem is that it's hard to do things if you're not "feeling" it.
- DwnVoteHoneyPot 5y ago
  Jocko uses the example of writing a book (he's written fiction and non-fiction). It's a mental activity which is known for "writer's block". Jocko says go through the motion... sit down and write 1,000 words per day minimum. At least it's progress. When you have energy later, you have something to work with. You might need to re-write everything, but that still quicker than trying to write it perfect the first time. I think that's very applicable to coding.
Falkon1313 5y ago
Different strokes for different folks. Forcing yourself to do something can be considered discipline, but for many that's just stubbornly using the wrong tool (mental state) for the job. Which usually takes longer, gives poor results, and leads to fatigue and burnout. However that approach does work well for some. (Seems to work much better for morning people than night people in my experience.) For others, discipline consists of using the right tool for the right job to maximize both productivity and health. Which means given the tools available, pick one of the many tasks that need doing and can be done with that tool. Resulting in more productivity, better results, and an uplifting energizing feeling that makes other tools available. Although for some people, that second approach might just result in procrastinating, in which case they should consider trying the forced discipline approach. So finding out which path fits your temperament and taking advantage of it is the way to go.

dasil003 5y ago

I tend to think all of this is extremely personal and the system is mostly window-dressing. If you are able to focus on work which is engaging and useful (by whatever measure you choose) regularly, over time you will get good results. Different kinds of systems like habit-building, reminders or GTD can help; as can cutting yourself some slack and making room for inspiration to find you without obsessing over productivity. But ultimately you either do things you are proud of or not, and any system or reflection you put on top of amounts to rationalization. If that helps then more power to you, but don't lose sight of the actual work.

TameAntelope 5y ago

> Even if you're not feeling it, go through the motions How? This is the whole problem; for many folks, this isn't helpful advice because the whole problem is that it's hard to do things if you're not "feeling" it.

DwnVoteHoneyPot 5y ago
Jocko uses the example of writing a book (he's written fiction and non-fiction). It's a mental activity which is known for "writer's block". Jocko says go through the motion... sit down and write 1,000 words per day minimum. At least it's progress. When you have energy later, you have something to work with. You might need to re-write everything, but that still quicker than trying to write it perfect the first time. I think that's very applicable to coding.

Falkon1313 5y ago

Different strokes for different folks. Forcing yourself to do something can be considered discipline, but for many that's just stubbornly using the wrong tool (mental state) for the job. Which usually takes longer, gives poor results, and leads to fatigue and burnout. However that approach does work well for some. (Seems to work much better for morning people than night people in my experience.) For others, discipline consists of using the right tool for the right job to maximize both productivity and health. Which means given the tools available, pick one of the many tasks that need doing and can be done with that tool. Resulting in more productivity, better results, and an uplifting energizing feeling that makes other tools available. Although for some people, that second approach might just result in procrastinating, in which case they should consider trying the forced discipline approach. So finding out which path fits your temperament and taking advantage of it is the way to go.