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John Carmack on avoiding distractions
- angarg12 4y ago“I'm not a great programmer; I'm just a good programmer with great habits.” ― Kent Beck
- ffhhj 4y ago10x habits?
- dredmorbius 4y agohttps://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1562104562219196416.html https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1562104562219196416.html
- westhom 4y agoThank you. It’s infuriating to use Twitter as an unauthenticated user these days. If you scroll down far enough you get the uncloseable login gateway pop up, and I can never tell if it’s triggered by reaching the end of a thread, or after X posts in a thread.
- ahefner 4y agoHere's a trick to read the bird site without logging in - whenever that pops up, pick your choice of "Log in" or "Sign up" (I prefer the latter, I like to imagine it helps to scramble someone's analytics) then click the 'X' in the corner, and the popup goes away for a while.
- dredmorbius 4y agoHere's another trick: Just use another fucking interface. Threadreader is great for threads. If you're following a specific account or want to run some searches, Nitter. The latter also supports RSS feeds, so you can follow a profile in your newsreader.
- bmn__ 4y agoSome popular sites have alternative interfaces, e.g. Twitter → Nitter. They are a much better user experience if you just want to lurk. Configure your browser to automatically redirect: • https://github.com/SimonBrazell/privacy-redirect#custom-instances https://github.com/SimonBrazell/privacy-redirect#custom-inst... • https://einaregilsson.com/redirector/ https://einaregilsson.com/redirector/ (use for Imgur → Rimgo until Privacy Redirect has it)
- dredmorbius 4y agoNitter's settings page lists a bunch: Youtube -> Invidious or Piped Twitter -> Nitter Instagram -> Bibliogram Reddit -> Teddit Most or all have numerous hosts and you can pick the one(s) that are most convenient or memorable to you. It's also possible to host these yourself, and I've suggested in the past that HN might consider doing so for Twitter specifically. Reddit possibly as well. (The others are fairly low-traffic on HN.) Quora would be a nice addition to the list.
- sprremix 4y agohttps://github.com/SimonBrazell/privacy-redirect https://github.com/SimonBrazell/privacy-redirect
- dredmorbius 4y agoI saw that. Chrome/Android doesn't suppport extensions. Normalising use of alternatives in links and the like (which privacy-redirect may well do) also helps raise awareness and profile of the alternatives. That said, thanks.
- Griffinsauce 4y ago"avoiding distractions" * is a HN post that links to Twitter *
- adverbly 4y ago> I go for a four mile walk every day (audiobooks!), but doing it when the sun went down to avoid the 100+ heat was punching a hole in my work day, so I adjusted my schedule to wake up earlier and do it in the morning. Interesting. I do a mile run at lunch, and find that "punching a hole in my work day" is beneficial for focus, not a detractor. Things I like about my lunch run: - short, fits into 1 hr schedule with eating/getting food - guaranteed sun exposure even during winter - rare to have schedule conflicts due to before/after work commitments, so easy to be consistent - good reset if needed - running + mulling things over works well for me
- Salgat 4y agoIf he's anything like me, the evening might be his most productive time mentally. Also, I live in Texas, and your options to avoid the ungodly heat are either walking early in the morning, or in the late evening, which is unfortunate since that's either the beginning of the day or the end of the day for most people.
- apugoneappu 4y agoThis PG essay might be relevant: http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html
- baby 4y agoDo you have children?
- christophilus 4y agoI do, and am similar to the OP. I do my workout during a long lunch break. I find it helps with my energy and focus in the afternoon.
- gregors 4y agoI used to use this back in the day.... https://github.com/viccherubini/get-shit-done https://github.com/viccherubini/get-shit-done
- raptorraver 4y agoI have manually edited my /etc/hosts to redirect some distracting sites to localhost. It has worked wonders to my productivity. Of course my brain seem to find new places to procrastinate so no silver bullet here either.
- annie_muss 4y agoIt's worth remembering that what works for John Carmack may not work for you. You may have more distractions in life or job that you cannot get rid of. Your baseline innate ability to focus may be very different. You may have less experience training the skills required to focus. Watching how successful people do things can provide useful inspiration for things to try, but you have to apply your own critical thinking and find what works for you.
- diehunde 4y agoTrue. But he's talking about a universal approach: removing the distraction instead of fighting it. You can implement your own specific method for this, but anybody would benefit from it.
- spiffytech 4y ago> True. But he's talking about a universal approach: removing the distraction instead of fighting it. It's less universal than it seems. For example, people with ADHD become distractable if their task isn't sufficiently stimulating. If the environment doesn't already offer distractions, their brain will generate some itself. Brain scans show that ADHD brains use inefficient subsystems to maintain focus, and don't quiet down the daydream subsystem during focus time. Removing distractions doesn't do much because the brain is neurologically happy to manufacture some. This supports the GP's point: what someone else needs may not help you in particular at all. Someone like this is better off finding ways to keep work interesting, or structuring their day around bouts of interest instead of unbroken working sessions.
- jasonladuke0311 4y ago> For example, people with ADHD become distractable if their task isn't sufficiently stimulating. Yep. "Removing" distractions is a fools errand, because I am the Da Vinci of creating them. This is why I need structure.
- doubled112 4y ago
- hartator 4y agoI do a small trick that seems to work wonders (at least for me). I don't limit myself at all. When I want to do any activity that seems to be dopamine-fuelling (emails, HN, Reddit, Stripe, other metrics, even company Intercom), I just have to set a timer to certain duration. I can reset, snooze, or extend durations however I want. No rules. Just the action of setting a timer. Oddly it has made myself way more conscious and intentional. Resulting in almost no actual distractions when I do want to focus. Technical tricks (blocking apps, websites, or DNS) are unfortunately too gimmicky because it's so easy to bypass. And personally I had no results with those.
- Vanit 4y agoThis is like when I need to get ready in a hurry I count the seconds and it's surprising how quick you end up moving :)
- meowkit 4y agoIncrementalism and flexibility are key in habit forming and dissolution. I recommend the Impulse Blocker plugin for a timer on specific websites (youtube, hacker news, etc.) iPhone has timer tools for limiting app usage and different modes for work, personal time, sleep to filter and limit notifications. Make use of your email categories and unsubscribing to help filter emails that are a waste of time. The reverse of do an activity for a set amount of time (read a book for 5 mins, wash half the dishes) has been helpful for myself as well. This can be progressively ramped up as opposed to ramping down attention sinks. Godspeed to any and all trying to take back some of their attention.
- rsanheim 4y agoI do basically the same thing. I use the pomodoro technique (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique) when I'm really struggling to focus. I either use an old school analog kitchen timer or https://pomofocus.io https://pomofocus.io if I'm feeling real web 2.0-ish. Some sort of self-imposed time constraint, whether basic time tracking or pomodoros, is one of the most effective ways I've found to just power through work I don't really want to do. If _most_ of my work is hard to complete due to excessive distraction and lack of focus, that usually means something larger is wrong. That's when its time to reflect and figure out if I'm working on the wrong team or project or even company.
- darod 4y agoHe's been officially "one day a week"? What does that mean? He only works one day a week?
- sahila 4y agoJust at meta where he was involved in Oculus. He's moved on to working on AGI on his own company (see news here https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/19/john-carmack-agi-keen-raises-20-million-from-sequoia-nat-friedman-and-others/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/19/john-carmack-agi-keen-rais...).
- baby 4y agoYeah he still works for Meta one day a week
- ur-whale 4y agoReadable thread: https://nitter.net/ID_AA_Carmack/status/1562104562219196416 https://nitter.net/ID_AA_Carmack/status/1562104562219196416
- isaacfrond 4y agoRight... So now I'm reading about Carmack instead of working. This is going to be great.
- jatins 4y agoThere's an old blog post that I really liked on John Carmack's work ethic http://bookofhook.blogspot.com/2013/03/smart-guy-productivity-pitfalls.html http://bookofhook.blogspot.com/2013/03/smart-guy-productivit... from someone who worked with Carmack.
- nmfisher 4y agoThat's a great post, thanks for digging it up. But now I feel bad that I slacked off for two minutes checking HN, then another four minutes reading the blog.
- punkspider 4y agoTo me it was worth it. That was really a great post. It made some great points I'll actively try to remember. Especially: Accept that "the grind" is part of the job. A friend of mine's father has a great quote: "Son, i don't wake up every day and go to a place called fun. I wake up and go to a place called work" You can't get irate or frustrated that the bulk of the day is typing in boring code and dealing with bugs and other people.
- matwood 4y agoThe military talks about 'embracing the suck'. Some people like to trace this focus on work and the grind to the US's puritan roots. I think learning to be ok with the grind is one of the biggest life hacks a person can make. Whether it's eating healthy, exercise, or shipping your startups first product, there comes a point where it's grind - almost every single time. There is a danger of falling in love with the grind and losing sight of why. As long as a person keeps sight of a goal, grinding is skill to help get them there. Accepting the grind is a skill can be developed. Carmack talks about wrestling and then grappling which is an absolute grind. I developed the skill through sports and powerlifting, and now I also train Jiu-Jitsu. There's very little at work that moves my emotional needle anymore.
- jasonladuke0311 4y ago
- grammarnazzzi 4y ago> Now I put my Meta laptop in the garbage at the end of my VR day.
- asar 4y agoWhat helped me a lot was the "focus mode" in the digital wellbeing settings of android. I block my biggest distractions (WhatsApp, Twitter, Reddit) from 9-6 and only starred contacts will ring.
- atq2119 4y agoMy cellphone is on silent most of the day. During work I only look at it for some 2FA things.
- renewiltord 4y agoThe number one thing that works for me is logging on to HN and seeing a post of some guy struggling with procrastination. I see that, think "wow what a loser", then think "fuck I'm doing that too", and close the tab and get back to work. Posts from people who beat this don't work. I need to see a loser and see myself behaving like him. Then the break between my identity (I'm fucking awesome) and my actions (I'm doing loser shit) gets me out of it. Whacky, eh?
- closedloop129 4y agoThanks for your honesty. Is 'being awesome' awesome if at its core, it's the negation of losing?
- renewiltord 4y agoHaha, I try not to peek too closely at things I hold fundamental :) But for what it's worth, awesomeness requires not being a loser though not being a loser does not guarantee awesomeness. Necessary but not sufficient, as we say in Maths textbooks.
- darkwater 4y agoAlmost totally unrelated rant about Twitter UI: Elon Musk answers Carmack tweet, you open that tweet to see the replies, there are at least 10-15 useless replies from Twitter randos and then there is the Carmack reply to Musk! I mean, leaving aside the blue checks, the number of followers etc, it's a conversation between two parties with 3rd parties jumping in, why can this be highlighted properly??
- noufalibrahim 4y agoThe DNS block on my work laptop is something that surprisingly worked for me. I put a few barriers to sudo unblocking it like making the file immutable so I had to go through multiple steps to get it working. Over time, I stopped looking at twitter on my work laptop and during my working hours.
- jacquesm 4y agoYou get rid of them. https://plasmabeamgames.wordpress.com/2021/10/08/mitzi-the-cat/ https://plasmabeamgames.wordpress.com/2021/10/08/mitzi-the-c...
- slazaro 4y agoI'm reading Masters of Doom right now and this actually upset me a bit. Who gets rid of a pet like that?
- joeman1000 4y agoI don’t think much advice that applies to Carmack also applies to mere mortals.
- bowsamic 4y agoSorry but hearing what he said on Lex's podcast about how he aims to solidly work for 10 hours a day or something crazy I absolutely do believe he has "magical discipline"
- Trasmatta 4y agoI think Carmack has been able to consistently work these extended hours his entire career because he's always had the chance to work on really interesting problems that excite him. I can also work long hours for extended periods of time when that's the case. The burnout for me comes in when the work feels pointless, and I have no autonomy. That's when I can barely even put 8 hours in without my entire body and mind shutting down.
- bowsamic 4y agoExactly. He is intrinsically motivated because he is always working on things that appeal to him. He found his passion. That is the most relevant thing. Those of us who have no passions and yet still have the skills to work in similar fields have to find another way to make it work...
- blackSnake 4y agoInsert the passion(energy) in yourself. You have no choice if you have to grind through things you don't want to. Every human experiences some type of "grind" , although to different degrees. I acknowledge the difficulty but you do have to make it work or then life sucks lol
- bowsamic 4y agoI have no idea how to do that and I’ve never seen someone even suggest that’s possible
- thinkpad13 4y agowtf the podcast also in 5 hours? really? II can;t barely focus on fully consuming 1 hour podcast
- avidphantasm 4y agoIronic that he posted this to Twitter, which I have stopped using (in part to reduce distractions).
- arinlen 4y agoI'm sure that checking what advice John Carmack posted on Twitter on how to avoid distracrions already counts as a distraction.
- kramerger 4y agoMy solution to that ia to not have a Twitter account and not install the app. Twitter lets you read 2-3 messages before the nag screen, by which time I have already consumed my daily Twitter screen time.
- dustinmoris 4y agoHere is something I discovered for myself: If I work on something that I truly enjoy, then I am 100% focused on it and can't get distracted at all. If I work off a backlog full of seemingly boring and meaningless tasks which some PO came up with and which I don't find remotely interesting or impactful then it's near impossible for me to not get distracted. Long story short: If you struggle to stay focused, then maybe your work or your role in the company sucks (e.g. being overqualified for the tasks assigned to you, not challenged enough intellectually, etc.).
- b0ner_t0ner 4y agoThanks for tip Commander Keen!
- alexpotato 4y agoSome other people have mentioned this in child comments but most of this, for me, comes down to having a good night's sleep. If my kids woke up in the middle of the night or were up early, I'm distracted pretty easily. With a good night of sleep, I power through my to do list. I also wonder what the shape of my "productivity / hours slept" curve looks like. In my case, I feel like I am more more productive than most people if I have 8-9 hours sleep. However, I feel WAY lower than most other people when I only sleep 6-7 hours. Not sure how I could ever measure or confirm this but I would love to know if this actually the case.
- thinkpad13 4y agoI just realize I have been care less about procrastinating and productivity instead doing or targeting stuffs day by day I just set my goals for each week like this week I should do this this and this its easier for myself instead day by day task list
- naikrovek 4y agohaving ADHD I really cant express how frustrating it is knowing that others are able to simply choose to maintain focus on something. i have never had the ability to control that. sometimes it happens, and i never get to choose when it happens. what could i have accomplished in my life if i had the power to choose to focus on one thing for more than a couple of minutes? i could have accomplished a lot more than i have accomplished, i assure you of that. once in a while, maybe 2-3 times per year, my brain starts focusing on something i want or need to focus on, and this is an absolutely magical time for me. i progress toward my goals on that topic so quickly when this happens, and i learn so much, but it never lasts. subsequently, i have a lot of shallow understanding of many things that i have been able to focus on previously, and almost zero deep understanding on anything, because the power to focus usually only lasts a week or two. i guess this is why ADHD is defined as a disabling medical condition in the US. it really is a severe handicap to one’s abilities.
- coolspot 4y agoHey, fellow ADHD brother/sister. If you haven’t tried to talk to a medical professional regarding your condition, I would highly recommend to do that. Medication helped me and many others tremedously. So much regret that I accepted that I am different and I do need some support only in my mid 30s.
- naikrovek 4y agothanks. I take Adderall for narcolepsy already and that certainly helps a LOT, and even with that help, I can still only get a few minutes of productive time on most days. there's about a 30-60 minute window in the morning where I can mostly (mostly) keep myself on task and/or not get very sleepy, so that time is very important to me to accomplish most of the day's tasks. without Adderall I would be un-hireable.
- yrgulation 4y agoIf i could live a life 10% similar to this guy’s life i would he so happy. I am not talking about money and fame. I just think that people like carmack are genuinely free. They are that kid that wanted to make awesome things and satisfy their curiosity and actually succeeded at it and they continued doing it in their adulthood. Just bloody awesome.