5 ms·

In moment to moment work, I am starting to think focus is more about _not_ keeping busy when you need to wait for something. 1 minute compile time? Not an oppo

In moment to moment work, I am starting to think focus is more about _not_ keeping busy when you need to wait for something. 1 minute compile time? Not an opportunity to check your email or hacker news.

danielmarkbruce 4y ago
Tis true. Eat the boredom for a minute.
guynamedloren 4y ago
Absolutely. Focusing on lots of different tasks is the antithesis of focus. Focus is identifying and executing against one singular goal.
mkmk3 4y ago
Hell yea. Biggest life improvement in the past year has been this, outside of work as well, just not trying to fill every empty moment. Thanks for the reminder to minimize passive HN use :)
atoav 4y ago
If tou feel absolutely bored to death a good idea is to stand up, walk around, look out of the window and sit down. Gives you even more focus than staying put. We tend to move too little anyways.
- highwaylights 4y ago
  Pay the money to get motorised desk legs. I thought it was a really expensive gimmick relative to what it is and I was utterly, utterly wrong. It has changed my attitude to work completely and being able to spend most of my day standing has (almost paradoxically) made it easier to spend a full day at the desk because I don't get bored or anxious anywhere close to as easily. Our bodies aren't meant to be sedentary during our waking hours. I also find myself just kind of walking on the spot sometimes unintentionally when I'm trying to figure something, which I'm assuming is getting me a sliver of cardio in too.
  - fsckboy 4y ago
    yes, i could google "motorised desk legs", but based on your description i imagine your desk is like that motorized alarm clock that you have to chase to shut off, which gets you out of bed? otherwise, i'm stumped... googled it with DDG®, darn, i guess it just means a sitting/standing desk that can raise and lower the top easily
  - atoav 4y ago
    I already have one, I just don't assumed it is the same for everybody else ; )
- andirk 4y ago
  I sit by a window and stare out of it when I need to wait for something to load. It's atop a tall building in SF so I see the tops of lots of buildings. The other day, someone was on a roof and uncovered a 24 pack of either Heineken or Rolling Rock, both gross. And then fled down the stairway with it!
- matwood 4y ago
  Yeah, I have a rack of dumbbells next to my desk (WFH for the win). I'll get up and run through a 1-2 minute complex. Not enough to sweat, but great for a refocus.
raverbashing 4y ago
Absolutely Software or sites that don't take that into account have decreased usability The worse offenders are those who make you wait a lot then prompt you to click a non optional "Ok" before another waiting period. Thanks I hate it (I think there was a Windows install like that)
onion2k 4y ago
1 minute compile time? Not an opportunity to check your email or hacker news. Sounds like a minute to explore optimizing your compiler settings though...
- gonzo41 4y ago
  And to say goodbye to hours of time. :P
- MezzoDelCammin 4y ago
  ... and ending up on a two hour quest through the depths of MSDN and Stackoverflow ...
- maccard 4y ago
  I did this at a previous job. 2 weeks later I was still adjusting our build process and pitching spending a few weeks on it!
april_22 4y ago
Exactly. I also think it's thinking about how much extra worth those time spend really benefits your life, compared to how much it creates noise in your brain.
mckravchyk 4y ago
Exactly. I do it whether I have to wait for something or not. 1 minute break every 15 or 30 minutes to do a micro-meditation / try to bring back awareness of my body. Sometimes I do ignore it if I get really deep though. You might think that losing 4 minutes every hour is a lot, but much more is lost when the mind is too overworked. And the brain is working in the background anyway - and some ideas and solutions pop out of the void - but if you open email, Hacker News - that background thread is closed and a new background thread, unrelated to work opens when you work. Context switching is very unproductive and costs a lot of energy too.

danielmarkbruce 4y ago

Tis true. Eat the boredom for a minute.

guynamedloren 4y ago

Absolutely. Focusing on lots of different tasks is the antithesis of focus. Focus is identifying and executing against one singular goal.

mkmk3 4y ago

Hell yea. Biggest life improvement in the past year has been this, outside of work as well, just not trying to fill every empty moment. Thanks for the reminder to minimize passive HN use :)

atoav 4y ago

If tou feel absolutely bored to death a good idea is to stand up, walk around, look out of the window and sit down. Gives you even more focus than staying put. We tend to move too little anyways.

highwaylights 4y ago
Pay the money to get motorised desk legs. I thought it was a really expensive gimmick relative to what it is and I was utterly, utterly wrong. It has changed my attitude to work completely and being able to spend most of my day standing has (almost paradoxically) made it easier to spend a full day at the desk because I don't get bored or anxious anywhere close to as easily. Our bodies aren't meant to be sedentary during our waking hours. I also find myself just kind of walking on the spot sometimes unintentionally when I'm trying to figure something, which I'm assuming is getting me a sliver of cardio in too.
- fsckboy 4y ago
  yes, i could google "motorised desk legs", but based on your description i imagine your desk is like that motorized alarm clock that you have to chase to shut off, which gets you out of bed? otherwise, i'm stumped... googled it with DDG®, darn, i guess it just means a sitting/standing desk that can raise and lower the top easily
- atoav 4y ago
  I already have one, I just don't assumed it is the same for everybody else ; )
andirk 4y ago
I sit by a window and stare out of it when I need to wait for something to load. It's atop a tall building in SF so I see the tops of lots of buildings. The other day, someone was on a roof and uncovered a 24 pack of either Heineken or Rolling Rock, both gross. And then fled down the stairway with it!
matwood 4y ago
Yeah, I have a rack of dumbbells next to my desk (WFH for the win). I'll get up and run through a 1-2 minute complex. Not enough to sweat, but great for a refocus.

raverbashing 4y ago

Absolutely Software or sites that don't take that into account have decreased usability The worse offenders are those who make you wait a lot then prompt you to click a non optional "Ok" before another waiting period. Thanks I hate it (I think there was a Windows install like that)

onion2k 4y ago

1 minute compile time? Not an opportunity to check your email or hacker news. Sounds like a minute to explore optimizing your compiler settings though...

gonzo41 4y ago
And to say goodbye to hours of time. :P
MezzoDelCammin 4y ago
... and ending up on a two hour quest through the depths of MSDN and Stackoverflow ...
maccard 4y ago
I did this at a previous job. 2 weeks later I was still adjusting our build process and pitching spending a few weeks on it!

april_22 4y ago

Exactly. I also think it's thinking about how much extra worth those time spend really benefits your life, compared to how much it creates noise in your brain.

mckravchyk 4y ago

Exactly. I do it whether I have to wait for something or not. 1 minute break every 15 or 30 minutes to do a micro-meditation / try to bring back awareness of my body. Sometimes I do ignore it if I get really deep though. You might think that losing 4 minutes every hour is a lot, but much more is lost when the mind is too overworked. And the brain is working in the background anyway - and some ideas and solutions pop out of the void - but if you open email, Hacker News - that background thread is closed and a new background thread, unrelated to work opens when you work. Context switching is very unproductive and costs a lot of energy too.