I also do much better with long chunks of time, but it should be possible to make meaningful progress on most programming tasks in a true 1-hour block. It’s com

I also do much better with long chunks of time, but it should be possible to make meaningful progress on most programming tasks in a true 1-hour block. It’s common for people to use the Pomodoro technique to great success with blocks of work half that size. Often, the real problem is that people don’t actually have 1 hour of working time in between meetings. We sit at our desks and feel obligated to respond to e-mails and Slack messages. Our Slack responses turn into conversations that consume 5-20 minutes without a clear end. We need to spend 5-10 minutes reading backlog to catch up. We need to get a drink or use the restroom. That 1-hour chunk of free time on your calendar may only have 10-15 minutes of concentration time, which is the real problem. I’ve had some success with blocking off calendar time to mark 1-2 hours of focus time. Having something on your calendar makes delayed responses in Slack socially acceptable.