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Ask HN: Developers should have 0 meetings and focus on slow productivity?
We all know devs need deep work, but how do constant standup meetings, data collection for report prep and what not.
2. Nobody likes to be tracked, so does a framework like DORA metrics but open sourced work?
- gregjor 2y agoProgrammers who get paid by their employer or customer have to work in the context of an organization. Companies pay for code to achieve business goals, not for the code itself. Some teams and organizations have more meetings and other bureaucracy than others, but you can’t expect to get paid for working in isolation.
- shivc 2y agospot on - isolation is definitely not the best thing here if we want to build software that actually solves business problems. Blocks maybe is a good way to, been reading slow productivity by Cal Newport, seems interesting per say, especially his example of John McAfee right at the start. Even though he is a writer but the stress upon having blocks to do deep thinking/problem solving are definitely interesting and valuable.
- gregjor 2y agoPersonally I have worked on handling interruptions and resuming focus quickly, because that lets me adapt and respond better, especially freelancing for multiple clients. I can't always change my environment by reducing meetings and other distractions, but I can tune my reactions so I get my work done despite the distractions and interruptions. I only have control over myself, in other words. I don't get why programmers want to present themselves as fragile or brittle, only able to work in ideal conditions, like a rare orchid. Maybe that wasn't your point but I see a lot of posts in that vein. Embrace the chaos and unpredictability, it makes you more valuable and employable overall than playing the "optimizing my personal productivity" game.
- shivc 2y agoGood point for sure! Resilience & anti fragile productivity/flow state it seems are fleeting traits these days.
- dhruvagga 2y agoI feel going with 0 meetings is quite extreme! All meetings are not harmful though - might help in context building or resolution faster than other ways of working. Context switching though can hurt while doing deep work, putting slots of maker/manager time might help here.
- shivc 2y agooh yea the maker manager time blocks are a game changer in general. Do you think these should be different days such as no meeting wednesdays etc. or should this be a meeting slot but then a few hours of totally uninterrupted slots?