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Being Productive / Time Management / Fighting Procrastination / Focusing
Table of contents
- 2 How to be productive / fight procrastination / focus
- 2.1 Have the right expectations of the process
- 2.2 Decide in advance what you're going to work on and how many hours you're willing to spend to finish it
- 2.3 Set up your body to help you be productive
- 2.4 Set up your work environment to help you be productive
- 2.4.1 Consider using a powerful computer
- 2.4.2 Consider getting a powerful internet connection
- 2.4.3 Clear your desk
- 2.4.4 Have enough airflow to keep the CO2 levels down / oxygen levels up
- 2.4.5 Have the room at a comfortable temperature
- 2.4.6 Prevent visual distractions
- 2.4.7 Consider listening to music
- 2.4.8 Consider having your tasks on one or more physical piece(s) of paper on your desk
- 2.4.9 Remove distractions on your computer
- 2.4.10 Remove distractions on your phone
- 2.4.10.1 Use a e-ink phone
- 2.4.10.2 Use app timers/disablers
- 2.4.10.3 Add 'screen time' widgets to your home screen
- 2.4.11 Consider working with others
- 2.4.11.1 In public
- 2.4.11.2 In a coworking space
- 2.4.11.3 In a VR coworking space
- 2.4.11.4 On a screenshare call
- 2.5 Consider deciding in advance how long you'll spend on a task
- 2.6 Use Task Lists / To-Do Lists
- 2.7 Consider using the Pomodoro Technique
- 2.8 Paper productivity systems
- 2.8.1 Franklin planner
- 2.8.2 43 folders system
- 2.9 Frequently check in on / monitor your mental/physical state to prevent exhaustion
- 2.9.1 Try to keep your next small step (i.e. not requiring intense thought to execute) written down on a yellow sticky note or in Notepad++ to reduce strain from frequently trying to remember what you're trying to do
- 2.9.2 If you notice you're feeling mentally stressed, make an effort to slow down your rate of work to an extremely relaxed and step-by-step process to reduce the mental load
- 2.10 Respond effectively to intrusive thoughts / distractions
- 2.10.1 Don't allow yourself to spend time thinking about / worrying about the results of your work while you're working, just focus on going through the work process
- 2.10.2 Use a task app or calendar to schedule tasks/chores for after you finish working
- 2.10.3 Add random thoughts/ideas you want to remember to a simple text file to be filed away later
- 3 Work habits of successful people
- 4 Productivity Exercises
- 5 Misc ideas
- 6 Tools
- 6.1 RescueTime
- 7 Articles / Videos
- 8 Journal of uncategorized observations
- 9 Websites
- 10 Books
Child pages
Related pages
Related external websites
The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight
But they while their companions slept
Were toiling upward in the night
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty-seconds' worth of distance run
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it...
How to be productive / fight procrastination / focus
Have the right expectations of the process
Don't expect to feel 'in the mood' when it's time to start working; don't listen to the voice that says, "I'm not in the mood right now, I'd rather do something else"
Pumped Up Kicks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped_Up_Kicks
Soon after Mark Foster formed Foster the People in 2009, he wrote and recorded "Pumped Up Kicks" in five hours while working as a commercial jingle writer at Mophonics in Los Angeles. On the day of recording, Foster debated between songwriting in the studio and going to the beach. He explained: "I really didn't have anything to do that day. I was standing there in the studio, and this thought came in my mind like, 'I'm going to write a song,'... and then I was like, 'I don't feel like writing. I don't want to write a song.' I was a block away from the beach, and it was a beautiful day. I kind of just wanted to just be lazy and go hang out at the beach or whatever. But I just forced myself to write a song... By that time the next day, the song was finished."
Reflecting on the lack of inspiration he felt when writing the song, Foster said, "I've heard a lot of other artists talk about this as well, like, 'I'm not inspired right now. I've got writer's block. I'm just not really feeling anything.' And I've felt that way, too, just not being inspired and wanting to wait for inspiration to come before I wrote. But I wasn't inspired when I wrote 'Pumped Up Kicks,' and that's what came out. So... it just solidified the notion that perspiration is more powerful than inspiration." Thinking that he was just recording a demo, he played all of the instruments on the song, and using the software Logic Pro, he arranged and edited the song himself. The demo is ultimately the version of the song that Foster released.
"Pumped Up Kicks" drew considerable attention online after Foster posted the song on his website as a free download in early 2010; Nylon magazine used the track in an online advertising campaign, and through various blogs, it went viral.
It's worth noting that he was working as a commercial jingle writer, so he was in a position where he wouldn't be wasting time learning how to create music once he decided to try to make something.
It's also worth noting that he posted it as a free download, which presumably helped it go viral.
Decide in advance what you're going to work on and how many hours you're willing to spend to finish it
Explanation:
This is just a way to help you focus on a single project, avoid feature creep, and see it through to completion.
Others' experiences:
Leonardo Davinci
2018.05.21 - Gates Notes - Leonardo is one of the most fascinating people ever
There was one downside to having such broad interests: He often switched his focus to new domains right in the middle of a project, leaving works unfinished. Here’s a classic example: After Leonardo won a coveted commission to create a large statue of a nobleman perched on a horse, Leonardo procrastinated by going down multiple rabbit roles. For example, he dissected horses to understand their anatomy, created new systems for feeding horses, and designed cleaner stables. He never completed the statue, and he never published the treatise on horses he started.
My experiences:
I have a serious problem with switching projects and feature creep.
Consider limiting the number of projects you take on at once
2023.09.15 - I'm thinking I'm going to only study one job skill at a time and limit myself to ~30mins per day to prevent myself from burning out. Right now I want to finish a Golang course, do the fast.ai course, and memorize the Neetcode 150, but to prevent burnout I think I'm going to just focus on one at a time. So maybe finish the Golang course, then do a first pass through the fast.ai course (taking notes on the videos but not reading the full chapters), then do a month of Neetcode, then maybe go back to fast.ai. I'm so happy with how much progress I've made with Duolingo from just studying 3-5 minutes per day, and I owe it to never burning out. My #1 problem is that I burn out and then go for months or years without starting up again.
Set up your body to help you be productive
Get enough sleep
Explanation:
I've noticed that getting enough sleep helps me to avoid procrastinating.
My experiences:
2015.12.08
For the past few weeks I had not been getting as much sleep as I should have (~3-7 hrs/night).
In the evenings I would always feel this kind of mental pain / anxiety that would compel me to try to relax by reading the NYT or RPS or Kotaku.
Last night I got more sleep than normal (~8-9 hrs?) and I felt much more concentration today at work, and it's now 10:20pm and I'm still being very productive without feeling a compulsion to go read the NYT / RPS / Kotaku.
Don't use an alarm clock
Consider taking a 90-minute nap after your first four hours of work
Explanation:
Others' experiences:
Joel Spolsky talks about how people can only do four hours of productive work per day. Find the quote.
My experiences:
I've noticed that I tend to feel a bit burned out after about four hours of work, and I've also noticed that taking a 90+ minute nap can help clear that 'brain stress' and make me feel refreshed and ready to go for another four hours.
Consider using stimulants
How to:
Stimulants people have used:
Caffeine
Types:
Dark chocolate
~6.61mg per square of 90% dark chocolate.
Lindt says 30g of dark chocolate has ~20mg of caffeine. Their 90% dark chocolate bar is 3.5oz or ~99.22g, so with 10 squares each square is ~9.92g, and so each square has (20mg/30g) * 9.92g = ~6.61mg of caffeine.
Tea
20-50mg per cup (seems to vary by the type of tea and how it's prepared)
Coffee
95mg per cup
Espresso
64mg per shot (30g / 1 fl oz)
Caffeine pills
These are generally 100mg-200mg per pill
Caffeine capsules
Caffeine+ - 50mg per capsule, along with L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine and B-vitamins - This is what I'm using as of January 2024 in situations where I don't need a dopamine high to get excited to work on something, I already know what I need to do next. So, like, when working on client work.
Excedrin
65mg per capsule, the same as a shot of espresso.
Alcohol
Explanation:
Alcohol initially acts as a stimulant and then acts as a depressant (making you want to fall asleep). So it's maybe not the best stimulant to use if you need to do work that requires you to be awake for many hours (like programming 12 hours).
Alcohol's ability to reduce inhibitions may make it good for work where you need to bond with other people, like sales jobs.
Types:
Beer
Amphetamines
Adderall
Tom Francis started using this after years of only using caffeine.
Methamphetamine
Cocaine
Others' experiences:
Tony Hsieh
He used Excedrin while writing his book.
https://www.racked.com/2014/4/17/7605231/7-things-we-learned-about-zappos-founder-from-playboy
"I found it was easy to write once I was in the mood, but it was hard to get in the mood. So I tried various things based on feedback from writer friends. Vodka first, then coffee and then, yes, I actually soaked coffee beans in the vodka. But I found the most effective technique was taking Excedrin when I didn't have a headache because there's actually a lot of caffeine in Excedrin. I ended up writing the whole book in about two weeks' time."
https://footwearnews.com/2010/business/news/reading-tony-hsieh-76614/
While Hsieh found it relatively easy to put his life on paper, the schedule was grueling. “We would write for 24 hours and then go nap for an hour,” Hsieh said. So how did they stay energized? “We tried coffee. And alcohol. And then coffee and alcohol,” Hsieh laughed. Said Lim, “We actually put coffee beans in a vodka bottle.” But according to Hsieh, Excedrin worked best. “When you don’t have a headache, it gives you a lot of energy.”
Mark Zuckerberg - He had blog posts while at Harvard where he mentioned drinking alcohol while coding.
Infer guys (Yang and Chung)
They were big into drinking espresso. Chung was an espresso fanatic.
Investment bankers / traders
These guys apparently work grueling schedules and my understanding is that cocaine use is prevalent. I'm not sure why it would be used more than caffeine / amphetamines, though. Maybe it gives people the courage to take risks or something, which could be more important in finance/trading.
My experiences:
Personally, I currently (5/27/23) only use dark chocolate (which has caffeine in it) because I think anything stronger messes with my sleep too much. Beyond chocolate I've only ever tried coffee and tea.
I made a video talking about how I've noticed that a lot of successful entrepreneurs are heavy users of stimulants (coffee, Adderall / amphetamines, and/or cocaine): YouTube - Nathan Wailes - Stimulants may be a secret to financial success
One thing to consider alcohol / caffeine to make yourself productive during your free time!
Don't use it while at work, save their effects for your personal projects.
I did this while playing CS but it only occurred to me recently (2016/01) to use it for programming.
Consider getting some in-person talking time with friends
2023.09.02 - I think I noticed today that after spending a couple of hours chatting with other people for fun, I found it easier to focus on doing my own work, without feeling agitated about not having fun. I'll keep an eye on this to see if I notice it in the future.
Set up your work environment to help you be productive
"It's a lot more effective (albeit tricky to pull off) to alter your environment so that it pushes you towards doing what you need to be doing, than it is to try to force yourself to do it." - François Chollet (src)
Consider using a powerful computer
Explanation
Having a powerful computer will reduce lots of small points of friction that make work less pleasant, like needing to wait a few seconds for apps to start.
These small gaps of time while you're waiting for the computer to finish something (like load a tab, or install something, or build code) are one way that procrastination starts: you may reach for your phone to check social media while you wait, and end up spending far more time on social media than you originally planned.
Others' experiences
My experiences
2023.05.27 - I've been working on my powerful gaming PC the past few days and I like it a lot more than working on my laptop, because all the software works faster. Like if I open a new tab, or open a new PyCharm project, etc. That reduced friction makes it a lot more pleasant to work.
2024.06.08 - I just started working on my new MacBook Pro and it's opening my eyes to the fact that a lot of my "procrastination" is just me grabbing my phone to browse Twitter when my computer is being slow to do something, and then I end up wasting an hour. Having a lightning-fast computer gets rid of that mechanism for procrastination.
Consider getting a powerful internet connection
Explanation
This reduces friction / waiting time when downloading stuff.
This can also be useful if you're doing calls with people or coworking in VR.
Others' experiences
My experiences
Clear your desk
Explanation
A lot of successful people have said they keep their work environment clear of clutter. I need to compile the quotes/examples.
My experiences
I've noticed that when I have objects on my desk that are unrelated to work, they have an immediate effect on my brain where they get my brain to load thoughts related to that object. So, like, if I have a videogame controller on my desk, it'll make thoughts related to those games pop into my head when my eye randomly looks at that controller.
If I turn off the lights in my room, I can just move stuff behind my PC screen and they'll be in the dark where I can't see them well.
Others' experiences
https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-case-for-finally-cleaning-your-desk
"scientists at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute have used fMRI and other approaches to show that our brains like order, and that constant visual reminders of disorganization drain our cognitive resources and reduce our ability to focus. They also found that when participants cleared clutter from their work environment, they were better able to focus and process information, and their productivity increased."
Have enough airflow to keep the CO2 levels down / oxygen levels up
My experiences:
In my apartment I've achieved this by just keeping my door to the hallway ajar and my window open (assuming there's a window open in the hallway which can allow for airflow).
I've also bought a CO2 monitor in the past and found it well worth the money.
Have the room at a comfortable temperature
My experiences:
I've noticed that if I'm really hot or really cold I can't focus as well.
I like the combination of having my windows open for fresh air and having the air conditioner on to keep the room cool.
Prevent visual distractions
Consider turning off the lights in the room you're in
This has helped me stay focused / remove distractions.
I did this at Infer.
I also did this while working in my room (5/26/2023).
I also do this while playing PC games to get more immersed in the game.
Movie theaters do it.
Consider using a trucker hat to restrict your vision
I've noticed that the hat can help in at least two different-but-related ways:
During the day, using the hat to block my view of the sky seems to help reduce eye strain caused by bright light from the sky.
If there's a fair amount of foot traffic or people moving around where I'm working, I find blocking my vision with the hat helps me fight the urge to look at who's walking by (it feels like an instinctual defensive urge, like to make sure the person isn't a danger).
When I use the hat, I wear it unconventionally: the hat is too small for my head, so I have it on the front of my head, with the front of it resting just above my eyebrows, and the brim level with the top of my laptop. It's like how you see Marine drill instructors wearing their hats.
Consider listening to music
My experiences
I spent a few days playing FF8 and then asked myself why I found myself getting swept into it, while that doesn't happen with work. I think part of the reason was that FF8 has constant music, so I don't get distracted by other thoughts creeping into my mind.
Later: FF8 also doesn't really require much effort. It's like an interactive novel. I find that I often stop doing work when I get stressed out about it, and the same thing happens with games (e.g. 'rage quitting').
I tried applying this to work by listening to a Magic Tape and it worked. I had previously used Magic Tapes while programming but I can't remember having considered them for non-programming work.
I think one nice thing about music is that it provides some experiential variety that keeps you from feeling bored. I talk about that in a YouTube video here: YouTube - Nathan Wailes - Experiential variety may be a secret to productivity
I like listening to mixtapes or radio stations where I don't need to constantly be choosing the next song.
YouTube - lofi hip hop radio 📚 - beats to relax/study to
5/27/23 - This is a nice radio station because it's not as intense as house music, so it doesn't mentally tire me out as much (I think).
Consider having your tasks on one or more physical piece(s) of paper on your desk
Explanation
If you combine this with otherwise clearing your desk it could be a powerful way to have your mind return to your tasks when it starts to wander.
Others' experiences
Pieter's a big proponent of having his tasks on individual yellow post-its.
My experiences
2015.03 - For a day or two I was finding it extremely effective to start the day by writing out a list of tasks I wanted to get done that day, and then keeping that list in front of me while I was working on each task.
Remove distractions on your computer
Block distracting websites
Explanation
These are sites that you never have any productive reason for visiting. Examples: facebook.com, nytimes.com, washingtonpost.com. StayFocusd actually provides a pretty good list of distracting sites to start with.
How to
On Windows you can totally block distracting websites that you never want to be able to visit via your hosts file.
You could also use StayFocusd for potentially-distracting sites that you still want to be able to access.
Examples: YouTube, Wikipedia, Quora(?), Reddit(?). I recall being frustrated on occasion that StayFocusd was blocking some useful information on those sites, but I'd already run down all my StayFocusd time on nytimes.com.
On macOS I use SelfControl, IMO it's way better than the "hosts" method on Windows, because I don't know how to undo it, and it automatically stops after an amount of time that I set.
My experiences:
I use my hosts file to block news / gaming / video websites.
An idea: I could have two users on my computer and do work on a non-administrator account, so that I can't change the hosts file from within that account. It adds just a little more friction, hopefully enough to get you to think about whether you really want to procrastinate. But that would make it hard to do stuff like install new software. So maybe have an admin account but have the account load without all the distracting software (like games).
Uninstall distracting software
My experiences:
In the past I've uninstalled Steam and GOG Galaxy, and all other video games.
Prevent email and chat apps from interrupting / distracting you
How to:
You could quit / turn off the chat apps.
On Windows you could move the chat apps out of the visible part of your task tray.
You can enter 'Do Not Disturb' mode to prevent being notified.
Note that there are two ways these things can interfere:
one is by actually popping up a notification / sound, and
the other is by having a visible indicator of a new message/email that you happen to see when you look at the email tab or app icon.
Others' experiences
This is mentioned in Joel on Software
Remove distractions on your phone
Use a e-ink phone
As of 2024 a quick Google/Reddit search seems to indicate that the Hisense A9 is the best e-ink phone on the market.
Use app timers/disablers
I added on my second home-screen page a 4x2 "App timer" widget that shows how much time I have left for certain apps / app groups. Right now I have Facebook set to 15m/day and X set to 1hr/day (I feel like this widget should adjustable down to a 2x2 or even 1x2 widget). When the time for a particular app runs out, its icon turns grey and I can't open it unless I increase its allocated time in the App Timer.
Add 'screen time' widgets to your home screen
I added a 4x1 "Screen time" widget to my home screen (the first "main" screen) that shows my total screen time for the day as well as a breakdown of the top 3 apps.
Consider working with others
In public
My experiences:
I've noticed that when I'm working in public where people can see what's on my screen, I feel more embarrassed to watch YouTube, play games, or browse Twitter.
In a coworking space
In a VR coworking space
On a screenshare call
My experiences:
2018.05.11 - I took on an Upwork assignment where my client was a programmer, and we were kind of pair-programming the entire time (I was sharing my screen and he was giving me instructions of things to try), and we did a 16-hour day. I was pretty impressed at how long I was able to go. So maybe one way to help get yourself past procrastination is to pair-program, either by watching someone else code or by having someone else watch you code.
2023.05.27 - For the past two weeks John and I have been meeting up in Horizon Workrooms or ImmersedVR and taking turns sharing our screens as we each work for 30 minutes on our respective business ideas.
Consider deciding in advance how long you'll spend on a task
Set a budget/schedule for larger goals
Consider using OKRs ('Objectives and Key Results')
Explanation:
Use OKRs or something similar: have yearly goals, quarterly goals, monthly goals, weekly goals, and daily goals. For each objective, define success in a measurable way, usually with several "key results".
How to:
Consider setting a budget/schedule for smaller tasks
Others' experiences
Tom Francis, when working on Gunpoint (and presumably Heat Signature) would decide ahead of time how much time he wanted to spend on various tasks that he needed to complete. (Source)
Use Task Lists / To-Do Lists
Explanation:
If you don't have all of your daily goals in front of you, it's easy to spend too much time on one task. But if you see the list of things you need to do, you speed up how quickly you get minor tasks done, since it's clear that there are X number of other things to do. By having all of the tasks clearly in front of you, your conception of "the whole task" changes from just the task in front of you to the set of all tasks for that day.
Not using these makes you just forget what needs to get done
The problem with forgetting what needs to get done is that different tasks may be best suited to getting done at different times / places. So you need to be able to know what all of your tasks are so that you can choose the task that is best suited to getting done at that time and place. For example, if you only have 5 free minutes and don't have a computer, you need to know all of the tasks you have that can get done in 5 minutes without a computer.
How to:
One way is to use 'Outline mode' in MS Word
This is what Nicky showed me.
This has the advantage of being able to collapse each list.
Others' experiences:
pmarca Guide to Personal Productivity
What you do is this: every time you do something — anything — useful during the day, write it down in your Anti-Todo List on the card.
Each time you do something, you get to write it down and you get that little rush of endorphins that the mouse gets every time he presses the button in his cage and gets a food pellet.
And then at the end of the day, … take a look at today’s card and its Anti-Todo list and marvel at all the things you actually got done that day.
Consider using the Pomodoro Technique
What the Pomodoro Technique has made me realize is that the biggest problems I have are that:
If I don't have a set deadline to finish a task, I'll drag out the time I take to do it (eg reading a book, coding a problem). The 25-minute deadline really keeps me moving as quickly as I can move.
I have a tendency to get sidetracked with reading articles which aren't that important. It's like a new form of watching TV. Now that I'm thinking in terms of 25-minute segments of productivity, it makes me look at reading articles in a whole new way: I think, "What a waste to spend 2 hours on those articles! I could do four 25-minute sessions in that time!"
Paper productivity systems
Franklin planner
The planner pages are drilled, loose-leaf style pages in different sizes and formats. Formats have been updated through the years, but most planners contain areas for an appointment schedule, prioritized daily tasks, and notes. A key section at the rear of the planner contains addresses. Other inserts include ledger sheets for tracking finances or vehicle mileage, exercise logs, and other individualized reference materials. Smith named his planning system after Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) who kept a small private book, as detailed in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. A core technique of the Franklin Planner system involves beginning each day with 15 minutes of "solitude and planning".
43 folders system
2010.03.12 - YouTube - OfficeArrow - How to Create and Use the 43 Folders System
Summary: get 12 folders for the 12 months of the year and 31 folders for the days of the month, and put any papers you need to refer to on a future date in either the month-folder (if it's more than 31 days away) or the day folder (if it's within the next 31 days).
This method seems to be totally replaced by modern technology (e.g. Google Calendar).
Frequently check in on / monitor your mental/physical state to prevent exhaustion
Try to keep your next small step (i.e. not requiring intense thought to execute) written down on a yellow sticky note or in Notepad++ to reduce strain from frequently trying to remember what you're trying to do
2023.09.21 - I'm working on a somewhat difficult and intimidating programming task in an unfamiliar codebase for a client and I'm finding that writing down each idea I have for my next step immediately in Notepad++ and then focusing on trying to relax while doing it slowly is helping me slowly move forward. I have the full list of thoughts that I can review if I need to come back to the work later.
I think about this with the same climbing analogy as when using git commits: when I write down that idea immediately, I'm putting a stake into the wall to catch me if I fall (i.e. by writing my idea for the next small step down I can always just go back and read it if I forget what I was trying to do, which is likely if I'm dealing with mentally taxing stuff).
If you notice you're feeling mentally stressed, make an effort to slow down your rate of work to an extremely relaxed and step-by-step process to reduce the mental load
Just as I constantly mentally monitor my exertion when doing long-duration cardio to pace myself and not burn out, when programming I need to constantly mentally monitor my stress levels and pull back / slow down when too stressed to prevent mental exhaustion
Respond effectively to intrusive thoughts / distractions
Don't allow yourself to spend time thinking about / worrying about the results of your work while you're working, just focus on going through the work process
Explanation
Others' experiences
Notch:
"I bought a new midi controller I won't use because I gave away the old one I wasn't using."
Someone responds: "What's the point of buying to not use the product?"
"The false idea that if I only had the right tools I would be super creative."
"By the way, the real trick to being creative is to not think about it, just do. You can go back and fix it later when you're in the zone."I think the part about "go back and fix it later" makes it clear he's talking about not focusing too much on the results at first.
Ira Glass
...nobody tells people who are beginners, and I really wish somebody had told this to me–is that all of us who do creative work, like y'know, we get into it, and we get into it because we have good taste. But it's like, there's a gap–that for the first couple years that you're making stuff, what you're making isn't so good, OK? It's not that great. It’s trying to be good, it has ambition to be good, but it’s not quite that good. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, your taste is still killer. And your taste is good enough that you can tell that what you're making is kind of a disappointment to you, y'know what I mean? A lot of people never get past that phase, a lot of people at that point they quit. And the thing I would just like to say to you with all my heart is that most everybody I know who does interesting, creative work, they went through a phase of years where they had really good taste, they could tell what they were making wasn't as good as they wanted it to be, they knew it fell short. It didn't have the special thing that we wanted it to have, and the thing what to do is–Everybody goes through that. And for you to go through it, if you're going through it right now, if you're just getting out of that phase, you gotta know it's totally normal and the most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work. Do a huge volume of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week or every month you know you're gonna finish one story. Because it's only by actually going through a volume of work that you're actually going to catch up and close that gap, and the work you're making will be as good as your ambitions. In my case, like, I took longer to figure out how to do this than anybody I’ve ever met. It takes awhile. It's gonna take you awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. And you just have to fight your way through that, OK? (Source)
My experiences
2018.05.20 - I did a pair programming session with John a few days ago where I watched him for an hour as he learned Angular, and then he watched me for an hour while I worked on Rhymecraft. While working on Rhymecraft I was thinking out loud, and I was relating how anxious and stressed I felt as I was working on it, and John at one point said, "Dude, relax." And from there on I focused on just trying to relax my body. A few days later I decided to work on Rhymecraft on my own and I focused a lot on my anxiousness and stress-level, and I just focused on making sure I was as relaxed as possible: so, not allowing myself to worry about how much more I needed to do, or how much I would be able to get done in that session, but instead just "putting one foot in front of the other" for two hours. And it worked! It was a productive two hours and I didn't feel at all stressed out while working, and the next day (today) I'm having another go at it. So: it may be a good idea to focus on your anxiousness levels and make adjustments to whatever you're doing and thinking to reduce them. It's a lot like when I was training for the marathon and would spend my time focused on how taxed my heart felt, so that I could adjust my intensity to not tire out my heart before I'd finish the distance I was going for.
Later: getting enough sleep could help with this.
Use a task app or calendar to schedule tasks/chores for after you finish working
Explanation
If, for example, you notice you're almost out of toilet paper or water, then rather than stop working to go buy it immediately, add it as a task in your task app (I use Google Tasks).
My experiences
2018.02.01
For the past few weeks I've had two Google Calendars open on my second desktop, with my Notepad++ "notes" file open on the right side (of the second Desktop). So what I do is: when I have a random thought or thing I want to file on my wiki, I instead just switch to my second desktop and put it in the "notes" file so I don't lose sight of whatever task I'm working on. I have the month-view of Google Calendar in the top-left quadrant, and the week-view in the bottom-left quadrant.
Add random thoughts/ideas you want to remember to a simple text file to be filed away later
Explanation
Use Notepad++ as a quick way to dump all your random thoughts so that you don't waste anymore time thinking about them. You can always return to them later to file them away if you don't want to forget them.
My experiences
I have a misc.txt Notepad++ file that I use to dump all my random thoughts into. If I hear a good song, I'll note the name (or link and timestamp if it's part of a set) there.
Work habits of successful people
Daily routines
no citations :/
Ernest Hemingway
To get started, write one true sentence.
“Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going, I would sit in front of the fire and squeeze the peel of the little oranges into the edge of the flame and watch the sputter of blue that they made. I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, ‘Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now.'”Ernest Hemingway
Always stop for the day while you still know what will happen next.