Ask HN: What is your the best hack to get things done while flying?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19681463

by notomorrow • 7 years ago

2 2 7 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

mrmondo• 7 years ago

By flying so you mean flying an aircraft or flying as metaphor for doing your job (well)?

davismwfl• 7 years ago

Assuming you mean while you are flying from one place to another. I traveled for years as a consultant and here is what I figured out and still use to this day.

With rare exception I never work on a plane anymore, I'll watch movies, I'll read a physical book, but in general I use it as a time to refresh and unplug for even just a few hours. The two exceptions are for short flights when I am going to do a presentation or similar and only on a plane for an hour or so, then I'll go over my presentation etc. Or on the long international flights (16-20 hrs in a plane), I'll generally stick to my no work policy but sometimes do enjoy learning/practicing a new technology during that time, and I do not use plane wifi pretty much ever.

The learning/practicing a new tech without having access to Google & Stackoverflow is a good way to force yourself through reading API's etc (I usually download API docs/libraries ahead of time). So this takes a little preplanning but I find I learn things better and retain them better than if I had access to Google/Stackoverflow et al. If you want to call it a hack, this is probably my "plane hack" since it lets me learn a skill or toolset better then if I was connected to Internet.

Ask HN: What is your the best hack to get things done while flying?

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