Ask HN: What do you do to get into "work mode"?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2662563

by blhack • 15 years ago

10 17 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

For me, I'll turn my phone off, close my email, close the door on my office, and shut the lights off.

It's just me, some music (lately the Tron OST [the daft punk thing]), and a couple of VIM sessions.

The amount of quality work I've been able to get done in the last couple of weeks by employing this has been outstanding.

The next best thing is to stay really late, after everybody has left.

Something that I really struggle with at work is interruptions. People don't realize it, but stopping in to just say hi is very distracting. The threat of a manager stopping in to get a progress report on what I'm up to at that very moment can also be very distracting, which is why working after hours is so nice for me. (The threat of somebody stopping in is gone).

Howabout you, HN, what are you productivity hacks?

(And yes, I realize that I'm being a complete prima donna with this. The problem is that I've been given a couple of impossible deadlines in the last couple of weeks, and my boss has basically given me a "do whatever you need to to get it done" pass)

vbrenny3• 15 years ago

I use to put my headphones and have some instrumental music playing, mid-loud. Preferably some fast (but not aggressive) tunes - it feels like my brain is 'overclocked'. I don't like lyrics because I always end up paying attention to it. Helps me getting focused, avoid distractions (by signaling to people that you're busy and concentrated AND not letting you hear external noises) and gets me an 'isolated from the world' sensation.

blhack4• 15 years ago

I tried the headphones thing for a long time, but it would usually result in people just coming over and knocking on my desk until I looked at them.

They'd then give a little polite smile and a "Hey, huh, are you busy? Whatcha doin?"

I feel like a jerk literally shutting the lights off (so they think I'm not here), but it does seem to be working (things are getting done, I mean).

vbrenny3• 15 years ago

Well.. the whole ideia is to give out the message of 'I'm busy'. I have coworkers that use unplugged headphones, just to get the message delivered. Of course, it works only if other people understand this signal.

You can try to use some form of humor to disguise it.. try a little warning sign with something like 'DO NOT DISTURB: Genius doing science'. People will, at least, stop at the sign to take a closer look and you will be aware that they are coming, not scaring you.

ben1040• 15 years ago

The next best thing is to stay really late, after everybody has left.

I don't have an office to hide in, so when I'm on a deadline at work, I'll just come in late and leave really late. I get a ton more done when I'm there alone and nobody else is around to corner me.

For side projects, I'll go to the library. For centuries the library has come with the expectation that it's the place where you go to be serious. It works.

blhack4• 15 years ago

Sadly, I'm not allowed to come in late. Staying late means that I'm eating into my own personal time.

There was an article a while ago talking about how geeks never negotiate to be payed properly. Most of them will just shut up as soon as they're making enough to pay their bills on time. As long as they're not worried about being evicted from their house, or having their car repo'd, they're fine.

I think this is because a lot of geeks have a genuine interest in their jobs. To me, writing good code, or shipping good products is a pride issue. I'm not really doing it because I'm making money, I'm doing it because I enjoy it.

I mean...when I go home, I read about coding, I write code, I write about coding, I think about coding etc. I love it.

So staying late, while it can be annoying, isn't really so bad. I'm doing the same thing at work that I would be at home, and my computer at work is a whole lot nicer than my computer at home.

freshhawk• 15 years ago

Funny, I've had the Tron OST on a loop at work for the last few weeks as well. I definitely find that instrumental music is the way to go, especially if it is upbeat or energetic.

Lately I also pull up my org-mode work journal file, create a new entry for the day and find my next actions for the project i'm working on. Then I start my 25 minute time-boxing timer, the only anti-procrastination thing that's ever worked for me.

blhack4• 15 years ago

Time boxing timer?

Thieum22• 15 years ago

http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/

veyron• 15 years ago

Drive! I particularly enjoy the 78th street road through central park -- with the top down and the hip hop on 12.

Driving is a great stress release (assuming you can control yourself) and acts as a sort of forced context switch (so you have those few moments when you get back, before being inundated with other tasks, when nothing and no one can interrupt you)

My music, of course, is hilariously offensive hip hop and rap (the lyrics in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK-BC27NdHs are particularly NSFW but it gets the juices flowing)

blhack4• 15 years ago

Driving is a good one. I still say that some of the most mentally productive years of my life were when I had a 45 minute each-way commute in a jeep with no CD player.

The things I came up with during those drives were awesome :).

gohat• 15 years ago

I have a routine that keeps me productive. Basically, I get to work the same time most days, even drinking coffee at the same time and such, as well as taking breaks at the same time.

It's a little repetitive but it works great to keep me productive as I'm self-employed.

vbrenny3• 15 years ago

I worked for some time as self-employed.. The hardest part was to maintain discipline. And I've got to the same conclusion: routine. What makes your life seem boring when you're an employee, is what keeps you from procrastinating all day when you are self-employed.

sjayman• 15 years ago

Turn off Hacker News, and other news. Also your browser if you really don't need it for work

azsromej• 15 years ago

I'm self-employed and make it a point to sit down and start working at the same time each day, just as if I had a normal job. That's not always enough. If I find myself reluctant to start a task I pick something easier, maybe even fun, and start with that instead. That usually pulls me in and gets me rolling.

The Tron soundtrack has worked well for me too as far as music. I was tired of it but then discovered the two-disc version and extras (15 extra tracks)

AnthonBerg• 15 years ago

Get out of the house.

Work in new places. This library, a cafe, that library.

Exercise.

Meditate.

sdfjkl• 15 years ago

Music that puts your brain into flow[1] - I have a special playlist for that. The Tron soundtrack fits well if you omit the parts of Jeff Bridges talking - background talk is extremely distracting.

Exit email - I check it mornings, lunch and half an hour before stopping work. Omit mornings if you're already motivated to get right into your actual work.

Get a quiet, distraction-free environment. If you don't have an office with a door, claim a meeting room. Put a "don't disturb or I'll cut you" sign on the door. Be prepared to cut invaders until they learn. Tell them to email you and expect to wait half a day for a response. Tell your manager how important it is not to be disturbed and get them on your side (assuming they want you to get stuff done, that shouldn't be too hard), so they protect you from invaders instead of being one. Working from home can work, if you don't have family or other distractions around.

Staying late works, but your brain is probably not at it's best performance near the end of a working day.

Keep a to-do list[2] and go over it once a day, prioritising important tasks and breaking items that are too complex ("write LDAP authentication plugin") down into simpler steps ("find python module for LDAP support", "figure out our LDAp server's hostname", ...).

Take breaks. If you're stumped on something, go take a quick break (I make myself a cup of tea), but keep the problem in mind and don't interact with others during your break if possible. You will sometimes find that a great solution comes to you without thinking about it (because the non-dominant part of your brain will submit solutions).[3]

If you're really stumped, worked on another part of the problem and come back later. You might come up with a good solution while sleeping on it or working on the other part.

Phones are an evil relic of the past, when people thought they had a right to intrude on other peoples time whenever they pleased. Turn it off. If you're writing code for a living, only your boss and your SO should have your phone number and they should damn well know to not use it unless there's a real emergency that requires your immediate attention.

And last but not least: Make sure you're working on something you WANT to work on. Otherwise you will procrastinate, no matter the consequences. If you are working on something you don't give a shit about, or worse, you actively hate your work, think about why and go fix it.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

[2] http://culturedcode.com/things/ (Mac) or http://www.rememberthemilk.com/ (Web) are nice

[3] can't find this article: How the classic concept of brain hemispheres is wrong, but we still have dominant and subordinate "halves" and how most techies are logical dominated and the non-dominant "half" will only get a word in if the dominant part shuts up for a moment (which is why you have good ideas whilst going for a walk, taking a shower or making a cup of tea)

ulisesroche• 15 years ago

The best trick I know is one I stole from Ernest Hemingway, that is to always stop working when you're doing good, and don't think or worry about your work until you start again the next day.

Ask HN: What do you do to get into "work mode"?

Related Stories