My most productive periods in life was before I moved in with my girlfriend.
We'd live together on weekends, but not the weekdays. So I'd work on problems all week, and then go visit her, bringing no computer or anything like that.
I always came up with a bunch of solutions to hard problems I'd been working on during those weekends away from the keyboard. They'd just appear in my head one by one, throughout the weekend. All of my most inspired ideas came out of that period. It's as though working activley on a problem spawns a bunch of threads that, without serious time away from the problem, continuously get interrupted and never resolve.
Wake and sleep, workout and rest, prospers in balance. But this also means you can't just hang out in the showers and expect solutions. You have to work on it, then rest.
My most productive time was when I was alone in my mid twenties. I did so much cool stuff that I look back fondly on between 10p and 2a. Once I found a wife and had a kid I have almost no productivity outside of work but I honestly don’t care. Life is good.
‘The real gauge of friendship is how clean your house needs to be before they can come over.’
Back when we were "just" best friends, I'd get offended that my fiance would clean her apartment when casual acquaintances would come over, but would never bother to clean up for me. She finally explained the above to me..
I clean up thoroughly before any guests come. Not because I don’t want them to see a mess. But rather because I feel a lot better when things are tidy and clean and being in a better mood means more enjoyment when friends or family come.
My wife and I invite people over often because it helps us keep the house clean and benefits us overall :).
Efficiency is brittleness. When you cram your time with this or that, you give up resiliency to random shocks, and you shut yourself off from random opportunities.
To a point. I'm not a workaholic by any means, I skew towards working 20 hours weeks. When everything is good, the time off allows me to be incredibly productive. Breakthroughs happen by themselves.
I am, however, prone to anxiety. When things start to become uncertain and I get anxious, I find it's much better for me to take the extra hours head-on and work however much is needed to dig myself out - 30,40, 50, or 60. Otherwise both work and rest become really low-quality as I can never truly procrastinate away from worry. Focused work is the only way through.
Which is one reason why I try to avoid work where there are many emergencies and sudden operational problems. It throws me off my game completely.
Edit: apologies for the typos, not used to posting from my phone :)
My most productive times at work were when I was bored. I worked a job that had a lot of downtime, and while most people spent all that time watching movies and browsing the internet (which I did a little of as well), it also gave me time to identify the problems that made the time I was working more painful. This led me to try to find solutions. I learned to write code to automate various repetitive tasks, wrote documentation to upskill others on the team, built tools that would allow everyone to work faster and easier... this kind of stuff eventually turned into my actual job once the boss saw the impact.
At one point he just told me to think of stuff that would help the team and do it; he then didn't really talk to me again for 2 years. For the first few months I was feeling lazy. I didn't really know wheat to do and felt like I was sitting around a lot. However, by the end of the first year I had more projects than I could handle. Eventually a whole team of 10 people was formed around me to help with all the stuff.
Current management wants to overload everyone with more work than they can handle, after they read the cliff notes about OKRs. Productivity has gone down, the solutions are worse, and chaos is the new normal. I think some time for everyone to take a step back, assess where we're at, and put some practical plans in place on how to move forward, would do the whole organization a lot of good.
I actively treasure my shower thoughts time and have been thinking of doing more of that. One issue is that if I'm in a bad mood, stressed, annoyed at some stupid coworker, etc. my mind will wander in that useless area instead of in the direction of cool problems.
I wish I could enforce this at my current company. Everyone is always “busy” and in meetings and fighting fires from earlier short-term-thinking projects
Performative work is the most common type of work at all workspaces. As soon as promotions happen not on results but on subjective things which is basically all departments apart from sales, performative work becomes the norm.
I read this, took a shower and can now share my own shower thoughts.
Imagine explaining all of this to a person asking you why you're unavailable on a Sunday. It's much easier to just say "my god says so". Depending on the person, it also often gives much higher chances of them respecting your way of life.
I embrace the Christian concept of the seventh day of the week free from work, having arrived here in a completely non-religious way. It's one of the things that made me convinced that there is some value in religion, despite all the corruption and misguided dogmatism on the surface.
>> You step into the shower, stand under the hot water, the aromas of your shampoo and soap lulling you into a relaxed state. Suddenly, your eyes open – the solution to some problem you’ve been struggling with is miraculously clear! [...] When the brain relaxes sufficiently, creative solutions do appear.
I'm getting the same effect with ... alcohol. Took me a while to realize it and it's not easy (winnings outweigh the losses but it's hard - hangovers that is). But so many times it happened that I got stuck trying with no solution to my ongoing problem (finding algorithms to make money in finance) and I tried walking, taking a break etc. Still nothing. Then in frustration, went on an alcoholic binge and out of the physical pain and mental void of the hangover it came out: a new approach that just occurred to me.
So in addition to Reitoff principle, I'm adding here "Michael's lemma" :) "When adding nothing still doesn't work, try 'filling the void'".
I have a lot more free time now, and I can't overstate how useful idle time is. Let ideas simmer!
I get a lot of my best work done when I travel. I spend days holding my bicycle or motorcycle handlebars, free to think but unable to act. All I get are short breaks with pen and paper. By the time I wrap up my vacation I'm eager
This is when I come up with my best ideas. This is when I fire a few emails that turn into lucrative deals. This is when I get to rethink my general position, and make life-altering changes.
I've tried to introduce those breaks in my normal life too. The morning coffee on the balcony, regular walks, cafe hopping. Anything that introduces time to think is good in my book.
I didnt know about this school of thought but came to this same realization after decades of beating myself up for not being productive all the waking hours.
Now I am starting to let go -- of evenings, weeknd days, and even some work days. The world turns all the same even when I fail to send that email before "end-of-day" (12 midnight)
The more you actually rest during rest time, the more it helps. Generally any time with screens strains you a little bit, even if you don't notice it. So if you're always spending time on screens, you'll eventually get really lethargic and worn out.
Is it though? I think most people brought up in the Christian tradition would associate the Sabbath with rules about church attendance and Sunday best, dutiful visits to great aunt Agatha, etc.
Very much not doing nothing, just not doing financially productive work.
Most of our day-of-the-week names are from the Roman planet-based names, so saturday is saturn-day, and sunday is sun-day. Some names have been changed, e.g mercury-day in english is now wednesday (wodans-day, from the Germanic god Wodan), although in French is it still mercury-day (mercredi).
Emperor Constantine I was the one who, in 321 AD, designated sun-day as a day of rest.
"On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed"
[+] [-] marginalia_nu|2 years ago|reply
We'd live together on weekends, but not the weekdays. So I'd work on problems all week, and then go visit her, bringing no computer or anything like that.
I always came up with a bunch of solutions to hard problems I'd been working on during those weekends away from the keyboard. They'd just appear in my head one by one, throughout the weekend. All of my most inspired ideas came out of that period. It's as though working activley on a problem spawns a bunch of threads that, without serious time away from the problem, continuously get interrupted and never resolve.
[+] [-] navane|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] huytersd|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] packetlost|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Aerbil313|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] j45|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lulznews|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] drewg123|2 years ago|reply
Back when we were "just" best friends, I'd get offended that my fiance would clean her apartment when casual acquaintances would come over, but would never bother to clean up for me. She finally explained the above to me..
[+] [-] jmathai|2 years ago|reply
My wife and I invite people over often because it helps us keep the house clean and benefits us overall :).
I agree with the sentiment of this quote though.
[+] [-] readthenotes1|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] capitol_|2 years ago|reply
By scrolling low signal/noise content we block ourselves from this fenomena.
[+] [-] cchi_co|2 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] the_snooze|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zemvpferreira|2 years ago|reply
I am, however, prone to anxiety. When things start to become uncertain and I get anxious, I find it's much better for me to take the extra hours head-on and work however much is needed to dig myself out - 30,40, 50, or 60. Otherwise both work and rest become really low-quality as I can never truly procrastinate away from worry. Focused work is the only way through.
Which is one reason why I try to avoid work where there are many emergencies and sudden operational problems. It throws me off my game completely.
Edit: apologies for the typos, not used to posting from my phone :)
[+] [-] theonething|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] vehementi|2 years ago|reply
What is meant by this?
[+] [-] al_borland|2 years ago|reply
At one point he just told me to think of stuff that would help the team and do it; he then didn't really talk to me again for 2 years. For the first few months I was feeling lazy. I didn't really know wheat to do and felt like I was sitting around a lot. However, by the end of the first year I had more projects than I could handle. Eventually a whole team of 10 people was formed around me to help with all the stuff.
Current management wants to overload everyone with more work than they can handle, after they read the cliff notes about OKRs. Productivity has gone down, the solutions are worse, and chaos is the new normal. I think some time for everyone to take a step back, assess where we're at, and put some practical plans in place on how to move forward, would do the whole organization a lot of good.
[+] [-] vehementi|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sevagh|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cchi_co|2 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] coffeebeqn|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ilrwbwrkhv|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] paweladamczuk|2 years ago|reply
Imagine explaining all of this to a person asking you why you're unavailable on a Sunday. It's much easier to just say "my god says so". Depending on the person, it also often gives much higher chances of them respecting your way of life.
I embrace the Christian concept of the seventh day of the week free from work, having arrived here in a completely non-religious way. It's one of the things that made me convinced that there is some value in religion, despite all the corruption and misguided dogmatism on the surface.
[+] [-] kubanczyk|2 years ago|reply
Jewish idea at its root.
[+] [-] MichaelRo|2 years ago|reply
I'm getting the same effect with ... alcohol. Took me a while to realize it and it's not easy (winnings outweigh the losses but it's hard - hangovers that is). But so many times it happened that I got stuck trying with no solution to my ongoing problem (finding algorithms to make money in finance) and I tried walking, taking a break etc. Still nothing. Then in frustration, went on an alcoholic binge and out of the physical pain and mental void of the hangover it came out: a new approach that just occurred to me.
So in addition to Reitoff principle, I'm adding here "Michael's lemma" :) "When adding nothing still doesn't work, try 'filling the void'".
Related: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/360006563975832665/
[+] [-] geeB|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nicbou|2 years ago|reply
I get a lot of my best work done when I travel. I spend days holding my bicycle or motorcycle handlebars, free to think but unable to act. All I get are short breaks with pen and paper. By the time I wrap up my vacation I'm eager
This is when I come up with my best ideas. This is when I fire a few emails that turn into lucrative deals. This is when I get to rethink my general position, and make life-altering changes.
I've tried to introduce those breaks in my normal life too. The morning coffee on the balcony, regular walks, cafe hopping. Anything that introduces time to think is good in my book.
[+] [-] fuzztester|2 years ago|reply
Hammock Driven Development:
https://youtu.be/f84n5oFoZBc
[+] [-] albert_e|2 years ago|reply
Now I am starting to let go -- of evenings, weeknd days, and even some work days. The world turns all the same even when I fail to send that email before "end-of-day" (12 midnight)
[+] [-] swingingFlyFish|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] apantel|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dudinax|2 years ago|reply
A programmer who's busy at the computer is goofing off.
[+] [-] OJFord|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jasfi|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] chrisweekly|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] card_zero|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kderbyma|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kwhitefoot|2 years ago|reply
Very much not doing nothing, just not doing financially productive work.
[+] [-] kirse|2 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] vehementi|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] HarHarVeryFunny|2 years ago|reply
Emperor Constantine I was the one who, in 321 AD, designated sun-day as a day of rest.
"On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed"
[+] [-] samatman|2 years ago|reply
[deleted]