Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study?
The topic is very important to me, and I believe it should be important for any learner. I read Deep Work and loved it, but I think it is just one step in the right direction. We need to think more about it. How to lose yourself with the book or in your work. That skill that became very rare. I am assuming that there is knowledge out there somewhere that could help. So do you have any tricks for that other than the usual (like quitting social media)?
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Here's a trick that works for me that's totally impractical, but is a hint/roadmap to finding a repeatable system:
I've been doing a lot of travel to Europe lately, and the return flight has become my greatest deep work experience ever. I enjoy it so much that I actually look forward to it now and wish I could do it more than ~4 times a year.
I fly either Zurich or Frankfurt to SFO on United and get an economy bulkhead seat (nobody in front to recline). Wifi is solid. In-seat power. It's a ~12 hour day flight (leave around 1pm CET, land 4pm PT). It's dark since many people sleep so they turn the lights off and close the shades. There's enough ambient noise to be calming without annoying. There are zero distractions otherwise. The are regular coffee refills on-demand.
Every time I've done this flight (I've done it 6 times now) I get into a solid and excellent flow state. I've accomplished more on various coding projects in that one flight than sometimes in a week or two of regular at-home time.
Obviously as I said it's not practical to fly around the world to get work done :) But I try to use that as a roadmap for setting up an environment at home to emulate it as much as possible.
I've been doing a lot of travel to Europe lately, and the return flight has become my greatest deep work experience ever. I enjoy it so much that I actually look forward to it now and wish I could do it more than ~4 times a year.
I fly either Zurich or Frankfurt to SFO on United and get an economy bulkhead seat (nobody in front to recline). Wifi is solid. In-seat power. It's a ~12 hour day flight (leave around 1pm CET, land 4pm PT). It's dark since many people sleep so they turn the lights off and close the shades. There's enough ambient noise to be calming without annoying. There are zero distractions otherwise. The are regular coffee refills on-demand.
Every time I've done this flight (I've done it 6 times now) I get into a solid and excellent flow state. I've accomplished more on various coding projects in that one flight than sometimes in a week or two of regular at-home time.
Obviously as I said it's not practical to fly around the world to get work done :) But I try to use that as a roadmap for setting up an environment at home to emulate it as much as possible.
I think a good part of the focus I too experience on flights is the nice vibration/noise profile.
I recently replicated the noise I remember from my last flight (quite a while ago) on mynoise and dubbed it "Airplane vibes":
https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/whiteRainNoiseGenerator.ph...
It manages to drown out people talking outside your headphones while comfortably allowing you to listen to something playing on the inside.
I recently replicated the noise I remember from my last flight (quite a while ago) on mynoise and dubbed it "Airplane vibes":
https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/whiteRainNoiseGenerator.ph...
It manages to drown out people talking outside your headphones while comfortably allowing you to listen to something playing on the inside.
That’s great! Thanks for the link. I’ll give it a shot at home today :)
I personally have never succeeded at deep work on flights, but I found that long haul flights are excellent time for reflection and journaling. I can’t stay awake long enough to get deep flow state, but reflection is quite doable and maybe even improved by involuntary napping.
> Obviously as I said it's not practical to fly around the world to get work done
A friend of mine finished her novel through repeated long-haul flights from JFK. The on-going expense alone is motivating.
A friend of mine finished her novel through repeated long-haul flights from JFK. The on-going expense alone is motivating.
I just would like to say that requiring a flight to be able to focus is absolutely ridiculous.
I think the question already starts off in the wrong direction. There are no tricks which solve the problems completely. It would be like asking for a trick to gain muscles or a trick to learn Spanish. The trick for both is: do the work. I'd argue that it is the same for focus. For example, Einstein was able to work through the sound of his crying baby [1]. Ignoring the questionable fatherhood practices, it shows that Einstein did not need a trick to get into the flow.
Doing the work implies that you optimize for doing the work. For one, that means reducing the number of possible distractions. Two great examples are Donald Knuth and Linus Torvalds. Knuth, doesn't read his emails or letters for extended periods of time and Linus' workplace is a desk staring straight to a white wall. Both people have clearly optimized for avoiding distractions and they seem to have come quite far with their lifes. If you want to hear a similar message about cutting distractions from an ex-Navy SEAL, then see Jocko [2].
Note that my examples do assume an, lets say, average Hacker News individual. Of course, if you have ADD or live under the poverty line then hearing that you "should just focus" is as unhelpful as telling a depressed person to be happy.
[1]: Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson [2]: https://youtu.be/WAiZqtxbvYQ
I think the question already starts off in the wrong direction. There are no tricks which solve the problems completely. It would be like asking for a trick to gain muscles or a trick to learn Spanish. The trick for both is: do the work. I'd argue that it is the same for focus. For example, Einstein was able to work through the sound of his crying baby [1]. Ignoring the questionable fatherhood practices, it shows that Einstein did not need a trick to get into the flow.
Doing the work implies that you optimize for doing the work. For one, that means reducing the number of possible distractions. Two great examples are Donald Knuth and Linus Torvalds. Knuth, doesn't read his emails or letters for extended periods of time and Linus' workplace is a desk staring straight to a white wall. Both people have clearly optimized for avoiding distractions and they seem to have come quite far with their lifes. If you want to hear a similar message about cutting distractions from an ex-Navy SEAL, then see Jocko [2].
Note that my examples do assume an, lets say, average Hacker News individual. Of course, if you have ADD or live under the poverty line then hearing that you "should just focus" is as unhelpful as telling a depressed person to be happy.
[1]: Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson [2]: https://youtu.be/WAiZqtxbvYQ
That Einstien anecdote sounds more like ADHD. Despite the general impression being that it causes lack of focus, its sometimes better thought of as an inability to choose what to focus on. Getting absorbed into something they are passionateky interested in is sometimes described as a positive aspect of ADHD.
I just googled and a bunch of people think he may have had ADHD, but I'd guess thats true of basically any combination of famous person and mental health issue.
I just googled and a bunch of people think he may have had ADHD, but I'd guess thats true of basically any combination of famous person and mental health issue.
> For example, Einstein was able to work through the sound of his crying baby [1].
OMG, as someone who is very irritable and has trouble focusing through any kind of noise, this sounds like a superpower. I'm guessing it's largely genetic.
OMG, as someone who is very irritable and has trouble focusing through any kind of noise, this sounds like a superpower. I'm guessing it's largely genetic.
Your [2] (Jocko) is essentially "don't focus on things that don't matter"
I hope, for maximum irony, the novel features climate change as a plot point.
Don’t worry the physical print will capture that carbon back!
Thanks for sharing. This and the parent are interesting anecdotes. It reveals the “cost” of the environment for “deep work”, and therein the price / value of deep work to these individuals. This is an expensive and impactful price to pay to achieve a higher state of mind. How can the environment be recreated on demand (just like a long haul flight schedule) with less cost and environmental impact?
Sit in the back seat of your car while parked. Get a friend to bring you some microwaved meals every 4 hours.
I have found I am able to finish a good book on long flights like this. Work not so much.
Sounds interesting. Hope you find a way to replicate it cheaply.
[deleted]
I have a ritual and some rules:
I mentally prepare 30-60 minutes beforehand.
A cup of coffee is nice and warm while I read HN, check socials, etc. It perks me up, puts me on a track.
Work is distant here. It's going to happen, but it's not important now.
I finish my coffee at the pace I finish reading, clean up, and then setup my work space.
This is vital to me. The more work I put into ergonomics early on, the less I have to readjust later.
I have a set of rules to follow for efficiency.
1. I need minimal distractions. Headphones and instrumental music work great for me personally. Visually I can focus on a rectangular screen and that becomes a visual boundary for me. Among other people I set rigid boundaries.
2. I need minimal movement to accomplish a task. My peripherals are in arm's reach. If I need to break from work it takes maybe two motions maximum to set aside anything I'm using. Coming back to work, just reverse the motions.
I then focus on reassessing the problem(s) I left the previous day.
I find the smallest problem I can fix and gradually descend into larger structural issues I would like to solve or build. With my design these are usually emergent as I take the small problems, but the benefits are double-fold because I like to ease in and gain confidence as I work. It's like starting a marathon at a steady pace versus a sprint I guess.
Rinse and repeat. Take breaks. If you are having issues with some deep work, pull yourself up and give yourself a mental snack like (for gamedev) a simple shader that you can just play around with.
Nothing wrong with checking socials or your phone, but I physically go somewhere else. To me, it's an invitation into my workspace and because this space is sacred for me, I can determine what signals come and go.
My 2c.
I mentally prepare 30-60 minutes beforehand.
A cup of coffee is nice and warm while I read HN, check socials, etc. It perks me up, puts me on a track.
Work is distant here. It's going to happen, but it's not important now.
I finish my coffee at the pace I finish reading, clean up, and then setup my work space.
This is vital to me. The more work I put into ergonomics early on, the less I have to readjust later.
I have a set of rules to follow for efficiency.
1. I need minimal distractions. Headphones and instrumental music work great for me personally. Visually I can focus on a rectangular screen and that becomes a visual boundary for me. Among other people I set rigid boundaries.
2. I need minimal movement to accomplish a task. My peripherals are in arm's reach. If I need to break from work it takes maybe two motions maximum to set aside anything I'm using. Coming back to work, just reverse the motions.
I then focus on reassessing the problem(s) I left the previous day.
I find the smallest problem I can fix and gradually descend into larger structural issues I would like to solve or build. With my design these are usually emergent as I take the small problems, but the benefits are double-fold because I like to ease in and gain confidence as I work. It's like starting a marathon at a steady pace versus a sprint I guess.
Rinse and repeat. Take breaks. If you are having issues with some deep work, pull yourself up and give yourself a mental snack like (for gamedev) a simple shader that you can just play around with.
Nothing wrong with checking socials or your phone, but I physically go somewhere else. To me, it's an invitation into my workspace and because this space is sacred for me, I can determine what signals come and go.
My 2c.
One weird trick I use is to listen to a particular kind of music. The genre isn't important. Neither is the content. What's important is that I've listened to that same music while experiencing a flow state in the past.
Just as music attached to a time and place can make us remember how we felt back then, music attached to memories of deep work can make us feel more focused. I don't have any sources to back this up. It's just my personal experience.
Just as music attached to a time and place can make us remember how we felt back then, music attached to memories of deep work can make us feel more focused. I don't have any sources to back this up. It's just my personal experience.
Agreed. Often times it's easier for me when the music doesn't have lyrics (although if I've listened to it enough times, even that stops mattering).
Lately my flow music is Xerrox, Vol. 4 by alva noto[1].
[1] https://album.link/s/5czmSKJDla5GcXs6IMOLAc
Lately my flow music is Xerrox, Vol. 4 by alva noto[1].
[1] https://album.link/s/5czmSKJDla5GcXs6IMOLAc
Can't recommend CodeRadio[0] enough for this purpose.
0: https://coderadio.freecodecamp.org/
0: https://coderadio.freecodecamp.org/
This resonates very much with me - I've been carrying around a playlist I discovered on 8tracks ("Homework at Hogwarts") for years now that I play when I need to focus and get something done.
I noticed the same thing. It has to be music without lyrics in my case, and I built up a special playlist just for work.
In case anyone is interested.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5w6Kxs4XOrYJ633klaxIfQ
I did a course where they played the same playlist before the next part of the course after the break.
The last two songs were:
Danger zone
We will rock you
Chosen for their relative lengths!
You know when danger zone is on there is one song left, it gives about 4 minutes for everyone to kinda get ready, finish coffees etc.
Then we will rock you is short so once everyone is kinda ready it’s not long before the lesson starts.
The last two songs were:
Danger zone
We will rock you
Chosen for their relative lengths!
You know when danger zone is on there is one song left, it gives about 4 minutes for everyone to kinda get ready, finish coffees etc.
Then we will rock you is short so once everyone is kinda ready it’s not long before the lesson starts.
I listen to SomaFM's Drone Zone channel on noise-cancelling headphones when I program. It broadcasts "drone" music – no lyrics, very little rhythm, melody or harmony – the music concentrates mainly on sound texture. And of course, no ads. Can't recommend it enough.
Ozric Tentacles for me. With the exception of two songs that I can think of in their 30-album catalog, there are no vocalizations. Just trippy psychedelic space rock. It may not work for everyone, but it puts me in the zone and I can code without lyrical distraction.
same! I'll usually listen to chillhop tracks and it helps, and usually I'll just shuffle the same songs. And they can't be really good songs or that'll distract me.
Sometimes I'll also listen to Russian songs, weirdly that does it for me (I don't speak Russian)
Sometimes I'll also listen to Russian songs, weirdly that does it for me (I don't speak Russian)
did my PhD from A to Z listening to the same songza, then google play music, now youtube music station. I still listen to it while working.
I cannot relate more to what has been said above.
I cannot relate more to what has been said above.
Music with lyrics takes me out of the zone so for me it has to be instrumental only.
Usually I find that if I'm not making progress, there is very specifically one things I'm avoiding. So I just make it my goal to make a little progress on that piece. And usually once I get into it, I find that it's not so bad, and soon I've made much more progress than I planned to.
Don't know if that counts as deep work, but it is a technique I've used repeatedly over the years and had good success with.
Don't know if that counts as deep work, but it is a technique I've used repeatedly over the years and had good success with.
Breaking through barriers to get into flow while not working helps me get into flow on demand at work.
Cardio helps me get into flow state. At 15-20 mins my body goes on autopilot and my mind begins to go in and out of flow.
Meditation. I’m still new at this but it helps clear my head and allows me to silence my brain.
Practicing these two disciplines has made huge improvements to my cognitive function.
Cardio helps me get into flow state. At 15-20 mins my body goes on autopilot and my mind begins to go in and out of flow.
Meditation. I’m still new at this but it helps clear my head and allows me to silence my brain.
Practicing these two disciplines has made huge improvements to my cognitive function.
No one has really mentioned mindfulness (the "muscle" or "skill" grown by the exercise of meditation)
It seems like the real question in this thread is "How do I avoid being distracted" more than anything else.
The best analogy I can give you is a good state of mindfulness is like a really strong windows task manager. You can actually see the processes of your mind, like thoughts popping up and begin to take up system resources. If you are mindful you can see this with much more clarity than if you don't have a meditation practice. With the clarity gives the side-effect of "control"
It seems like the real question in this thread is "How do I avoid being distracted" more than anything else.
The best analogy I can give you is a good state of mindfulness is like a really strong windows task manager. You can actually see the processes of your mind, like thoughts popping up and begin to take up system resources. If you are mindful you can see this with much more clarity than if you don't have a meditation practice. With the clarity gives the side-effect of "control"
I think a lot of people learn mindfulness/meditation as just a sitting there process, but there's a lot more to it than that.
For some, it's dealing with repressed feelings - you're still angry at an ex, jealous of someone, traumatized by an event, fearful of your survival, and so on, and that feeling DDoSes your mind. Mindfulness clears it up, though too much can be hazardous in this situation.
For some, it's willpower training. Sitting there for 10 minutes trying to think of nothing is like a form of torture. It strengthens the 'muscle' of your 'do not' willpower as well as the 'do' willpower. Most will 'fail' at it, but like a good workout, failure means progression.
The next stage is concentration training. You develop a habit where, when you're idle, you intensify concentration rather than become apathetic and drowsy. Full lotus position is a cliché, but it's designed as the best posture to sit and focus intently for hours. A lot of other monk clichés - asceticism, segregation from other sexes, and so on are designed to get you into this stage as fast as possible.
Once you clear those stages, the higher level is sensitivity training. You meditate on a thing. It can be a breath or mantra. It can be a flame or your reflection in a pond. It can be a sore spot on your back, or a meal. Then you go into it in incredible detail. Feel the air going in and out of your lungs. Feel your chest moving, the air on your skin, the gravity, your own thoughts tugging at your mind, and so on.
Past all this is enlightenment. You become so sensitive to the world, and so aware of your own body, and the little internal forces, that it all starts to come together.
After enough stages, you should be able to command your attention perfectly at where you want it to be.
For some, it's dealing with repressed feelings - you're still angry at an ex, jealous of someone, traumatized by an event, fearful of your survival, and so on, and that feeling DDoSes your mind. Mindfulness clears it up, though too much can be hazardous in this situation.
For some, it's willpower training. Sitting there for 10 minutes trying to think of nothing is like a form of torture. It strengthens the 'muscle' of your 'do not' willpower as well as the 'do' willpower. Most will 'fail' at it, but like a good workout, failure means progression.
The next stage is concentration training. You develop a habit where, when you're idle, you intensify concentration rather than become apathetic and drowsy. Full lotus position is a cliché, but it's designed as the best posture to sit and focus intently for hours. A lot of other monk clichés - asceticism, segregation from other sexes, and so on are designed to get you into this stage as fast as possible.
Once you clear those stages, the higher level is sensitivity training. You meditate on a thing. It can be a breath or mantra. It can be a flame or your reflection in a pond. It can be a sore spot on your back, or a meal. Then you go into it in incredible detail. Feel the air going in and out of your lungs. Feel your chest moving, the air on your skin, the gravity, your own thoughts tugging at your mind, and so on.
Past all this is enlightenment. You become so sensitive to the world, and so aware of your own body, and the little internal forces, that it all starts to come together.
After enough stages, you should be able to command your attention perfectly at where you want it to be.
I wrote a bit about it in another reply[0].
- Disconnect from the internet
- Unplug your laptop from the charger, or go somewhere else
See how much work you can get done on a single laptop charge, without internet. No commute these days? Leave your charger in another room and start working. Once you get in the zone, you'll find it hard to leave to get your charger, similar to how you delay going to the bathroom when watching a movie, even though you could just hit pause.
You'll be surprised. By the time your laptop's battery is at 6% or 5% you'll be slaying dragons.
This is extremely useful when you want to implement a feature or fix a bug and you've been dragging your feet. The code doesn't need to be great, but you'll often have a prototype/proof of concept with the rightish abstraction, which you've been dragging your feet on.
Some of my most effective work was done on a bus: "Come what may, I have 40 minutes to solve this issue". When I did it twice a day, that's a lot of issues taken off the backlog.
It also works with learning something you've been delaying. "I have 40 minutes to go through this tutorial on Kubernetes/Docker". I won't learn all the subtleties, but it does work.
Call it Bus/car Driven Development, or Battery Driven Development. Basically introducing a hard, physical, constraint that is a bit more real than a pomodoro timer. You actually have to get off the bus/car, or the laptop actually dies. It's more exciting than an alarm going off.
- [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23547259
- Disconnect from the internet
- Unplug your laptop from the charger, or go somewhere else
See how much work you can get done on a single laptop charge, without internet. No commute these days? Leave your charger in another room and start working. Once you get in the zone, you'll find it hard to leave to get your charger, similar to how you delay going to the bathroom when watching a movie, even though you could just hit pause.
You'll be surprised. By the time your laptop's battery is at 6% or 5% you'll be slaying dragons.
This is extremely useful when you want to implement a feature or fix a bug and you've been dragging your feet. The code doesn't need to be great, but you'll often have a prototype/proof of concept with the rightish abstraction, which you've been dragging your feet on.
Some of my most effective work was done on a bus: "Come what may, I have 40 minutes to solve this issue". When I did it twice a day, that's a lot of issues taken off the backlog.
It also works with learning something you've been delaying. "I have 40 minutes to go through this tutorial on Kubernetes/Docker". I won't learn all the subtleties, but it does work.
Call it Bus/car Driven Development, or Battery Driven Development. Basically introducing a hard, physical, constraint that is a bit more real than a pomodoro timer. You actually have to get off the bus/car, or the laptop actually dies. It's more exciting than an alarm going off.
- [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23547259
I'm ADHD so Deep Work is one of the only two modes I have. I'm always in it when I'm doing what I want. When I'm not in it I'm usually being required by someone else to perform a task, in which case the mode I'm in is generally disinterested, uncooperative, aloof and constantly thinking about when can I get back to doing what I want to do?
My brain is only ever comfortable in Deep Work mode.
My brain is only ever comfortable in Deep Work mode.
I'm the same, although I add a third: lots of caffeine + adderall is interesting to say the least.
This for me. And deciding a given day is only for work. I shower then read while the two brain enhancers kick in. At some point I feel impatient to work, and I am off!
Being able to dedicate whole days is a luxury. But in reality most days I get a lot done I will eventually run out of steam with great feelings from accomplishment.
Then I am often motivated to do the simpler tasks I normally avoid.
Being able to dedicate whole days is a luxury. But in reality most days I get a lot done I will eventually run out of steam with great feelings from accomplishment.
Then I am often motivated to do the simpler tasks I normally avoid.
Get my phone out of sight, disable access to websites that distract me, put on some music with no lyrics and low musical movement (often OSTs for movies or games). I also have a separate fun and work computer which helps it be a distinct environment.
More abstract, I got rid of social media and started reading again in order to increase my attention span. "Feed" style sites decimated my ability to concentrate.
More abstract, I got rid of social media and started reading again in order to increase my attention span. "Feed" style sites decimated my ability to concentrate.
Soundtracks definitely. Jazz too although I find using vinyl for this too distracting. I generally fire up a streaming service or an old 5 cd carousel player full of CDs. I also get grumpy during work that requires extended concentration which helps a lot as the long suffering family knows not to interrupt :-)
My best bet is throwing on some noise cancelling headphones and putting on some ambient music like lofi or acoustic. It doesn't always work but I'd say it increases the probability of getting into a deep work session by ~25%. But sometimes it just doesn't happen, the important thing is to sit down and try.
chilled cow playlist on spotify with ANC headphones.
I’ve tried many things (sticking to a routine, creating a plan, creating an accountability system) but at the end of the day:
1. Getting into flow state on a conscious level implies that you are already there on a subconscious one.
2. Practically speaking to get into flow you need two components: Passion (you have to be driven by whatever it is you’re going to; “because I have to” won’t cut it. It won’t click.) and discipline (basically keeping temptations under control.)
1. Getting into flow state on a conscious level implies that you are already there on a subconscious one.
2. Practically speaking to get into flow you need two components: Passion (you have to be driven by whatever it is you’re going to; “because I have to” won’t cut it. It won’t click.) and discipline (basically keeping temptations under control.)
To your second point: I find that I can be passionate about almost any problem that needs solving, but only if I manage to sufficiently immerse myself in that challenge. This is where the struggle is at for me, to keep my focus on a task long enough to reach that zone. Some days it is easy, other days it is impossible. Other days I manage to force myself into it, but it takes time.
Eliminate anything that is a distraction to you.
For me that means absolute silence (which means I can't ever get any work done in an open office). In these covid times I've rented a small private office very close to the house where I can hole up and concentrate (I have a younger child so silence isn't happening at home).
I turn off all notifications from every possible source. No emails, no slack, no phone. (My phone is always 100% on mute for everything, except calls from my wife in case there's an emergency).
Maybe most importantly, I take 20-30 minutes in the evening to make a plan on what to work on the next day. In the morning I just work on what I pre-planned. I will not check email or slack or anything at all until I've done 3-4 hours of solid work. Only then I'll check email in case there's anything new to care about. As soon as I check these communications the day tends to go downhill on distractions from dozens of discussion threads so I won't get anything else done in the day. But I banked in those 3-4 hours in the morning on progress.
When times are slow, sure, I'll check email/slack in the morning and won't get anything done all day.
For me that means absolute silence (which means I can't ever get any work done in an open office). In these covid times I've rented a small private office very close to the house where I can hole up and concentrate (I have a younger child so silence isn't happening at home).
I turn off all notifications from every possible source. No emails, no slack, no phone. (My phone is always 100% on mute for everything, except calls from my wife in case there's an emergency).
Maybe most importantly, I take 20-30 minutes in the evening to make a plan on what to work on the next day. In the morning I just work on what I pre-planned. I will not check email or slack or anything at all until I've done 3-4 hours of solid work. Only then I'll check email in case there's anything new to care about. As soon as I check these communications the day tends to go downhill on distractions from dozens of discussion threads so I won't get anything else done in the day. But I banked in those 3-4 hours in the morning on progress.
When times are slow, sure, I'll check email/slack in the morning and won't get anything done all day.
Deadmau5 - Pets 1 & 2, on repeat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v61qetbCLU0
My best bet on getting into a flow when I am working or learning is having a routine that puts me in a state of mind that I am showing up to something instead of sitting through whatever I am going to do.
That means you're probably not going to experience any flow when you're just starting on something.
Anecdotally, I find it a very transferrable skill, which, once acquired from one subject or activity, would boost your capability to apply in another.
I suppose that's why meditation and yoga have been all over the place these days, as it goes along the same line of logic. On that note, perhaps just mediate and do yoga.
That means you're probably not going to experience any flow when you're just starting on something.
Anecdotally, I find it a very transferrable skill, which, once acquired from one subject or activity, would boost your capability to apply in another.
I suppose that's why meditation and yoga have been all over the place these days, as it goes along the same line of logic. On that note, perhaps just mediate and do yoga.
I pomodoro, like others have mentioned, but I find it works really well with extensive logging. I log that I completed a pomodoro and what I learned or discovered, sometimes cross-referencing other notes. I also sometimes log what I intend to get done during a pomodoro’s worth of work. The end product is the closest thing I’ll have to a lab notebook. The end product is really useful over different time scales: standups, one-on-ones, those annual self-evaluations where you have to try to remember everything you did last year...
If I can't get into flow it's because the problem I'm working on isn't interesting enough.
I can relate. I had the write code to interface with a legacy backend once -- it was dreary.
Flow implies a certain degree of momentum/autopilot, or at least a state where one thing flows into another. It's kinda like hitting a set of green traffic lights and you get to cruise right through. Unfortunately, when the underlying problem is really disjointed, adjusting environmental factors don't really help.
I guess one way to solve the problem is to break it down into little pieces, brute force through them, and see if they lead anywhere. Once you get past the activation energy, then flow starts to happen.
Flow implies a certain degree of momentum/autopilot, or at least a state where one thing flows into another. It's kinda like hitting a set of green traffic lights and you get to cruise right through. Unfortunately, when the underlying problem is really disjointed, adjusting environmental factors don't really help.
I guess one way to solve the problem is to break it down into little pieces, brute force through them, and see if they lead anywhere. Once you get past the activation energy, then flow starts to happen.
I am personally being affected by distraction from every direction. I do not have the luxury of a silent room, or even setting aside quite hours in a day without external distraction. I help dad in his business, so I might be required to help at any moment of the day. Its not that i don't want to help, but i cannot stay focused and my productivity takes hit.
I don't know why i am saying this here. Any hint on how i can stay focused on problem/study at hand, like always.
I don't know why i am saying this here. Any hint on how i can stay focused on problem/study at hand, like always.
This will probably be missed but unplug your internet and put your phone in another room. I have offline docs and stackoverflow questions for everything that I need to build and plenty of examples from other projects already on my machine.
All you need to do is remove distractions and temptations and make the thing you want to do but are easily pulled away from the most interesting thing to do within your immediate reach.
All you need to do is remove distractions and temptations and make the thing you want to do but are easily pulled away from the most interesting thing to do within your immediate reach.
I think it's first important to know what you're studying and how many subjects you're studying. This article https://leveragethoughts.substack.com/p/do-not-engage-the-mi... will help you out on this
It's incredibly common to find smart people trying to engage their mind in the intense pursuit of too many things at once. Therefore it's important that one narrows their focus.
Once the above is done, you need create a schedule to do deep work. The schedule should be frequent and consistent.
Deep work is achieved when you're in the state of flow. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has a great book called Flow:The Psychology of Happiness which you can find at https://amzn.to/2F4QR80
You also need to ensure that you have the right environment to do deep work. What a right environment is a bit subjective. What's important is that your environment does not have anything competing for your attention.
It's incredibly common to find smart people trying to engage their mind in the intense pursuit of too many things at once. Therefore it's important that one narrows their focus.
Once the above is done, you need create a schedule to do deep work. The schedule should be frequent and consistent.
Deep work is achieved when you're in the state of flow. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has a great book called Flow:The Psychology of Happiness which you can find at https://amzn.to/2F4QR80
You also need to ensure that you have the right environment to do deep work. What a right environment is a bit subjective. What's important is that your environment does not have anything competing for your attention.
For me, the key is set and setting.
I go somewhere without other people, silence notifications, and start working while listening to light music or a familiar audiobook/podcast/etc.
There's nothing magic about listening to things, but over the years I've avoided doing things other than creative or deep work while sitting alone in a room half-listening to something, and now when I do that my mind sort of takes the hint.
Back in college, I saw a lot of people do this sort of thing to study. You'd see the same people at the same library tables week after week, friends didn't let friends study in bed because beds were mostly for sleeping, and there were always a few people who staggered unsteadily into exams to try the whole "state-dependent memory" thing. It wasn't particularly evidence-based, but after a few years of wildly oscillating between thinking about different topics, you notice that your brain likes to associate modes of thought with sensory input. I doubt my experience is unique there.
I go somewhere without other people, silence notifications, and start working while listening to light music or a familiar audiobook/podcast/etc.
There's nothing magic about listening to things, but over the years I've avoided doing things other than creative or deep work while sitting alone in a room half-listening to something, and now when I do that my mind sort of takes the hint.
Back in college, I saw a lot of people do this sort of thing to study. You'd see the same people at the same library tables week after week, friends didn't let friends study in bed because beds were mostly for sleeping, and there were always a few people who staggered unsteadily into exams to try the whole "state-dependent memory" thing. It wasn't particularly evidence-based, but after a few years of wildly oscillating between thinking about different topics, you notice that your brain likes to associate modes of thought with sensory input. I doubt my experience is unique there.
I have recently retired, and whereas previously my "deep efforts" where devoted to scientific research, my present efforts are devoted to learning to play bridge at an advanced level. When I was working, I wrote a post for Quora about deep work/study. Outlined below are the key points from that post [1]. I wonder whether I can resurrect some of those ideas in my new quest to obtain mastery in the game of bridge.
Here are my tricks, in summary form:
(1) Start your key task for the day when you first wake up, and you have peak energy.
(2) Trick your brain into focusing by tackling something that is a bit of a puzzle, something that intrigues you.
(3) Go and live in another city or country where you are separated from your usual distractions.
(4) Allow the subconscious to work its magic by sleeping on a problem. The Eureka moment often comes during the morning shower.
(5) The inability to leave work undone is a personlity trait - the truly driven person cannot rest till it is done. (I, for better or for worse, am not that type.)
(6) Resilience is one of the most highly regarded qualities in an employee, so persist, if you wish to keep your job.
(7) Realise that your particular skills, combined with your work experiences, have given you unique insights: you need to voice those insights, you need to self-promote.
(8) Overcome procratination by tricking your brain: rather than thinking that you have to spend 3 hours on a task, turn that mountain into a small mound by saying, "I will spend 10 mins on the task". Once you are started, you can keep going.
[1] https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-study-hard-I-mean-100-flat-ou...
Here are my tricks, in summary form:
(1) Start your key task for the day when you first wake up, and you have peak energy.
(2) Trick your brain into focusing by tackling something that is a bit of a puzzle, something that intrigues you.
(3) Go and live in another city or country where you are separated from your usual distractions.
(4) Allow the subconscious to work its magic by sleeping on a problem. The Eureka moment often comes during the morning shower.
(5) The inability to leave work undone is a personlity trait - the truly driven person cannot rest till it is done. (I, for better or for worse, am not that type.)
(6) Resilience is one of the most highly regarded qualities in an employee, so persist, if you wish to keep your job.
(7) Realise that your particular skills, combined with your work experiences, have given you unique insights: you need to voice those insights, you need to self-promote.
(8) Overcome procratination by tricking your brain: rather than thinking that you have to spend 3 hours on a task, turn that mountain into a small mound by saying, "I will spend 10 mins on the task". Once you are started, you can keep going.
[1] https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-study-hard-I-mean-100-flat-ou...
I'm still experimenting but I got myself a WeWork (deeply discounted) membership yesterday. After COVID19 distancing for ~9 months now!
I find that going to a nice place to work with good company (whom you don't know very well) is quite effective from my prior experience.
I find that going to a nice place to work with good company (whom you don't know very well) is quite effective from my prior experience.
I find the following things really help me get in flow
A) (If this applies to you) work at a time when rest of the world is asleep
B) Have some medium quality thing going on at the same time
Ideal is NEtflix as they have a lot of mediocre shows. It should not be too good or it will distract you. It should not be too bad or it will distract you. Just good enough so that it is OK to watch but you don't care what happens in the actual movie or show
*
That's it. As quiet as possible + one medium quality distraction ongoing so the part of your brain that wants distraction gets it
Then just focus on your work
A) (If this applies to you) work at a time when rest of the world is asleep
B) Have some medium quality thing going on at the same time
Ideal is NEtflix as they have a lot of mediocre shows. It should not be too good or it will distract you. It should not be too bad or it will distract you. Just good enough so that it is OK to watch but you don't care what happens in the actual movie or show
*
That's it. As quiet as possible + one medium quality distraction ongoing so the part of your brain that wants distraction gets it
Then just focus on your work
I’ve found there’s simply a time of the day it’s so much easier for me to focus. No idea why, but around 11 pm it turns on. I wake up early for work, but still, if I’m trying to do something, I can focus so easily at that time. At 2-3 am I have to force myself to go to bed cause I know I need to wake up early. No matter what I try during the day, nothing compares except the rare cases when something in prod is broken and everything is urgent. Maybe try just listening to your body instead of tricking it
I don’t aim to lose myself. Instead I try to chunk work down into tiny goals. As well as turn off Slack / email / anything else that can notify etc. If I really do work deep for an hour I normally feel like I need a tiny rest of 5 minutes or less. I see that need for a rest (not a distraction but a guanine need) as a good sign I went in deep!
Also there is probably a limit to the deep work per big rest too. Doing a straight 8 hrs is the anthesis of deep work for me.
Also there is probably a limit to the deep work per big rest too. Doing a straight 8 hrs is the anthesis of deep work for me.
[deleted]
One of the biggest thing is to just start. Sometime the project is so long and problems so hard that you tend to procrastinate. One trick I learned was to add reward just for the start. For example, I have a huge watch later list on YouTube that I never get around to watch. So I star that on one screen and on other screen actual work. More often that not, I then turn of YouTube and go along with my work.
Set up objectives and time lines for everything, paper only. Half day, weekly, monthly with quantifyable active outcomes. Active means producing something. For example read philosophy becomes create outline for a philosopher plus connections with other philosophers each half day. Create an app becomes create module and decide on interfaces.
End of week is for putting stuff together.
When working on something where it's hard for me to get into a true 'flow' state (fiction or academic, coding that I don't fully understand yet), I'm a fan of of Pomodoro: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique
For me, it's all about doing less. Remove all the cruft and see what happens. You will find out if it's working if you start missing the flow of time. When you are in the flow, there is no past and no future. You are just into "now" but not in a stressed way. You just keep doing what you're doing until your body says otherwise.
A quick tip if you get distracted by phone I would suggest getting a time lock Kitchen Safe box so whenever you need to focus on a task put your phone or anything that distracts you from focusing in that box and set a timer. The box would remain locked until time expires and that would help you remain focused
Definitely check out kitchensafe
Definitely check out kitchensafe
I haven't gotten into deep work state very often, but I can say I did go into that state 10 times in last 15 years(last year of college & work). After few days when i review my work, I was like, wow that's a lot of code and serious work and not much mistakes or rewrites. My best works for which I got lot appreciated. I had wondered how I got there in first place. It's sort of ritual but it's not the same.
1. As everybody said media is off atleast 3 days before I got into this state. Nothing chatty or noisy in the environment. 2. No too much thoughts in the head, like decision making(not even like should I write this down or keep it in the mind). 3. Slowing down thought process like thinking yes I have time(relaxed mode). 4. Papers, pen and pencils to write down pseudo code, flowchart or algorithm. It can be a mixture of that as well, just going with the flow not trying to be perfect here. Being perfect stresses out the flow. Mainly it doesn't have to be complete. 5. I start to code with the incomplete design or logic and change on the go till part I had designed. Write down the next steps descriptively as next day I might not be in the flow. 6. It's good when i do this alone at home and occasionally walk to all the rooms just thinking about the logics. As I found when people are around when they speak I tend to context switch to eavesdrop what they are talking. 7. During these times I check emails only in the evening, when I am almost done and close off. If it's important they will call.
8. It also really helps when they're are people to take care of you and home. Make Food & Tea. You can ask them not to distrub you for anything. Sometimes felt keeping doors open was lot better than closing stops people from knocking doors and you go to open it.
This sort of worked for me. Deepwork max time 10hrs per day.
I would say people are lucky who can do this much often. 10times in 15years is too less. But that state of work and clarity of thought process, it doesn't stress out as well. For me music during that time doesn't help, TV can be low volume(once in that mood, I won't know if tv is on or not), at home if people don't scream or talk loud that will be fine.
Sometimes motivations to finished that todo triggers the mood of deep work.
There is also some amount of luck also to it. How often do you find answers to what you were looking for in less than 5 search results and enough to test and proceed.
Everything has to play out. To many variables I think.
1. As everybody said media is off atleast 3 days before I got into this state. Nothing chatty or noisy in the environment. 2. No too much thoughts in the head, like decision making(not even like should I write this down or keep it in the mind). 3. Slowing down thought process like thinking yes I have time(relaxed mode). 4. Papers, pen and pencils to write down pseudo code, flowchart or algorithm. It can be a mixture of that as well, just going with the flow not trying to be perfect here. Being perfect stresses out the flow. Mainly it doesn't have to be complete. 5. I start to code with the incomplete design or logic and change on the go till part I had designed. Write down the next steps descriptively as next day I might not be in the flow. 6. It's good when i do this alone at home and occasionally walk to all the rooms just thinking about the logics. As I found when people are around when they speak I tend to context switch to eavesdrop what they are talking. 7. During these times I check emails only in the evening, when I am almost done and close off. If it's important they will call.
8. It also really helps when they're are people to take care of you and home. Make Food & Tea. You can ask them not to distrub you for anything. Sometimes felt keeping doors open was lot better than closing stops people from knocking doors and you go to open it.
This sort of worked for me. Deepwork max time 10hrs per day.
I would say people are lucky who can do this much often. 10times in 15years is too less. But that state of work and clarity of thought process, it doesn't stress out as well. For me music during that time doesn't help, TV can be low volume(once in that mood, I won't know if tv is on or not), at home if people don't scream or talk loud that will be fine.
Sometimes motivations to finished that todo triggers the mood of deep work.
There is also some amount of luck also to it. How often do you find answers to what you were looking for in less than 5 search results and enough to test and proceed.
Everything has to play out. To many variables I think.
[deleted]
Deep Work was a great book but the summary found linked on HN is SO much better.
The way to do deep work is to not do shallow work ever.
Hire people to do shallow work for you.
If you can't sell the product of your 'deep work' yet, try, say, flipping burgers or Shopify.
Hope this helps.
The way to do deep work is to not do shallow work ever.
Hire people to do shallow work for you.
If you can't sell the product of your 'deep work' yet, try, say, flipping burgers or Shopify.
Hope this helps.
I've had a lot of troubles getting into the deep focus state as my condition lets me get destracted (and/or annoyed) by slight variations of light, noise, smell and/or touch senses.
1. Obvious, but not obvious: Quit social media. It's an subconcious addiction factor. Stop checking instagram, stop checking tiktok, stop checking your phone. If you can't (which is normal at first), remove yourself the internet capabilities to do so.
2. In my case I quit my ISP bill. Quite literally. Now I'm on tethering and 2G slow most of the time, which sucks but is great, too. It only allows browsing the web for text based research, and only when I do not download images or any other distractions.
3. Put your phone in DND mode and uninstall all social media apps. Keep communication apps but disable notifications for all apps. Add your loved one as a "starred" contact so she/he can contact you in case of emergency by call or short message.
4. Remove outside distraction factors from your environment. TV running constantly? Sell it, you don't need it anyways. Too bright working spot? Change your flat layout. Too noisy next to the flat's door? Move your office desk somewhere else and isolate it by using matrasses or hanging up cushy blankets to reduce noise.
5. Get a working routine. Make it possible to be able to work offline, no matter the cost. Issues on github? Use my offline scrumboard extension [1] to sync issues while online, and read them later offline.
6. Don't listen to vocal music, because it distracts you. In my case I use ambient original glitchy type of music (none of that dubstep shit), because it lets me keep my focus for hours. Funkstoerung, Glitch Mob, Telefon Tel Aviv, Brothomstates ... to name a few.
7. Do all your meta stuff when you take a break, don't do it in between, it's pointless and inefficient. By meta stuff I mean cleaning the flat, buying food, or the need to go outside to get something done.
8. Don't set yourself tasks during the day that have a synchronous dependency on outside factors. Don't have phone calls, don't talk socially, it's just a distraction factor that helps your subconcious to have an excuse for being lazy.
9. The phone notification rule applies for your working laptop/computer, too. If your OS pops up notifications all the time (read as in: M$), don't use it. In my case I love gnome shell not for the UI, but for the UX. Zero notifications or popups that get in my way when I accidentially left my email client or telegram open.
10. Don't mix gaming and coding. If you do, you'll end up in a lazy state when you decided to work. It's an addiction and therefore can reward your brain with the wrong perceptive measurements. You should reward yourself only after a deep focus state, not before it.
[1] https://github.com/cookiengineer/github-scrumboard
1. Obvious, but not obvious: Quit social media. It's an subconcious addiction factor. Stop checking instagram, stop checking tiktok, stop checking your phone. If you can't (which is normal at first), remove yourself the internet capabilities to do so.
2. In my case I quit my ISP bill. Quite literally. Now I'm on tethering and 2G slow most of the time, which sucks but is great, too. It only allows browsing the web for text based research, and only when I do not download images or any other distractions.
3. Put your phone in DND mode and uninstall all social media apps. Keep communication apps but disable notifications for all apps. Add your loved one as a "starred" contact so she/he can contact you in case of emergency by call or short message.
4. Remove outside distraction factors from your environment. TV running constantly? Sell it, you don't need it anyways. Too bright working spot? Change your flat layout. Too noisy next to the flat's door? Move your office desk somewhere else and isolate it by using matrasses or hanging up cushy blankets to reduce noise.
5. Get a working routine. Make it possible to be able to work offline, no matter the cost. Issues on github? Use my offline scrumboard extension [1] to sync issues while online, and read them later offline.
6. Don't listen to vocal music, because it distracts you. In my case I use ambient original glitchy type of music (none of that dubstep shit), because it lets me keep my focus for hours. Funkstoerung, Glitch Mob, Telefon Tel Aviv, Brothomstates ... to name a few.
7. Do all your meta stuff when you take a break, don't do it in between, it's pointless and inefficient. By meta stuff I mean cleaning the flat, buying food, or the need to go outside to get something done.
8. Don't set yourself tasks during the day that have a synchronous dependency on outside factors. Don't have phone calls, don't talk socially, it's just a distraction factor that helps your subconcious to have an excuse for being lazy.
9. The phone notification rule applies for your working laptop/computer, too. If your OS pops up notifications all the time (read as in: M$), don't use it. In my case I love gnome shell not for the UI, but for the UX. Zero notifications or popups that get in my way when I accidentially left my email client or telegram open.
10. Don't mix gaming and coding. If you do, you'll end up in a lazy state when you decided to work. It's an addiction and therefore can reward your brain with the wrong perceptive measurements. You should reward yourself only after a deep focus state, not before it.
[1] https://github.com/cookiengineer/github-scrumboard
I've found it hard to be consistent with it, but basically just waking up really early. I get ~4 hours of calm, focused time to read or do whatever I want.
Wearing nice clothes, working in a place with people so I can't just drop dead asleep on my desk, and a nice drink always result in great deep work.
https://ourtimetothink.com/ tames my slack notifications
Less time trying to hack deep work / productivity and more time actually working.
This is probably a more controversial opinion than it should be.
This is probably a more controversial opinion than it should be.
By extreme procrastination. It works , but is unnecessarily stressful : those few days. And very demotivating the rest of the days.
it is necessary that:
1. I personally give a shit about the subject matter at hand.
2. I feel confident that i have a potentially small but secure foothold on the problem domain.
3. Strong external validation that I am free to dive into this, take as long as it takes, without anyone breathing down my neck about it or tapping their foot waiting for me to hurry up. Shame's a bad driver.
1. I personally give a shit about the subject matter at hand.
2. I feel confident that i have a potentially small but secure foothold on the problem domain.
3. Strong external validation that I am free to dive into this, take as long as it takes, without anyone breathing down my neck about it or tapping their foot waiting for me to hurry up. Shame's a bad driver.
Modafanil. It’s incredibly effective.
I tried it once. I was in that state for only 2hrs. It doesn't kick right away, it almost took 2hrs to start that mode. It really helps you focus on whatever you want to do. Feels like you have control over your thoughts, times starts to run slow.
Side effects : Spiked diabetes for almost 3months.
So had to throw away the entire pack of tabs.
Similar state I have gotten while drinking 4shots of whisky(enough that nobody can figure out you are drunk) and start working at night. Problem is with drinks I start to get headaches after an hour of working, so I go back to sleep.
Both has its drawback. Modafanil lasted longer and gave up on both. It's not effective in regular basis.
Side effects : Spiked diabetes for almost 3months.
So had to throw away the entire pack of tabs.
Similar state I have gotten while drinking 4shots of whisky(enough that nobody can figure out you are drunk) and start working at night. Problem is with drinks I start to get headaches after an hour of working, so I go back to sleep.
Both has its drawback. Modafanil lasted longer and gave up on both. It's not effective in regular basis.
1. Have a good night sleep
2. Exercise
3. Eat healthy
All 3 above feed into each other, and will make the biggest difference in your deep work
2. Exercise
3. Eat healthy
All 3 above feed into each other, and will make the biggest difference in your deep work
Don't try to download ubuntu server, and switch to debian https://ubuntu.com/download/server
Brain.fm and noise canceling headphones (Bose QC35).
- coffee (but it's a drug, and I advise against them if it is about work)
- getting somewhere with no wifi (train, plane, in the nature, coffee, hotel lobby, or even disabling the wifi on your laptop)
- pomodoro
- chains
- seeking no interruptions
- getting somewhere with no wifi (train, plane, in the nature, coffee, hotel lobby, or even disabling the wifi on your laptop)
- pomodoro
- chains
- seeking no interruptions
> coffee (but it's a drug, and I advise against them if it is about work)
There's nothing inherently wrong with drug use. The problems come in with abuse, addiction, dependency, and negative side effects - and all of those are so mild with caffeine as to be effectively nonexistent for most people, as long as they refrain from ingesting it into the late afternoon and evening.
There's nothing inherently wrong with drug use. The problems come in with abuse, addiction, dependency, and negative side effects - and all of those are so mild with caffeine as to be effectively nonexistent for most people, as long as they refrain from ingesting it into the late afternoon and evening.
Nothing wrong with drug use, unless it’s for work.
open timelite.app and watch the minutes you're wasting pass
Not have adhd :(