131–137 of 137 posts
There is one factor I haven't seen addressed: mindset. If you have certainty in what you're doing, if you have belief, it's a lot easier to be productive than if you're questioning everything ("Why am I doing this?", "Is there a better approach?"). That outlook on life has scuppered my productivity at times.
Never heard of the two people you mention, but I'll share what I've observed: The two biggest time sinks in everyday programming are 1.) communicating with everyone else and 2.) looking things up. If you can avoid these and have a quick analytical mind, you can basically program as quickly as you can type. So the secret to being insanely productive is to work as a solo programmer in a domain where you are thoroughly…
Isn't this an argument in favor of IDEs vs editors? As much as I prefer the philosophy of Emacs/vim/sublime + cmdline tools, code completion is never great (see Yegge's "grok" rants). I really enjoyed a project I wrote in Java inside Eclipse, because code completion really helped me not open Google all the time. But I hate everything else about Java... Contrast with Go, where achieving flow is hard because you can't…
for example your go problem can be solved using goimports http://godoc.org/golang.org/x/tools/cmd/goimports Using this tool you don't have to worry about those imports and it can be configured to automatically run on save in most editors.
I think touch typing helps in addition to holding the program in your head.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
On the other hand, if you can do this and your co-workers can't, you may be tempted to write complex and entangled code, because the implications of each line are perfectly obvious to you.
Or you end up with something like Git, which is easy to use if you have the exact same background/education/philosophy as the person who wrote it, but has terrible usability for pretty much everybody else.
Little bit of background as to why I think I can answer this: Three years ago, I ran my own web design/development/marketing company, doing a lot of the front end UI/UX stuff, as well as the marketing plans for my clients. I did this, worked another full time job, voluntered 15 hours a week, and was taking 21 credits a semester. After that, for a year, I commuted 5 hours each way to attend a weekend post-baccalaureat…
How do you deal with failure or stuck episodes?
I still have more weight I'd like to lose, but this has been a game changer for me. I love trail running!
1. Increased water intake/Eat Well. I drink 1st bottle (300ml) with black tea (usually Oolong) and then refill with hot water. I make sure I am drinking water while I work. I am vegetarian and I take almost no sugar. I have replaced sugar with raw honey in my chai :-). I try to have more plant-based diet.
2. Take breaks. When I am stuck with the problem, I take either water-refill break/pee break/short walk to get me away from the problem, but possible solutions find me where ever I am.
3. Start day early. I usually like to start my day between 5.30AM-6AM. But I do not jump on emails/office work. I have a separate to-do list to learn/read different things (mostly technical). I start my day with it. That's my kick.
4. Less scanning. I use Asana in the Calendar view. As soon as I reach the office, I make sure the world is not crashing. I add tasks that need my attention and close the email. Then I add things I like to do (and aren't listed in my today's task). I start hunting these tasks. If I have some dependency on others(Ops for example), I create tasks/email them and move on with my agenda
5. Exercise. Not doing very much these days, but try to run for 20-25 minutes every evening, to have physical workout > mental workout (This is a key to good sleep)
6. Sleep well. I try to get somewhere between 7-8 hours every night. I need to learn to improve this area.
At the end of the day, I prefer a fulfilled day -> A day where I produced value to my company Plus I learned something new. That produced happiness which leads to productivity. Iterate.
1. Work on something that you MUST get done. 2. Plan your day the night before. 3. Wake up early and start working immediately. 4. Other people's "obstacles" are your opportunities to invent. 5. One day at a time, regrouping each night. 6. VERY short to do list at any given time. 7. 2 computers, work in 1 room, internet in another. 8. NO distractions while working (email, phone, others). 9. Short intense sprints with…