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Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#191

Post by kamphey »

vitabenes wrote: post #53

Well, focus is all about picking 1-2 projects to work on, and excluding anything not-relevant to those projects. You can't make 10 projects work at once. So pick 1-2 and commit. Which of your projects are most meaningful to you? Which solve problems you care about and seem most interesting? Start shipping something, share it on HN, Twitter, IndieHackers, etc. Getting positive feedback can also help you stick to 1 thi…

I would add posting projects outside of developer communities. Gumroad, AppSumo Marketplace, Facebook Groups.

Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#192

Post by dageshi »

sn9 wrote: post #189
TameAntelope wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Small nit, but I think the research around "focus is a muscle" ended up being unable to replicate. I can't cite the exact research, but Angela Duckworth turned me onto this on an episode of "No Stupid Questions" about two or three weeks ago. Good advice generally though, and nothing you said really relies on focus being a muscle; you still need to practice it, but no need to worry about not being "conditioned" enough…

You're conflating self-control with focus, which are two separate things. The study focuses on the claims that self-control or exertions of willpower deplete the ego which doesn't address focus.

What's the difference between self control and focus? To me they're simply the same thing.

Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#193

Post by toyg »

aynyc wrote: post #105
toyg wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> i'm learning to code in Swift IT has normalized this idea that you do professional development in your free time, instead that on the job. This is not the case for many (most?) other areas. Anybody in this position: ask your managers for time. Talk about expected career development. Invoke the Google 20% (yeah yeah, I know, not perfect, but still). We need to reclaim our free time as actually free from work of any…

Most careers have career development done outside of the job except certain apprenticeship programs, but if you want to get your master license, you are going to work outside of your job. That said, many licensed professions have Continuous Education requirements that you can incorporate into the job. From my personal experience, I honestly can't think of any high-paying jobs that have career development built-into t…

I know plenty of people who, after being identified for career progression, were sent on courses and certifications on company time (and dime). Factory supervisors, bank managers, etc etc. This is Europe, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't the case in any vaguely-unionized job even in the US.

Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#194

Post by stevetsourounis »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #79
ChildOfChaos wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

-- Wake up early and try to accomplish something significant before 8am I always hate this piece of advice, if i wake up early, even if I am able to struggle through getting 'something significant done' before 8am i'm going to feel terrible for the rest of the day since i got up early, it's not worth it at all. This advice is nonsense and not universal, yet the same nonsense is constantly repeated. I understand it ca…

I think it depends on the person. I’m a “morning person.” My wife is definitely not. For me, I enjoy getting up at 5 (actually, it takes a while to get to the “enjoy” part). I walk a couple of miles, take a shower, and often fix a number of issues before 8. One of the most productive developers I ever knew (a former employee) was a “non-morning person.” He would amble into the office at noon. Drove HR crazy, but all…

Daniel Pink’s book “When” reviews some research on morning people and night owls (there’s also a 3rd type that is somewhere in between). It suggests morning people are usually better at analytical tasks in the morning and creative tasks at night. Night owls are better at creative tasks in the morning and analytical tasks at night. Both seem to hit a slump in the afternoon.

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing https://www.amazon.com/dp/0735210632/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FM...

Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#195

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

stevetsourounis wrote: post #194
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it depends on the person. I’m a “morning person.” My wife is definitely not. For me, I enjoy getting up at 5 (actually, it takes a while to get to the “enjoy” part). I walk a couple of miles, take a shower, and often fix a number of issues before 8. One of the most productive developers I ever knew (a former employee) was a “non-morning person.” He would amble into the office at noon. Drove HR crazy, but all…

Daniel Pink’s book “When” reviews some research on morning people and night owls (there’s also a 3rd type that is somewhere in between). It suggests morning people are usually better at analytical tasks in the morning and creative tasks at night. Night owls are better at creative tasks in the morning and analytical tasks at night. Both seem to hit a slump in the afternoon. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timi…

> It suggests morning people are usually better at analytical tasks in the morning and creative tasks at night.

This describes me, exactly.

I enjoyed his A Whole New Mind book.

Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#196

Post by tgaj »

pengaru wrote: post #187

Self-discipline is a skill you develop and maintain with practice. It applies to literally every aspect of life, including following through on projects you chose to start work on. Amphetamines like Adderall are a popular option, which others have recommended here. But I'd like to note I've seen my fair share of devs dependent on ADHD meds lacking self-discipline who just ended up staring at their phone doomscrolling…

Doomscrolling and restless legs are often just symptoms of ADHD.

Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#197

Post by ascagnel_ »

polishdude20 wrote: post #148
ascagnel_ wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We tend to have a habit of projecting what works for us, onto others. I wish more people would understand this when giving advice -- what works for one case or one person is guaranteed to have many exceptions when you try to apply it to a larger population. I'm a relatively new parent, and I've gotten to the point to where I hate when other parents give advice. Something that worked for your kid won't necessarily w…

Is it up to the giver of advice or the taker? In a way, the giver just wants to talk about their experience. The taker wants to use the advice. It seems more realistic to have the taker vet what's told to them online.

The issue I have specifically is that advice givers tend to give advice either in an unprompted way or as if it will apply universally. For the post at the top of this thread, while it wasn't unprompted, it's positioned as if following the rules _will_ lead to you having better focus, when the realty of the situation is that they won't work for everyone. Something as simple as prefacing these rules as "this is what worked for me, maybe it'll work for you too" is enough to counteract this.

Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#198

Post by thfuran »

dageshi wrote: post #192
sn9 wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're conflating self-control with focus, which are two separate things. The study focuses on the claims that self-control or exertions of willpower deplete the ego which doesn't address focus.

What's the difference between self control and focus? To me they're simply the same thing.

What's the similarity? It seems to me that they're loosely, if at all, related.

Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#199

Post by Cameri »

I went through the same recently. Became interested on too many different things, projects and topics because in my mind there was so much going on.

Get enough good sleep. If you don't sleep enough you won't be able to focus and retain anything you learned long-term. Don't put on headphones or fall asleep listening to videos/podcasts or looking at things on your phone.

Create a setting in which you can do 1 thing uninterrupted. If there are any potential distractions, put them away, turn them off or close as needed to create necessary boundaries.

As we grow older we accumulate and we obtain more things that we could make use of but have effectively the same or less time to devote to each individually.

Re: Ask HN: How do I develop focus?

#200

Post by rg111 »

nso95 wrote: post #188
rg111 wrote: post #173

Here's how I solved my focus problem- 1. Have a clear work/rest-of-life boundary. Have a clear set of hours or days of week where you work or learn things related to work. End your work on that boundary. Follow with a small end-of-work ritual. Spend time with hobbies, family, friends, etc. And set time aside vigilantly. When you know that you have to end working , you stop diverting your attention, and try to get stu…

I find 60-90 minute timeboxes better for programming, need to get into flow

I keep 4 boxes (2 hours) at least for programming and studying something deep.
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