Ask HN: What's better for long-run productivity: caffeine or no caffeine? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What's better for long-run productivity: caffeine or no caffeine?

#31

Post by zamalek » Mon, May 18, 2015, 6:07 AM UTC

Lorenzo45 wrote: post #4

davismwfl wrote: post #2

If you haven't started it yet, I say don't. I am effectively addicted to caffeine and while it has its purposes it isn't a good think. In the past, every few months I'd stop drinking all caffeine for 1-2 months then I'd slowly wind up starting to drink it again. I haven't done this in the past year, which has sucked. You can be highly functional and productive without caffeine. Taking a nap and getting better sleep i…

Thanks for your insight, this was kind of what I was hoping to hear. If you wouldn't mind, could you expand a bit on the negative effects you've experienced due to regularly drinking caffeine, and possibly even some good ones?

I was previously borderline addicted and one big negative is: I found it impossible to concentrate. After 3 cups my mind would become restless. It's the reason I quit because I couldn't get any work done.

Get citrus fruit on your desk, as well as bananas. That will keep you going for ages.

Re: Ask HN: What's better for long-run productivity: caffeine or no caffeine?

#32

Post by dustinls » Mon, May 18, 2015, 10:06 AM UTC

If you decide to go the caffeine route, take 3:1 mg of l-theanine with it, (so 50 mg caffeine, take 150 l-theanine).

It helps counter any nervousness, restlessness, and jitteriness caused by caffeine.

Naps, exercise, and a healthy diet are a better alternative though. When you are using caffeine your productivity will be riddled with peaks and crashes.

I quit caffeine, cut out gluten, and even meats (except fish) and was more productive than ever, but eventually got back to old habits, but I do plan on quitting caffeine as soon as I can take a break from working for a week.

Re: Ask HN: What's better for long-run productivity: caffeine or no caffeine?

#33

Post by davismwfl » Mon, May 18, 2015, 11:57 PM UTC

zamalek wrote: post #31

Lorenzo45 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for your insight, this was kind of what I was hoping to hear. If you wouldn't mind, could you expand a bit on the negative effects you've experienced due to regularly drinking caffeine, and possibly even some good ones?

I was previously borderline addicted and one big negative is: I found it impossible to concentrate. After 3 cups my mind would become restless. It's the reason I quit because I couldn't get any work done. Get citrus fruit on your desk, as well as bananas. That will keep you going for ages.

Thanks for that info. Citrus eh? Hadn't heard that one, bananas I have just started eating more regularly. I'll try the citrus too and see how that goes. I wonder sometimes if the caffeine I consume is part of the reason I sometimes have trouble focusing.