Make sure I can go undisturbed for long periods.
Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
41–50 of 56 posts
Re: Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
#42https://crushentropy.com/ It's like markdown for planning your day in high resolution. The hours no longer just slip through my fingers. I made it one weekend a couple of years ago and I've used it myself ever since. I'm not exaggerating when I say that my productivity has massively improved because of it.
What part of your days is marked "skim Hacker News"? Is there an entry for that?
Haha it's a struggle. On most days these days, I manage to time-box Hacker News to about 15 minutes while I have my first cup of a coffee, plus an "as long as I want" session in the late evening.
Re: Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
#43https://crushentropy.com/ It's like markdown for planning your day in high resolution. The hours no longer just slip through my fingers. I made it one weekend a couple of years ago and I've used it myself ever since. I'm not exaggerating when I say that my productivity has massively improved because of it.
Wooah! Killer. Did you previously did the same but on your Calendar?
Thanks! I didn't do it for very long on my calendar as that got annoying fast. I did it with pen and paper for a while (few weeks) before I decided to just write this simple app.
Re: Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
#44Master org-mode.
Re: Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
#45Something I recently built has helped me stay focused and productive more than anything I've ever tried:
Timmy (https://timmytimer.com) is a free web app that combines a Pomodoro timer with social accountability and a leaderboard. The mix of those elements has been super helpful for me and a lot of other devs and students.
Re: Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
#46doing it consistently over a long period of time. It took me years to realize that all nighters and overwork were a big mistake. What truly works is to show up everyday consistently for years. Like Bill said, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”
I fully agree. This has become my mantra. You need to be relentless over the long term, but to maintain that, you need to relax over the short term. And by relax, I just mean, don't stress out, don't go too fast, and don't overdo it.
The parable of the totoise and the hair teaches this succinctly.
Re: Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
#47My killer productivity hack is a combination of three techniques: 1. Pomodoro, 2. GTD (Getting Things Done), and 3. Spaced Repetition Learning. Pomodoro Technique helps timebox tasks in addition to prioritizing them. Both are required to stay focused and get into the flow.
> [Pomodoro is] required to stay focused and get into the flow. Can you elaborate on that? I've been hesitant about trying Pomodoro because it appears like it would break the flow every 30 minutes.
You can either take a 5 minute break every 30 minutes or accumulate them for a maximum of 15 minutes in a 90 minute window. There is no magic; most of the benefit comes from the feedback. Tracking highlights how often you are interrupted and the timer gives a visual reminder to stay on task. When you get a feel for how many Pomos you typically do in a day, it helps set realistic expectations and helps prioritize commitments.
Re: Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
#48I organize everything I know I'll use daily or very often. I take it from the French kitchen term "Mise en place" [0]. It suits my work style, and think it will as well for anyone who primarily has a single workstation (I include your smartphone in that definition, say when in traveling for example). I'm aware that endlessly organizing can be a time waste, but over time I've learnt to know when it's enough, to keep moving and execute on ideas or valuable work, earning an income etc. I can always spend a few minutes re-configuring a specific set up. Apps have configuration, so should your workstation, and your operating environment in general.
Re: Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
#49You probably hear all the usual productivity hacks like promodoro, start with small things, constantly do it, switch off distractions, etc (which i do too in some form) but let me tell you an unorthodox technique I came up with that was inspired by this tweet - https://twitter.com/tkiramadden/status/1255516715502522370 For me, I don't always have an issue being productive when I am in the zone but I have a problem of…
Ha, I once considered using a variant of that one (don't remember where I read it) to stop smoking.
I was planning to tell everyone I know that if they could show me a picture of me smoking after I'd officially quit, I'd give a 1.000€ to the political party I hated the most.
I quit on my own, but it's nice to see the method works :)
Re: Ask HN: What's your #1 productivity hack?
#50Reading books in the bathtub.