71–80 of 80 posts
Exercise regularly.
Among the countless benefits, one I've noticed is an increased ability to handle roadblocks and detours. If I haven't worked out in a while, when I run into one, I get more upset and hopeless. If I have been working out, I usually just soldier through it easier.
I started doing Pomodoros [1] recently and I noticed a leap in my productivity. It also helps me to refresh my mind regularly and to stay focused on my tasks more easily. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique
Have you found a good mac app for this? I've tried a few but haven't gotten a good one yet.
not sure if it qualifies as "a good mac app"
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Emotions aren't a choice, but emotional awareness and control can be. When annoyed or upset, stopping to ask yourself why you're annoyed or upset can be very beneficial. The old "stop, take a deep breath, and count to 10" advice from grade school has some merit. (You don't literally have to stop, take a deep breath, and count to ten. But making a conscious effort to be aware of one's emotions is a worthwhile exercise…
I've found that literally stopping to take a breath is actually a very good practice for this situation. Helps me avoid a lot of bad moods caused by inconsequential things. Process the negative information, realize it's inconsequential, and return to a state of calm. (I don't count to ten) This applies for small things, but most things that people get distressed about are small.
Sometimes I even make an effort to think to myself, "How would X respond to this situation?" Replace "X" with anyone of your choice who would probably be a lot cooler than you under stress: Jesus, Spock, Batman, James Bond, Yoda, Mr. Rogers, or whoever the heck epitomizes "chill" in your worldview.
It sounds cheesy, and it probably is. But it works. Chances are, the "X" of your choice wouldn't react hastily or let small things get to him. Shit happens to everybody, but stopping in mid-emotional-flareup to process an appropriate response is a skill. And skills can be developed.
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You may not be able to prevent yourself from getting annoyed, but you can remember to stop being annoyed.
I think you can learn not to react to the stimulus that makes you annoyed. Its a principle of the Alexander technique. You will also notice than Buddhist monks look very calm. I think it would be pretty difficult to get them annoyed.
Absolutely nothing compares with sleep. Having about a full week of 8 hour sleep days behind me is when I'm at my absolute peak productivity. I spent years being sleep deprived (~6 hours/day). When I finally came to appreciate just how important being well rested is it absolutely changed my life.
But since I started to do at least 1 hour of exercises EVERY DAY (and for me is important to not miss any day), I sleep only 6 hours a day and is when I reach my peak productivity.
So, my list: - Sleeping at least 7 hours, 8 is better. - Waking up earlier - I thought I am a night owl, but I realized that I am not. Morning is the best time frame to be creative and productive for me (and for many people actually). - Always keeping my stuff ready. This means clean email folders, clean notes, clean desk etc. - Watching the food what I eat (I am not on a diet, but I do not eat pizza and chinese food…
> A few minutes of meditation is also very helpful for a good sleep. I'm having trouble falling asleep after going to bed (~2hrs), or waking up during the night or early next day. Would you please detail more about the meditation part?
What I do actually: I just close my eyes, try to relax, and concentrate on my breathing only. It is more a relaxation than a mediation maybe. Sometimes I keep thinking nice things which make warm and nice feelings, just to go away from my current state. At first it is very hard to forget the "chaos" in your head (I was always thinking about deadlines, bugs, appointmens, personal problems and stuff like this), but if you practice it will be easy.
I am a coder and I feel like I need to use a lot of my brain during my working hours. Working out (could be lifting weights or even just running or crossfit stuff) helps shift the focus from concentrating on algorithms and design and to just getting from point A to point B or lifting x weight. I know many friends who tried working out and couldnt get themselves to commit. The difference for me is that, I am motivated by an athletic goal that I set for myself and hence work towards it.
Sleep is probably the most important "habit" you should have. I personally find that after a good night of sleep, I am extra productive during the day and get more tasks done. I can think clearer and able to code better/faster. While number of hours of sleep is important...so is quality! An example of quality sleep is sleep where you dont wake up in the middle of the night to hit the washroom or out of panic that you missed something in your code(I used to have many of these haha).
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> A few minutes of meditation is also very helpful for a good sleep. I'm having trouble falling asleep after going to bed (~2hrs), or waking up during the night or early next day. Would you please detail more about the meditation part?
If you are really interested I suggest reading some books on articles on this topic as I am not a real professional, haha. What I do actually: I just close my eyes, try to relax, and concentrate on my breathing only. It is more a relaxation than a mediation maybe. Sometimes I keep thinking nice things which make warm and nice feelings, just to go away from my current state. At first it is very hard to forget the "cha…