Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 104 posts

Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?

#81

Post by artagnon »

Maintain a healthy balance in life. Read fiction, listen to podcasts, go on long walks, chat about non-technical things over coffee/lunch everyday. Oh, and get ample sleep. Beyond that, it's creature comforts around your desk: a good coffee machine, a sitting+standing desk, good natural lighting, a whiteboard, a scratchpad, a relatively new iMac.

Habits are easy to create when it's convenient to have them. That's mostly what I'm pitching.

Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?

#83

Post by 4ndr3vv »

loumf wrote: post #37
jacquesm wrote: post #12

When I really have to work I use a chess clock. Old fashioned, mechanical, large and an ugly reminder of my time 'off the clock' because then the other clock starts to tick. The ratio between those two is the thing to maximize and it's extremely easy to use. Stop working just push one button, start working press again on the opposite side. Very useful little trick and way easier to use than anything online or in an '…

RescueTime is a pretty good approximation of this for me and is automatic.

Two different solutions; RescueTime is good at analysing how your time is spent after the fact. A chess clock is a great real time stopwatch "oh man i've been googling rhubarb crumble recipes for 14 minutes..."

Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?

#84

Post by majewsky »

pramit wrote: post #63

Shameless plug: The Success Manual https://www.thesuccessmanual.in/category/time-management-pro... 45 Things You Should Know About Being A Productivity Superstar http://www.thesuccessmanual.in/chapter/45-things-you-should-... The 25 Most Useful Productivity Methods http://www.thesuccessmanual.in/chapter/the-25-most-useful-pr... 20+ Best Productivity Techniques For The Workplace http://www.thesuccessmanual.in/chapter/…

The 3 Best Clickbait Titles for Procrastinators.

Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?

#85

Post by junipergreen »

For regular, consistent productivity (not just the occasional project over a day or two) I have to change my physical environment. This means having an office I go to (or library when I was a student) that--and this is key--is far away enough from my home that it's not convenient to just leave and go home when I'm sick of working. It has to be more of a hassle to go home than to just do another half hour of work (and then another, and another, and so on).

Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?

#87

Post by avindroth »

pdq wrote: post #13

Pomodoro technique [1]. Break your time/tasks into 25-minute chunks, where you focus on a single task (no context-switching, pauses, breaking). Rinse, repeat. I use Flat Tomato on the iPhone, and I can track how many pomodoros I complete each day/month, which gives a good feedback as to my goal tracking. [1] http://caps.ucsd.edu/Downloads/tx_forms/koch/pomodoro_handou...

I tried the pomodoro technique multiple times, and it failed. The reason for its failure was the lack of emphasis on setting up the right atmosphere.

Now a pomodoro (I use Productivity Planner, made by the guys who made 5 Minute Journal, so I keep track of my pomodoros) doesn't "count" unless I check everything off of the pomodoro prep checklist.

1. Airplane Mode / Turn Cellular Data Off (for urgent calls)

2. Freedom app (blocks websites)

3. Music (atmospheric, mostly)

4. Sign & Lights (let people know I am working, and have the right lighting)

5. Snacks & Tea / Energy Drink

6. Water

Then I lock the door, start the timer, and off I go.

Ever since I created this checklist, I have rarely been disrupted from my work. Sharpening the saw is quite important to saving willpower.

Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?

#88

Post by avindroth »

Nothing beats the Productivity Planner[1]. A simple, well-designed, and minimalist planner that gets the job done. I have never been more in flow during work hours.

Five Minute Journal, made by the same guys, is also great for worrying less and living in day-tight compartments.

I highly recommend using both in concert.

[1]: https://www.intelligentchange.com/products/the-productivity-...

Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?

#89

Post by icc97 »

ksikka wrote: post #14

Constrain the time you have to do something. Work often fills the time you give it. If you try to achieve something in a short amount of time, you'll be forced to work at 100% with full focus to get it done ASAP. I'm always amazed at how sometimes a dreadful task takes 10-20 minutes when I'm forced to do it in that timespan, but if I have an hour to do it, it'll take an hour. To make the constraint feel real, put you…

This does seem like a sensible way to invoke the panic monster - but for me it's often undermined by the fact that it's just me that tried to put the artificial deadline there and my brain happily ignores it moving onto the next deadline.

There was something similar laid out in this blog [1].

  [1]: http://www.raptitude.com/2015/03/how-to-get-yourself-to-do-things/

Re: Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?

#90

Post by ivm »

4ndr3vv wrote: post #83
loumf wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RescueTime is a pretty good approximation of this for me and is automatic.

Two different solutions; RescueTime is good at analysing how your time is spent after the fact. A chess clock is a great real time stopwatch "oh man i've been googling rhubarb crumble recipes for 14 minutes..."

If you're on Mac then Qbserve[1] (our app) will show feedback on your productivity in real time.

[1] https://qotoqot.com/qbserve/

Post reply on HN