The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker • Hacker News Board

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#31

Post by Swenrekcah » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 5:46 AM UTC

pcblues wrote: post #23

ehnto wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Minimizing context switches has been my angle after I burnt out. I automate things that take me out of context and use every last feature of my IDE to make sure I don't have to alt tab all over the place. Terminal, database, docs and code is all in my IDE. It feels more like sitting down at a specialized workstation than a general computer and it keeps me focussed and in flow. Not only is that a less stressful state…

I minimise the impact of unexpected context switches by keeping a running log what I am doing or should do next in a document for each project. It might seem like a waste of time but I can safely mentally let the whole current context go when I am interrupted for an urgent job and I don't have to keep a stack of contexts in my head at once. It is especially useful in getting back up to speed in a context that had to…

As someone who’s juggling 5-8 projects on any given week: this is a great idea, thanks!

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#32

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:01 AM UTC

pcblues wrote: post #23

ehnto wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Minimizing context switches has been my angle after I burnt out. I automate things that take me out of context and use every last feature of my IDE to make sure I don't have to alt tab all over the place. Terminal, database, docs and code is all in my IDE. It feels more like sitting down at a specialized workstation than a general computer and it keeps me focussed and in flow. Not only is that a less stressful state…

I minimise the impact of unexpected context switches by keeping a running log what I am doing or should do next in a document for each project. It might seem like a waste of time but I can safely mentally let the whole current context go when I am interrupted for an urgent job and I don't have to keep a stack of contexts in my head at once. It is especially useful in getting back up to speed in a context that had to…

[deleted]

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#33

Post by SystemOut » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:07 AM UTC

pcblues wrote: post #23

ehnto wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Minimizing context switches has been my angle after I burnt out. I automate things that take me out of context and use every last feature of my IDE to make sure I don't have to alt tab all over the place. Terminal, database, docs and code is all in my IDE. It feels more like sitting down at a specialized workstation than a general computer and it keeps me focussed and in flow. Not only is that a less stressful state…

I minimise the impact of unexpected context switches by keeping a running log what I am doing or should do next in a document for each project. It might seem like a waste of time but I can safely mentally let the whole current context go when I am interrupted for an urgent job and I don't have to keep a stack of contexts in my head at once. It is especially useful in getting back up to speed in a context that had to…

I've been doing this for the last few months and it really helps. In my case it's a set of OneNote grouped tabs for each story/project/etc that I'm working on. I have tabs for re-creating, background, ways to setup the environment for the task at hand, links to things that are helpful, etc.

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#34

Post by joshwa » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:27 AM UTC

philipodonnell wrote: post #15

harryf wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So to me it made some sense. Putting it in my own terms, he argues knowledge workers are _by default_ overloaded and they use distractions as a necessary form of relief from the pressure - the distractions aren't the problem, they're a symptom. Right now we're too focused on tools and strategies to make us "more efficient", block distractions and promote collaboration. Instead we should focus on reducing the mental d…

Can chrome or Firefox do an "exit but save all my tabs"? I find myself force closing Chrome because I can use the recover tabs when I come back.

I use an extension called "onetab"[0] that saves (and closes) all my tabs in one click.

[0] https://www.one-tab.com/

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#35

Post by colllectorof » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:30 AM UTC

>This is the reality of knowledge work that none of these conceptualizations address: it’s hard (in very specific ways), some of it we don’t want to do, and the work we don’t want to do piles up and becomes dominant simply because it remains undone.

Let me rephrase this for you. A lot of so-called "knowledge work" is just tedious, mind-numbing bullshit. Not only that, but you have to plow through it while fighting information overflow and your own overly complex tools, while acting completely alone. There are no librarians on the Internet.

No wonder everyone craves distractions.

>In the context of the browser, how do we contextualize pages and interactions inside some abstract task?

This train has sailed off its tracks long time ago.

Browsers aren't real tools. They are designed to make for smooth information consumption so that Google and co can harvest your money and attention as efficiently as possible.

I can list several hundred things a web browser should do if it aims at being "knowledge worker's tool". Let me just give some categories:

1. Features for pausing and restarting work in different mental contexts. 2. Local personalization. Shit like Timelines should be local and user-controller. "This is too complicated, so let's let Facebook/Twitter/Microsoft do it" is a lame excuse. 3. Did you notice that browsers still don't have any good authoring tools? Every websites reinvents their own WYSIWYG. "Developer tools" have everything for debugging, but almost nothing for creations of stuff. 4. User-driven integration between pages. (For example, something as simple as "when I open this page, go to that other page, find all the entries with word X and paste it here".)

Bah, that's enough. I can continue, but I think the point was made, unless the reader doesn't want to see it on purpose.

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#36

Post by lifeisstillgood » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 6:39 AM UTC

svat wrote: post #19

ColinWright wrote: post #2

Could someone more familiar with the subject and vernacular provide some sort of summary of what this is trying to say? I've read it two or three times and I still can't work out the point being made. If any.

When people discuss “knowledge work”, they often slip into imagining an “idealized” knowledge worker: one who is very engaged, and doing “big” meaningful things one at a time. In reality, (1) we are all distracted, (2) our work usually consists of a large number of small chunks that are spread over time (3) we all have a large pile of undone work (both “job” and “personal”) that we're always feeling guilty about. Wha…

A brilliant précis that is actually better than the original article (sorry Mr Bicking)

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#37

Post by ehnto » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 7:05 AM UTC

jungler wrote: post #25

ehnto wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Minimizing context switches has been my angle after I burnt out. I automate things that take me out of context and use every last feature of my IDE to make sure I don't have to alt tab all over the place. Terminal, database, docs and code is all in my IDE. It feels more like sitting down at a specialized workstation than a general computer and it keeps me focussed and in flow. Not only is that a less stressful state…

I'm moving towards an approach of batch processing more things. What this means in practice is that more of my tasks use limited interactivity - e.g. "draft and redraft" vs "draft and edit". This has the effect of the "yes and" in improv, where I make errors but have to keep going regardless. Working within that mode also means that I can activate on a reflexive, pre-flow state level where I flex the project-manageme…

That id an interesting take on flow meaning you are overcomplicating things. That explains what was happening to me pretty well I think. I was too bored to reach a state of flow but if it were more challenging I would have been re-inventing something. I have switched domain since I burnt out which is perhaps why I can now find new challenges and be able to reach flow.

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#38

Post by txdejk » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 7:30 AM UTC

ehnto wrote: post #37

jungler wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm moving towards an approach of batch processing more things. What this means in practice is that more of my tasks use limited interactivity - e.g. "draft and redraft" vs "draft and edit". This has the effect of the "yes and" in improv, where I make errors but have to keep going regardless. Working within that mode also means that I can activate on a reflexive, pre-flow state level where I flex the project-manageme…

That id an interesting take on flow meaning you are overcomplicating things. That explains what was happening to me pretty well I think. I was too bored to reach a state of flow but if it were more challenging I would have been re-inventing something. I have switched domain since I burnt out which is perhaps why I can now find new challenges and be able to reach flow.

As someone who works in healthcare and has to juggle quite a bit of technical info on quite a few different active individual patients and who has also read other poster's responses above, I'm kinda taken aback that there is such a lack of higher level organization going on. Is it just something that isn't taught or that is but people just don't want or like to do?

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#39

Post by bracobama » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 7:32 AM UTC

ehnto wrote: post #21

harryf wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So to me it made some sense. Putting it in my own terms, he argues knowledge workers are _by default_ overloaded and they use distractions as a necessary form of relief from the pressure - the distractions aren't the problem, they're a symptom. Right now we're too focused on tools and strategies to make us "more efficient", block distractions and promote collaboration. Instead we should focus on reducing the mental d…

Minimizing context switches has been my angle after I burnt out. I automate things that take me out of context and use every last feature of my IDE to make sure I don't have to alt tab all over the place. Terminal, database, docs and code is all in my IDE. It feels more like sitting down at a specialized workstation than a general computer and it keeps me focussed and in flow. Not only is that a less stressful state…

I do the same thing with studying at Uni. Having all my articles, notes, syllabi and seminar instructions in scrivener has been really effective as it means I simply open up the app I full screen and start working. Scriveners split screen layout is a life saver as it means I can take notes in a text doc while reading the article at the same time.

Re: The Over-Engaged Knowledge Worker

#40

Post by steve1977 » Mon, Feb 04, 2019, 7:33 AM UTC

colllectorof wrote: post #35

>This is the reality of knowledge work that none of these conceptualizations address: it’s hard (in very specific ways), some of it we don’t want to do, and the work we don’t want to do piles up and becomes dominant simply because it remains undone. Let me rephrase this for you. A lot of so-called "knowledge work" is just tedious, mind-numbing bullshit. Not only that, but you have to plow through it while fighting in…

Browsers aren't real tools. They are designed to make for smooth information consumption

Well yeah. They're browsers, that's what they are. "To browse: an act of casual looking or reading."