Live data from Hacker News

I let a stranger watch me work for a day and I've never been more productive

melmagazine.com

1–10 of 179 posts

Re: I let a stranger watch me work for a day and I've never been more productive

#3
I'm excited to try this. I do my best thinking alone but work best with someone watching. I know some people can't perform even basic tasks with someone watching, but for me, it's easier and sometimes even necessary. If I'm stuck coding I'll imagine explaining it to someone (or ask someone to do it with me). If I can't nail a movement in the gym, I'll pretend to demo it.

Re: I let a stranger watch me work for a day and I've never been more productive

#4
That's interesting and I have no doubt it works. However, I think that you might simply get used to the pressure and start procrastinating either on the service itself or simply procrastinating using in the service.

The other problem is that any kind of outside force that pushes you to work harder also creates stress. This stress isn't entirely regulated by yourself and it's possible for it to backfire.

Re: I let a stranger watch me work for a day and I've never been more productive

#6
That's cute. But did you consider hiring a stranger from craigslist to slap you everytime you access facebook?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4661940

Or perhaps testing websites... drunk? I love and loath these articles. They are the equivalent of "and you won't believe what this madlad did!!!!" of hackernews.

Re: I let a stranger watch me work for a day and I've never been more productive

#8
Anybody else get an immediately negative visceral reaction from this? If I'm understanding this correctly, the aim is to manipulate our sense of shame/guilt to boost productivity.

After sitting with the feeling for a bit, here are some ideas that come to mind:

1. Maybe we should ask why we feel shame/guilt in the first place. Is it "normal" to feel this? If it isn't we should not rely on it for our happiness (or productivity).

2. What is the value of productivity? Why does it make us happy?

For me, guilt/shame is something to be overcome, not used as a tool. And the value of productivity is something that has been handed down to us by a culture which we've been thrown into. And (at least for me), it's our duty to question these ideas instead of merely giving into them to self-reinforce themselves.

Re: I let a stranger watch me work for a day and I've never been more productive

#9

Anybody else get an immediately negative visceral reaction from this? If I'm understanding this correctly, the aim is to manipulate our sense of shame/guilt to boost productivity. After sitting with the feeling for a bit, here are some ideas that come to mind: 1. Maybe we should ask why we feel shame/guilt in the first place. Is it "normal" to feel this? If it isn't we should not rely on it for our happiness (or prod…

Do you feel shame/guilt when pair programming? Is the outcome still useful?

Re: I let a stranger watch me work for a day and I've never been more productive

#10
I had some time between my graduation and my job and I streamed some software development on Twitch, I don't think I had that much fun and was never so productive when others were watching me. It's such a weird effect but when someone is watching you your whole behavior changes ... and for me, in a good way. I'm naturally kind of lazy so this was really awesome.
Post reply on HN