Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#1

Post by long_warmup » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 5:40 AM UTC

I used to work till late hours. That is - extremely late, I could stay up until 4am, have 6 hours sleep and then work the next day. That is not to say that I was working this whole time, I used to waste some of that time - like play chess every once and again, read HN post...

This will not come as surprise that I realized this hurts my family and so I decided I have to change the way how I organize my day.

I managed to change my life style to start work early (I wake up 5am and I'm in the office at 6am so I can finish at 3pm) and then spend quality time with family (quality that is I'm not tired or under phone / email). Once kids are in bed and I still feel like checking in I give myself 1 hour before 9pm, I go to bed not later than 9pm so I fall asleep before 10 so I can wake up at 5am again.

Everything would be fine if only I had shorter warmup time. That means when I come to the office at 6am I often need around 30 minutes of wasted time to make my mind to actually start working. What do I do during that time? I waste it to play mahjong, sometimes chess or read HN post...

I tried different things to fight these bad habits. One post here on HN suggests to maintain a TODO list, so first thing you do in the morning is to curate that list and keep it up to date in terms of priorities. This helped a bit but I still find it difficult to just jump straight in without having some of my time wasted.

If you still read this you might probably suspect that this warmup time is not just morning thing. Every distraction during the day (i.e. meetings, standup etc.) make me to waste some time to go back to the flow...

What are your ways of reducing this warm-up time? Or maybe I'm just lazy and nobody else have this problem?

Re: Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#2

Post by kd5bjo » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 6:29 AM UTC

> What are your ways of reducing this warm-up time? Or maybe I'm just lazy and nobody else have this problem?

As far as I can tell, this is a fairly normal part of knowledge / creative work. You call it wasted time, but some part of it is essential to do the job well, and so you’re legitimately working during that time.

It simply takes time for a human brain to shift from interactivity to contemplation, and a short chess game or similar seems like a good way to spend that time.

Re: Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#3

Post by Epskampie » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 6:31 AM UTC

Time you enjoy wasting is not time wasted. You are not a machine that can be turned off and on at the flick off a switch. If you enjoy reading a small amount of HN in the morning, I don’t see the problem at all.

Re: Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#4

Post by phodo » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 6:32 AM UTC

Try beginning a problem towards the end of the day that you look forward to finishing and solving the next morning. That will create positive anticipation. That way, you can’t wait to get started. It can be something trivial or more difficult.

Re: Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#5

Post by xwowsersx » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 6:37 AM UTC

I can understand the desire to increase productivity, but I often think we too easily try to combat our nature. For example, I tend to be very unproductive for a lot of the day and then have bursts of incredible productivity during which I do more in an hour than many do in half the day. I tried to fight that, but realized that the way my brain works is I map things out in my mind in almost an unconscious way, I mull over ideas (also semi-unconsciously). This is followed by a burst of productivity. This works for me and I've come to realize I don't need to fight it.

But since I'm aware of this, I've changed some things. For example, during my "down" time, I try not to get get too deep into other mental pursuits, I avoid dealing with things that might cause stress, etc. Basically, I try to ensure that when I'm ready to switch to productivity mode, my mind is clear and I'm ready to work. I'll even try to do some things that are arguably productive, even if it's not productivity towards my main work goals, for example reading documentation or guides on new tools I'm using...that kind of thing. Nothing too hands on or deep, but something that does make me better at my work.

I think you need to accept that's how you work and admire the diversity of creative/productive/mental "styles". Actually, you said it yourself! "I often need around 30 minutes of wasted time to make my mind to actually start working." What's the problem then?

So I don't really have direct advice for you. If it just takes you 30 minutes in the morning to get going, so be it. Have a coffee, do some reading while you ready yourself mentally for work.

The other variable number of distracted periods during the day is probably the bigger (or only) issue as I see it. For that, I'm afraid I don't have much advice, but maybe some of the points I made above are relevant.

EDIT: one way to think about it, perhaps, is that whatever your brain needs, it's going to get one way or another. You can't just ignore it indefinitely. Like, if you just tried to use sheer willpower to stay focused when your mind is begging you for a little break, you might be able to delay giving into that for a bit (which might actually be fine), but make a mental note that you're feeling the need for a break and schedule to take that in N minutes or later that day - basically at a time during which you reasonably feel it might be less problematic to be in your less productive mode. Point is, rather than trying to deny your nature outright, you can use your knowledge of yourself to reduce, what you perceive to be, the ill effects of your style. So plan around your tendencies instead of trying to ret rid of them.

Re: Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#6

Post by lordkrandel » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 6:39 AM UTC

Man, don't be so harsh to yourself, your circadian rhythm won't change just because you want so :D I spend 1 hour each day in the same way, from 7am to 8am, and I bet there are a lot of people doing so. Instead of trying to make each single half an hour "productive" you can just be human and let yourself be adapting to waking up at 5am. If you can't but think it's a waste, avoid needing your analytical brain for something like chess and prepare breakfast for your kids, write poetry to let yourself go and drop into emotions, or dedicate time to some small housekeeping duty. All the time we live is somewhat "wasted", it's just as meaningful as we assign value to it. Don't stress yourself too much, people living in the countryside one hundred years ago used to live by the the sun, and they had so much time to "waste" that you wouldn't think possible, and I don't consider old farmers "lazy people" just because of that.

Re: Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#7

Post by finaliteration » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 6:47 AM UTC

You are definitely not lazy! It takes me a good 20-30 minutes in the morning to get situated once I’m at my desk. Sometimes that time is spent just reading email and catching up, sometimes it’s checking HN, sometimes it’s messing around on my phone. But I don’t feel guilty about it because I’m paid for results and not my time in a seat, and sometimes I need that time to just chill and collect myself so I can keep getting those results. As long as you are getting your work done on time I wouldn’t worry at all about this.

Re: Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#8

Post by kmarc » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 7:09 AM UTC

Just out of curiosity, do you mind sharing some info about your circumstances?

- what kind of job?

- which country / state / etc?

- what hobbies, especially sports do you have?

- what exactly is the problem with your old schedule?

Re: Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#9

Post by long_warmup » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 7:10 AM UTC

Thank you everyone for your responses!

I was thinking about rationalizing this , and also about effect of my work that matters rather than hours sited at my desk, and also that human beings are not machines.

My goal was to park all non-work time and spend it with family, playing chess to get into the flow feels like non-work time...

Maybe what I wrote feels like exaggerating but it comes from my other thoughts I had about life. Mainly that if I ever want to start something on my own and in the same time not to make my wife to divorce me is to become more efficient with time I spend at work. When I feel I waste time this makes me frustrated and some of that frustration leaks to my home-time... in a way that sometimes I have a feeling that time not invested is time wasted. I feel like this especially on bad days where I don't feel like I have done enough.

I know the answer is simply "don't waste time", it feels awkward but it's like addiction and I don't have good idea how to fight it.

Re: Ask HN: How do you make your warm-up time shorter

#10

Post by long_warmup » Mon, Jan 13, 2020, 7:19 AM UTC

kmarc wrote: post #8

Just out of curiosity, do you mind sharing some info about your circumstances? - what kind of job? - which country / state / etc? - what hobbies, especially sports do you have? - what exactly is the problem with your old schedule?

I'm python developer, worked in a startup before doing all kind of technical stuff from product development, through infrastructure to daily development routine. I work remotely (however I rent a co-working desk for simple reason to have clear division between home time and work time), I'm based in London. Well, sport is sort of my Achilles heel - another thing I constantly fail to improve... Old schedule resulted in literally no time for my family, to the point my wife was thinking about divorcing me.