Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study?

I can relate. I had the write code to interface with a legacy backend once -- it was dreary.

Flow implies a certain degree of momentum/autopilot, or at least a state where one thing flows into another. It's kinda like hitting a set of green traffic lights and you get to cruise right through. Unfortunately, when the underlying problem is really disjointed, adjusting environmental factors don't really help.

I guess one way to solve the problem is to break it down into little pieces, brute force through them, and see if they lead anywhere. Once you get past the activation energy, then flow starts to happen.

- coffee (but it's a drug, and I advise against them if it is about work)

- getting somewhere with no wifi (train, plane, in the nature, coffee, hotel lobby, or even disabling the wifi on your laptop)

- pomodoro

- chains

- seeking no interruptions

Usually I find that if I'm not making progress, there is very specifically one things I'm avoiding. So I just make it my goal to make a little progress on that piece. And usually once I get into it, I find that it's not so bad, and soon I've made much more progress than I planned to.

Don't know if that counts as deep work, but it is a technique I've used repeatedly over the years and had good success with.

I have a ritual and some rules:

I mentally prepare 30-60 minutes beforehand.

A cup of coffee is nice and warm while I read HN, check socials, etc. It perks me up, puts me on a track.

Work is distant here. It's going to happen, but it's not important now.

I finish my coffee at the pace I finish reading, clean up, and then setup my work space.

This is vital to me. The more work I put into ergonomics early on, the less I have to readjust later.

I have a set of rules to follow for efficiency.

1. I need minimal distractions. Headphones and instrumental music work great for me personally. Visually I can focus on a rectangular screen and that becomes a visual boundary for me. Among other people I set rigid boundaries.

2. I need minimal movement to accomplish a task. My peripherals are in arm's reach. If I need to break from work it takes maybe two motions maximum to set aside anything I'm using. Coming back to work, just reverse the motions.

I then focus on reassessing the problem(s) I left the previous day.

I find the smallest problem I can fix and gradually descend into larger structural issues I would like to solve or build. With my design these are usually emergent as I take the small problems, but the benefits are double-fold because I like to ease in and gain confidence as I work. It's like starting a marathon at a steady pace versus a sprint I guess.

Rinse and repeat. Take breaks. If you are having issues with some deep work, pull yourself up and give yourself a mental snack like (for gamedev) a simple shader that you can just play around with.

Nothing wrong with checking socials or your phone, but I physically go somewhere else. To me, it's an invitation into my workspace and because this space is sacred for me, I can determine what signals come and go.

My 2c.

> coffee (but it's a drug, and I advise against them if it is about work)

There's nothing inherently wrong with drug use. The problems come in with abuse, addiction, dependency, and negative side effects - and all of those are so mild with caffeine as to be effectively nonexistent for most people, as long as they refrain from ingesting it into the late afternoon and evening.