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Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

contextkeeper.io

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Re: Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

#231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heh. The same at my workplace, except that build times suck, tests take a long time to run (and are not dependable), and you're expected to be on an electronic leash -- namely, one of the worst possible instant messengers.

You can say MS Teams here, it’s ok…

I would rank Slack above Teams in nefariousness, because it's a better tool, so people like it more, use the shit out of it, and inundate you with so much more noise.

Re: Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

#232
post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I do not eat breakfast, I am unable to focus on work. It does not matter when I am in dysfunctional team (so I was actually not eating breakfast), but the moment I needed to produce, I had to eat.

Seems to be most common. My comment is only pointing out that for me it is the opposite: I work better without breakfast.

That's very unusual. Your brain needs ready supplies of glucose to function. Not eating breakfast is forcing your body to turn energy stores into glucose in a way that it tries to avoid and probably doesn't give your brain ample supply, or just not function well.

Do you actually work better, or have you decided that you work better?

Re: Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

#233
post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're still missing the point. It isn't that you need to stay up all night, but rather the flow state. In college you typically have classes during the day so you aren't going to get it then. That doesn't make it a great thing but it also isn't exactly relevant to this conversation.

Even in college with classes, overnight studying is one of the least effective way of studying. And no, you don not need 6-8 hours of consecutive flow to learn anything. Whatever the reason for celebrating overnights, effectivity of it is not it.

I don't think the parent was suggesting overnights to be celebrated. In my group of high achievers, we joked about all nighters but anytime it actually happened, it was always treated as "we fucked up and were lazy and should have done this ages ago and this is our penance to attempt to claw back some almost positive outcome and passable grade from really poor planning"

Years later some of those kinds of situations were bonding moments, but none of them are considered a good thing.

Re: Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

#234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heh. The same at my workplace, except that build times suck, tests take a long time to run (and are not dependable), and you're expected to be on an electronic leash -- namely, one of the worst possible instant messengers.

You can say MS Teams here, it’s ok…

Touché :)

Re: Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

#235
> The Law of Context Density: A larger context naturally emerges with a bigger screen real estate.

This is so true. It's why I naturally feel dumber when I switch from a desktop computer to a laptop computer, and very stupid when working on a smartphone. I need my multiple tabs, big windows of text, etc. to get things done intelligently.

Re: Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

#236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's my method, tell anyone who interrupts you to "FUCK OFF" because your busy.

This method is bound to get you trapped as a junior engineer who will never be as effective as you could. Learn some people skills. Software exists for people.

My department head has openly told us to do this. He knows a distracted engineer is a bad engineer. He knows that most meetings don't need all the people in them. He told us to block off parts of the day that we COULD NOT be interrupted, and told us to reject meetings that aren't productive or valuable. He is also encouraging people to shorten meetings. He told us that if a manager expects you to work outside your normal hours, that is a bad manager.

"This will get you trapped as a junior" is just "All managers are terrible and we should never expect more". It's bad-manager apologism.

Re: Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

#238

For me the worst part is how "let me check that email again for context" becomes a 2-minute exercise in 2FA juggling, at the end of which I've already forgotten what I opened my email for and need a coffee break just to calm my nerves.

To login to anything now really feels like 5 factor.

I need 2fa just to log into my local machine!!!! Which actually makes it 3 factor: I need to know my password, have my macbook, and have my 2fa device.... and also know the password to that. Literally 4 factor?

Re: Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

#239

I don't disagree but... If you're having a huge issue with this, I suggest trying to find ways to hold less context at one time. Write stuff down & get it out of your head more often. Write down all of your ideas & break down your tasks into smaller tasks. Don't try & solve a giant problem all at once without writing down what you're going to do. You may also discover issues earlier. It doesn't get rid of the issue 1…

Do you write it down to read it? Or write it down just to write it down? I find myself doing the latter a lot lately- synthesizing rough ideas to a couple approaches or components and prob a little sketch. I feel a bit guilty that I toss them without reading but for me I think the value is it crystalizes my thinking by putting a pen to paper.

Both!

Write it down to read it & not forget it.

Write it down because the process often helps me better think about the problem & reasons my initial assumptions were wrong. Can't tell you how many times my clever initial idea becomes terrible rather quickly.

Also if it's something that's going to exist over multiple days, writing it down & coming back to it at least a day later is a great way to re-approach the solution & idea.

Re: Programmer interrupted: The cost of interruption and context switching (2022)

#240

For me the worst part is how "let me check that email again for context" becomes a 2-minute exercise in 2FA juggling, at the end of which I've already forgotten what I opened my email for and need a coffee break just to calm my nerves.

The worst for me is how the 2FA requires me to use my personal phone. That phone is filled to the brim with notifications from apps and games that were designed to be addictive. I avoid logging into anything because I know it will ruin my day.

Before the era of mandatory 2FA the first thing I did when I arrived at the office was turn off my phone and lock it away.

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