Is there some (or any) scientific basis for this? I couldn't find any justification or references in the article, although my apologies in advance if I missed them.
Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
21–30 of 57 posts
Re: Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
Same. I wish I got to actually write code. I spend a lot of time at my job knowing that there are programming tasks to be done, but they're not in the sprint, and scrum master will scold me if I work on them, so instead I sit on my hands waiting for the middleware team to do some task or other that would be totally unnecessary if they had followed my advice in the first place.
Just work on them anyway, save the code, and follow the ticket. Once it's in the sprint, copy+paste and commit.
That is one approach that I try to take sometimes. The real problem is more that having to report every morning on work I've done that is in the sprint puts a real damper on my ability to focus on the other stuff. And if effort spent overcoming that isn't even appreciated, why bother? It's just kind of demoralizing, especially after having spent a decade working at a job where I was able to get things done. Live and learn, then get demoted to a position where you can't apply any of it.
I guess if you have a tendency to automate yourself out of a job, it's inevitable that you'll end up somewhere so dysfunctional that it's impossible to do so.
Re: Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
#23I love this idea and have often observed the effect they describe in the intro. > Instead of half-working all day, it’s better to work in focused stints, with breaks in between to recover Yes! Super true. Strong agree. The discipline to actually do this I find harder to muster however. When you're tired it can be difficult to realize that you're tired and unproductive. Even when you do realize this, it can be harder…
Reminds me of interval training for physical fitness.
Re: Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
#24When most of the work is to figure out what the other party wants and what can I take, productivity and motivation practically go down to zero. I need to get into some lower level programming job or a tool programming job.
Same. I wish I got to actually write code. I spend a lot of time at my job knowing that there are programming tasks to be done, but they're not in the sprint, and scrum master will scold me if I work on them, so instead I sit on my hands waiting for the middleware team to do some task or other that would be totally unnecessary if they had followed my advice in the first place.
Yeah it's difficult to handle especially if there are unknown unknowns. I prefer to find a coding job where my clients are programmers.
Re: Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
#25When most of the work is to figure out what the other party wants and what can I take, productivity and motivation practically go down to zero. I need to get into some lower level programming job or a tool programming job.
Same. I wish I got to actually write code. I spend a lot of time at my job knowing that there are programming tasks to be done, but they're not in the sprint, and scrum master will scold me if I work on them, so instead I sit on my hands waiting for the middleware team to do some task or other that would be totally unnecessary if they had followed my advice in the first place.
From an outside perspective it looks like you are saying you know what is best but can't convince anybody of it? Is everyone around you incompetent or is it possible there are different priorities?
Re: Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
Same. I wish I got to actually write code. I spend a lot of time at my job knowing that there are programming tasks to be done, but they're not in the sprint, and scrum master will scold me if I work on them, so instead I sit on my hands waiting for the middleware team to do some task or other that would be totally unnecessary if they had followed my advice in the first place.
From an outside perspective it looks like you are saying you know what is best but can't convince anybody of it? Is everyone around you incompetent or is it possible there are different priorities?
I think it's not different priorities so much as an organization that has ossified around a particular way of doing things, and when problems are detected (like "why does it take 2 weeks to add a column to a table"), the solution is to cram more cooks into the kitchen. If I bring this up I am basically told "well we can't do anything about that." So I've learned to keep my mouth shut when the scrum leader asks if there's anything keeping me from doing my job rather than rattling off the latest of many organizational problems that have made my job 1000x harder than it needs to be.
I have worked at places where people are competent and have slightly different priorities than I do. This is very different.
Re: Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
#27Is there some (or any) scientific basis for this? I couldn't find any justification or references in the article, although my apologies in advance if I missed them.
> This kind of pattern is natural; research confirms that people tend to take longer breaks after working for longer. (One-third is just a recommendation; you can use other break fractions if you prefer.)
There is a link on the word research. That seems like a justification to me. I prefer just to casually take it into account though.
Re: Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
#28When most of the work is to figure out what the other party wants and what can I take, productivity and motivation practically go down to zero. I need to get into some lower level programming job or a tool programming job.
Even more meta, make food for a family?
Re: Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
#29I made an Emacs Org-mode package for this: https://github.com/telotortium/org-pomodoro-third-time
Re: Third Time: a better way to work (2022)
#30If you're enjoying it well enough this is typically not a concern. I do take breaks when the program is building though. Or when I'm not feeling it. Please don't try to replace your feelings by ridiculously rigid schemes.