Ask HN: How did you improve your ability to do deep work?

5 mins!? Why would it take so long? This is 10 years ago but my DSL (telephone) and then cable internet connection would not take more than 60 seconds. Now it's less than 30 seconds.

It might sound strange but for me the most efficient days are when I wake up early, have a quick breakfast and commute to work, when I am in the car I mentally plan what I will do today and start programming in my head so when I reach the office (around 06:30) I connect my laptop, take a coffee and start working I typically manage to work un-interrupted up-to 10:00 and I typically manage to finish all my planned tasks, only then I check my phone/email and start interacting with other colleagues.

What I think is the most importante thing is the planning I do while commuting to the office (30 minutes), no phone, no radio, just thinking and planning the day.

The same thing happens when I do long trips for work 3-5 hours by car, it might seem as lost time but they really help me organise my thoughts that when I sit in front of the PC I dump everything.

My checklist for getting focused work done:

* decide what I'm going to do (I usually write a list).

* prepare everything I need to get it done (ie, getting all my resources in one spot).

* prepare everything I need to keep me going (eg, water, coffee, full batteries).

* physically Isolate myself[1]. For me right now, this typically means going to a cafe, but it could just be another room, a spot on the lawn, anywhere.

When I do this, I can happily work upwards of 4 hours on a single thing.

Some other pointers:

* I have music that I listen to when working (eg, ambient, house) that helps me focus and is distinct to the music I listen to recreationally (which I find it way too distracting).

* I have an old sony xperia that I thrifted in Tokyo. It gives me everything I need (maps, banking, a translator) while being too sluggish to distract me. Note, I typically leave it at home if I'm going for a work sesh.

[1] I travel a lot with work and have adapted to working exclusively from a laptop.

I wrote about it. It’s an article that I regularly update. It needs an update: I stopped using Reddit entirely.

https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/silence

To answer your question more specifically, I also keep an eye on my vitals. It’s hard to do good work while tired, hungry or worried. A good nap is sometimes the most productive use of your time.

I also make sure to take real breaks. Finishing the day hungry and behind on your chores is not a good idea. Work needs to blend in with your other obligations. Deep work also requires breaks.

Reducing overhead is another big one. You need to get rid of all the obligations that are holding you back: pointless meetings, pointless commuting, excessive maintenance overhead, etc.

The environment itself also needs a bit of attention. Good monitor, good chair, sunlight, whatever makes you happy to sit at your post.

I keep things simple by setting aside blocks of time to focus on just one task, and I avoid checking emails or messages during that period. Another big help has been reducing context switching ie switching between different apps/screen - I found it not effective for deep work at all A tool like https://saner.ai/ can help extract information faster without having to switch around many apps which increasing context switching