Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How Software Engineers and Designers Can Increase Their Focus

howtogetfocused.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–19 of 19 posts

Re: How Software Engineers and Designers Can Increase Their Focus

#11

Post by sscheper »

carterschonwald wrote: post #4
concretecode wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm disheartened by the trend towards tea over the last few years. The solid kick in the pants that a cup of coffee brings is something I'm reluctant to live without.

you clearly haven't spent time tuning your tea brewing! Its actually shockingly easy to brew amazing tasting black tea that is in the coffee- expresso strength in terms of caffeine. First of all: Get loose leaf black tea, trying out several varieties to find a baseline one you like. Black tea is the simplest to brew of all the caffeinated tea variants. You'll also want to experiment with water temperature, steeping t…

Here's something I wrote on caffeine: http://howtogetfocused.com/chapters/caffeine/

Re: How Software Engineers and Designers Can Increase Their Focus

#12

Post by python123 »

The key takeaway is the bit about 'inspirational' books. It's very true that people use these types of 'resources' as another means to procrastinate. So many wantrepreneurs think if they just read a little more TechCrunch or Hacker News or watch another Mixergy video, they will have what they need. WRONG.

Re: How Software Engineers and Designers Can Increase Their Focus

#13

Post by TheTarquin »

whimsy wrote: post #5

tl;dr: Get rid of your TV, turn off your gadgets, and exercise. I was hoping for something profound and specific for designers/software engineers.

I'm not sure there's anything one could say about focus/productivity that's particular to software engineers. When it comes right down to it, the sort of work we do is susceptible to the same procrastination pitfalls as any other knowledge worker, and so it can be avoided in the same ways.

The most helpful advice I've gotten on productivity has come from Merlin Mann of 43Folders (and other projects), and he mostly writes about writing.

Re: How Software Engineers and Designers Can Increase Their Focus

#14

Post by tpz »

carterschonwald wrote: post #4
concretecode wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm disheartened by the trend towards tea over the last few years. The solid kick in the pants that a cup of coffee brings is something I'm reluctant to live without.

you clearly haven't spent time tuning your tea brewing! Its actually shockingly easy to brew amazing tasting black tea that is in the coffee- expresso strength in terms of caffeine. First of all: Get loose leaf black tea, trying out several varieties to find a baseline one you like. Black tea is the simplest to brew of all the caffeinated tea variants. You'll also want to experiment with water temperature, steeping t…

re: "steeping time (not that long, else you'll get the bitter flavor bits that no one like)"

As a tip to those who might want to give tea a try, the pattern of increased bitterness with increased steeping time is highly dependent on tea quality. Not necessarily price, but quality.

Don't be afraid to do some research, talk to local tea lovers, etc. to find the best quality (not simply the most expensive, as that is a sure way to just get ripped off) loose tea in your area. You'll be rewarded for it in terms of the freedom you have in steeping time, as better tea can be steeped longer and to stronger flavour without developing bitterness. (Higher-quality tea can also be reused for another steeping or two (gasp!) and still deliver great flavour, making it an even better value.)

For those coming off of a strong coffee habit, you can have yourself a nice, strong (but almost never bitter!) replacement in no time.

Re: How Software Engineers and Designers Can Increase Their Focus

#15

Post by ivenkys »

whimsy wrote: post #5

tl;dr: Get rid of your TV, turn off your gadgets, and exercise. I was hoping for something profound and specific for designers/software engineers.

Actually it is profound , the "profoundness" lies in the simplicity of the advice, why designers/software engineers require tonnes of apps "to get focussed" is beyond me.

Scientists,Mathematicians and artists don't use strategies to get focussed , they just get on with it.

Re: How Software Engineers and Designers Can Increase Their Focus

#18

Post by whimsy »

sscheper wrote: post #10
whimsy wrote: post #5

tl;dr: Get rid of your TV, turn off your gadgets, and exercise. I was hoping for something profound and specific for designers/software engineers.

Hey Whimsy -- It depends on how you define profound. I think simple, common sense practices can be profound without needing deep stories, data or figures backing it up. Let me know what other types of focus activities have helped you out. I'll include a chapter or piece on it. - Scott P.S. I've been using RescueTime and it's also a good addition in using focus tools

Yes, it definitely depends on how one defines profound.

For my own part, this is common sense rather than profundity. I don't have a smart phone, I don't use Twitter, I don't worry about getting my inbox to zero, and I disconnect from the internet when I'm trying to get something done that requires focus (writing, coding, projects, etc). The fewer distractions... the better.

Perhaps I'm just young and impudent, but it bothers me that this might surprise anyone, or that this might be unintuitive. It's the unintuitive stuff that I consider profound.

Re: How Software Engineers and Designers Can Increase Their Focus

#19

Post by carterschonwald »

tpz wrote: post #14
carterschonwald wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you clearly haven't spent time tuning your tea brewing! Its actually shockingly easy to brew amazing tasting black tea that is in the coffee- expresso strength in terms of caffeine. First of all: Get loose leaf black tea, trying out several varieties to find a baseline one you like. Black tea is the simplest to brew of all the caffeinated tea variants. You'll also want to experiment with water temperature, steeping t…

re: "steeping time (not that long, else you'll get the bitter flavor bits that no one like)" As a tip to those who might want to give tea a try, the pattern of increased bitterness with increased steeping time is highly dependent on tea quality. Not necessarily price, but quality. Don't be afraid to do some research, talk to local tea lovers, etc. to find the best quality (not simply the most expensive, as that is a…

so then the question is, whats a good place to order loose leaf tea, a place like adagio or what?
Post reply on HN