You can also use this to set yourself up for success at the end of the day by closing/zero-ing out everything, and then just starting the first thing you need to do the next day. Then when you start work the next day, you've already got a feeling of momentum because your space is clear, your focus is set, and you've already started the task.
“Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
131–140 of 188 posts
Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
#132This sounds like the 5S framework from Toyota, where people keep areas, neat, clean, and organized as a work principal.
The 5S acronym is:
Sort (remove what you don’t need)
Set in Order (organize what remains so it’s easy to find/use)
Shine (clean the area regularly)
Standardize (create consistent rules/checklists)
Sustain (maintain the discipline long-term)
Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
#133I've heard 100 of these kinds of ideas. None are scientific enough for me to change. Many contradict each other.
Cool you found a system that works for you.
I don't get flustered by chaos, and cleaning/organizing is a waste of time.
Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
#134The most important part is to just pay attention to how your current setup affects your mood, creativity, focus, etc. It'll be way easier to adjust once you're in tune with that. It's really easy to end up on autopilot with the structure of your workdays, only to notice that it doesn't work for the current project all that well. Getting stuck on the 'nothing' approach can be just as bad as getting stuck on a 'hundred…
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Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
#135Start with nothing
The next time you begin your workday, try this: clear your work surface completely. Close all browser tabs. Create a fresh page in your notebook. Open only the one file you need.
Has this person not heard of Chrome Profiles?
Github Repos?
Just start a new one. Don't clear your desk every time. For the techniques out there, this is like Javascript Promises that use one stack instead of Fibers, that uses many stacks.
Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
#136I've worked in the software industry for just over twenty years now. In my experience basically without question the most productive people I have known have had the messiest most chaotic setups online and offline. Hundreds of windows open, more icons on their desktop than it can display. I worked with an older gentleman for the last decade until recent layoffs who had worked on Oregon Trail for MECC. Single most pro…
Hear hear! I maintain it’s because productive people know how to focus on what matters, to cut through the noise, and it’s not just by carefully thinking things through (though that’s an important skill too). It’s partly because they “just don’t see” the noise - if you like, they’re not distracted by it, they can tune it out - or rather, they don’t need to spend any energy tuning it out because they don’t ‘see’ or he…
> if you like, they’re not distracted by it, they can tune it out - or rather, they don’t need to spend any energy tuning it out because they don’t ‘see’ or hear it in the first place!
The human body is not made of regular lines.You can see it in ergonomics accessories. They are not what we would call beautiful. While I love to tidy every once in a while (mostly for cleaning), everything will eventually fallback into some organic arrangement where I don't need to think about what I need and what I don't will eventually get removed. I think about task planning, then I offload the result in the environment. Starting fresh every day will just gobble up my time in order to reconstruct the environment again.
Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
#137Not everyone works the same way. These ideas surely will work well for some people, but there are others who feel utterly blocked by a clean workspace and need some clutter to get them rolling. There are also people with various types of neurodivergence who have their own unique needs. Arguably, people who need complete cleanliness to get work done fit into that category as well, and I include myself in that category.
I'm sure the author wasn't trying to tell the whole world to "Do it my way.", and was just offering some advice on one thing that worked for them. But it would read so much better if they wrote it that way, instead of writing it all about telling "you" how to organize your work.
Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
#138Every day I work on my main project, I clear my desk completely, take out a small notepad and write my overriding goal, and my next step goal, and then make a list of tasks for that next step goal. Then I work. Writing the major goal every day is important to not let sub-goals overshadow it. Writing the immediate goal every day is important because together the two goals create a very clear direction of action with a…
This kind of daily goal setting reminds me a lot of this podcast, if of interest. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/invest-like-the-best-w...
Are you recommending the podcast or this particular episode? :)
Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
#139Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work
#140This sounds like the 5S framework from Toyota, where people keep areas, neat, clean, and organized as a work principal. The 5S acronym is: Sort (remove what you don’t need) Set in Order (organize what remains so it’s easy to find/use) Shine (clean the area regularly) Standardize (create consistent rules/checklists) Sustain (maintain the discipline long-term)
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