Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
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Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
1–10 of 69 posts
Re: Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
#2I already know that I spend too much time on things like Hacker News. (Which is why I take ironic and self deprecating usernames like unimpressive.) Reading, while helpful, isn't helpful past a certain point. The problem is that reading feels just as helpful when you need it as it does when you don't.
It's certainly easier to do something after having read about it. But how much can you really do, and how much of it is truly relevant to your goals? You can't help but feel that not tapping into powerful tools like RSS feeds is damaging in some way. Intangible as it is.
Re: Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
#3I find that it depends on the project, but there have been times when I am so focused I start coding in the shower. Then proceed to forget to eat breakfast... lunch... and dinner. I just forget about my body.
Re: Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
#4How do you value inspiration or innovation stemming from distractions? I'll go on a limb and state that distractions can be more productive than zen coding...
Re: Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
#5How do you value inspiration or innovation stemming from distractions? I'll go on a limb and state that distractions can be more productive than zen coding...
This is probably the fundamental reason that I don't just turn off my RSS reader and uninstall my web browser. Those distractions are the fuel for the fire that keeps your finger on the pulse of doing awesome things. The issue for me is justifying to myself the potential cost of missing a critical piece of information that might lead me to something brilliant.
Re: Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
#6What if our brain is actually a multi core machine that has millions of cores? Would you still force it to use one core?
What if the task you just put into background kept working on it's own?
I think humans were built to multitask, our environment is too complex to be single threaded, think driving: you need o pay attention to multiply things at the same time.
Re: Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
#7What if our brain is actually a multi core machine that has millions of cores? Would you still force it to use one core? What if the task you just put into background kept working on it's own? I think humans were built to multitask, our environment is too complex to be single threaded, think driving: you need o pay attention to multiply things at the same time.
Yes, maybe the question is wrong - it's not about whether or not we multitask. I can't easily occupy my consciousness with multiple tasks, but I can let my unconscious mind handle something (and interrupt my conscious mind when it needs to - e.g. when a car is swerving out of control in front of me) while I perform something with my higher levels of consciousness.
Re: Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
#8I don't compile (web application) but have period of time when I am running test suite and have to wait.
If I have such free time, there is always something else work-related for me to do, since I am not tasked with only coding. - Go over the code I have just written.
- It is time to commit, so look at diffs and commit.
- Check the server's performance.
- Go over list of pivotal stories and see what I be doing next.
- Take a break, go for a walk around in the building, check out the beautiful view.
- Go over calendar and see if there is anything I need to not-forget.
- Read something related to programming, a book at work or an article.
- Have a talk with fellow co-workers about something that has been on your mind.
Re: Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
#9How do you value inspiration or innovation stemming from distractions? I'll go on a limb and state that distractions can be more productive than zen coding...
I think it is great to be distracted to be inspired, BUT when inspired, without focus you will never realize all the great thoughts.
It's the same thing my yoga teacher told me - when you do anything - you have to focus as hard as possible, as long as possible. Then re-focus to other thing and never float like a leaf on pond - this won't get you anywhere.
Re: Are You a Zen Coder or Distraction-Junkie?
#10"Divide your time into 60 – 120 minutes blocks of work. Focus 100% percent in these blocks of time. Then take a 20-30 minute break and do something else entirely."
This might be usable advice for someone who works at home on his own business, but for those of us who work in office environments, there are sources of distraction that are much more difficult to control than the urge to read news: meetings, your boss walking into your office, colleagues who interrupt you with urgent requests for help, etc. (If you're a developer who also manages a team, multiply this by ten.) The only time I can get an hour of uninterrupted work is after everyone goes home. So I think a more useful question is: how can you get back into a productive state more quickly after the inevitable interruption occurs?
Or, to go back to Zen: how can you lose the attachment you have to the flow of uninterrupted work? When it happens, it feels really good, but when it doesn't happen, it would be better not to get too frustrated about it and be able to move on.
That said, I thought the article's advice to consciously choose stretching or brief meditation over e-mail or news to be something worth trying.