

How Software Engineers and Designers Can Increase Their Focus - concretecode
http://howtogetfocused.com/chapters/how-software-engineers-and-designers-can-increase-their-focus/

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whimsy
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.

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sscheper
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

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whimsy
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.

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kerringtonx
Tea! <3

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concretecode
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.

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carterschonwald
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 time (not that long, else you'll get the bitter flavor
bits that no one like), and how you go about steeping (i 've found that
disposable tea bags that I can fill with loose tea is best for me). I've fine
tuned this process for myself to the point that I can make super strong tea
that also naturally tastes sweet!

The mistake that many people make with tea vs coffee is that they equate the
jitteriness with the caffeine working. In tea, there is also theanine, which
moderates the jitters that occur due to caffeine via being a very mild muscle
relaxant, and I am lead to believe that theanine has been found to have
wholely positive cognitive effects generally.

That being said, coffee or tea are only helpful if you have a caffeine
dependency, or you are amidst being tired/groggy to an extent that interferes
with work. If your issues with doing work are not those, drink the tea anyways
because its tasty, healthy and easier on the stomach/body than equivalent
volumes of coffee (also tasty) or sugary(real or fake) energy drinks. and/or
go talk with a doctor to figure out why you can't do work.

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tpz
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.

~~~
carterschonwald
so then the question is, whats a good place to order loose leaf tea, a place
like adagio or what?

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swah
Books give him a temporal high? WTF?

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Estragon
He meant temporary.

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jmtame
adderall

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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.

