Ask HN: What changes in your life did you make to become more productive? - chronal
======
schneidmaster
Went to my doctor for the first time about what turned out to be
undiagnosed/untreated comorbid depression and ADHD. I was apprehensive and
avoided it for years but it's easily been one of the best decisions I've ever
made. I was losing so much time to the vicious cycle of not wanting to do
anything but lay in bed, then feeling crappy that I wasn't doing anything,
then trying to focus but constantly geting distracted for several hours, then
feeling crappy about all of that and just wanting to go back to bed. (And
obviously, I have seen enormous improvements in my overall mental health and
well-being, not just productivity. But it turns out that not feeling like crap
most of the time also makes you a much more productive developer.)

~~~
mixmastamyk
What was the treatment?

~~~
schneidmaster
For me, it started with an antidepressant (escitalopram, commonly called
Lexapro) and weekly visits with a therapist. The escitalopram did wonders for
my particular depression. I have dysthymia (also called persistent depressive
disorder, I forget which is the official name now) which means I experience
ongoing, low-level daily melancholy (as opposed to clinical depression/major
depression, which is much more episodic in nature -- you have weeks you just
can't get out of bed or eat, and you have weeks when you're pretty much fine).
So for me, escitalopram did a ton to even out my daily melancholy and limit
mood swings -- I still have good and bad days but my baseline is much closer
to neutral rather than consistently feeling down in the dumps.

And then as I talked to my therapist over time she uncovered symptoms of ADHD
that I'd never really thought about. There's a lot of debate about whether
adult-onset ADHD exists, but her perspective (which seems very accurate in my
case) is that people with "adult-onset" ADHD have actually had it their entire
lives as well, but they had better coping mechanisms so it wasn't diagnosed at
a young age. I was always a good student, rarely got in trouble, could sit
still in the classroom -- but I had a terrible time trying to focus on work, I
fidget constantly, I always have multiple trains of thought in my head. I'm
just also a pretty fast worker and fairly smart so I was able to be unfocused
and put things off to the last second but eventually lock it in just in time
to beat the deadline. My therapist administered a diagnostic test (basically a
multiple choice test asking about how often I experience X, Y, and Z, and a
similar test sent to a close friend to be completed separately about their
perceptions of me) and it turned out that I do have ADHD. So she started me on
Ritalin which has also helped me immensely. I'm able to focus and be
productive on a regular basis (rather than in brief but manic spurts) and it
also helps my overall mood, because I'm not constantly getting down on myself
for being unable to focus on something important. (That's what it means for my
ADHD/depression to be "comorbid" \-- they feed into each other.)

It's worth noting that this is just my particular combination of
neurodivergences and treatment plan. Different people experience success with
different treatments, including various medications, ongoing/regular talk
therapy, lifestyle changes, etc. But the one constant is that I've never met a
single person whose life has gotten worse because they talked to someone about
their mental health. It's a lifelong journey but in my experience the needle
only moves in one direction and it starts with opening up to someone.

------
muzani
In order of impact:

* Stop looking for "opportunities" until I need one. This means entertaining recruiters, personal branding, networking, coupons/free stuff, freelance sites, side projects, meeting sales people. 80% of errands I didn't want came from this. The only exception is helping people who ask for help.

* Getting the hardest thing done a day. Sometimes this means getting rest and sleeping at 9 PM.

* If it feels bad to the point I rant for nights to my wife about it, get rid of it. Fire that guy, send that email, yell at the boss, quit that job, destroy that rival. Sometimes it costs me all my daily willpower to do this one thing, and I end up too tired to do anything else. It's always worth it.

* Focus days. Basically these totally monastic days, where I stay away from all entertainment and think on a problem, except for family time. You know that moment you get an idea in the shower? When avoiding all entertainment, you get that moment all day, and it wanders off to something useful, not about how to optimize my build for a game.

* Never directly working past 6 PM. Daydreaming about work is fine but don't write anything.

* Getting 7 hours of sleep a night. 1 extra hour of sleep allowed 2 more hours of difficult work.

* L-Theanine

* Exercise regularly in mornings.

* Disposable prototypes. If I feel unsure if something could be done or unsure how to do it, build something that will be disposed later. Forcing myself to throw it away also keeps me from adding stuff I don't actually need and keeps me from paralyzing perfectionism.

* Don't emotionally focus on something. Bad things hurt, but focus on getting back up or away from the pain. Don't let it distract.

* Yes, fear/depression/anger increase productivity 500%. But the side effects are very bad.

~~~
dk28
what is L-Theanine for?

~~~
mbrock
It's a calming nootropic that goes really well with caffeine. (It's why green
tea is so great.)

~~~
dk28
I am drinking green tea (a lot actually). Should I also ingest L-Theanine?

~~~
mbrock
I think the nootropics people claim that most green tea has a little bit too
little L-Theanine to get the most out of it biochemically, but I'm not sure.

They first extracted L-Theanine from Japanese gyokuro tea, which is green tea
grown in shade and it has a lot of the wonder drug, but it's pretty expensive.

Anyway, green tea is great as it is, so it's up to you!

------
baldfat
Strengthen my self-discipline muscle. Seriously the ability to self-control
ourselves is the biggest and hardest thing.

1) I HATE Running and I would run 3 miles a day around a 1/4 track 5 days a
week. I could stop at anytime and just did it.

2) I fasted breakfast and lunch once a week. Just drank water period.

This was awesome then I got married and have kids. I am the most undisciplined
self I have ever known and less productive.

~~~
maerF0x0
1st off, username checks out.

>I am the most undisciplined self I have ever known and less productive.

Are you saying this is a result of marriage+kids or 1&2 above?

------
praxis23
Serving in the army (and actually going to war, which is a nightmare, for a
brief period):

1\. It helps you get discipline right, and care less about "productivity" and
"motivation" \- you just do stuff. 2\. It teaches you that your reserves and
powers are limited, and priorities are an hourly grind of making the right
choices. 3\. It teaches you to stay sharp all the time, no matter what your
body tells you to feel.

Not that I've mastered any of these, but even small hints I've picked up
really changed my life before/after spending 6 months in pre-field training
and a year in field (I was officer-in-reserve before, but it teaches you
knowledge, not skill).

~~~
sshine
The two friends I know who went to war had to shove dead kids into trucks. One
is a functioning alcoholic and the other is a recluse whose nickname has
"drugz" in it. Good luck with that as a self-motivating strategy.

------
emeth
No 0 days.

Taken from this thread on reddit:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/i_ju...](https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/i_just_dont_care_about_myself/cdah4af/)

~~~
andrewfong
Reminds me of the make-your-bed advice. [http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-
seal-commander-explains-...](http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-seal-
commander-explains-why-you-should-make-your-bed-2017-4)

------
santoriv
I ditched my smartphone and opted for a dumb phone instead. For me, having a
smartphone made my distractibility even worse than it naturally is (I have
ADD). Also, I no longer hear the siren call of the internet calling to me
everywhere I go.

~~~
jmcgough
Was it hard to make the transition? I wish I could get rid of my smart phone,
but I'm so dependent on lyft, my gps, etc, that it's hard to separate the
addictive parts from the parts that are really useful.

~~~
santoriv
Well, I have a Garmin for GPS (which is arguably inferior but it's fine) and I
don't live in an big city so we don't have Uber or Lyft here anyway. I can see
how for some people it is a requirement to have a smartphone - esp if you need
to be constantly tethered to your email (dev ops etc...)

~~~
gcb0
so the trick is not ditching your device access to online stuff, but your
physical access. without a cellphone in big urban centers you'd have a tough
time moving around. well, I would.

public transport in big us cities are broken down by little cities, which any
European would call neighbourhood... and parking in sf and ny is impractical.
now you have to know how to transfer between several buses routes, or even if
you decide to just take a cab, you must know the cab number for the company
for that specific little region you find yourself at. I can't imagine not
having a phone with a browser to navigate this mess, obviously designed to
limit mobility.

------
maerF0x0
Meal prep once a week.

Once a week I roast ~8 chicken quarters (I quarter whole chickens). M-Th the
only meals i eat are 2-4 cups of mixed salad and 1/4 chicken. Takes about 1
hour to prep, saves about 6 hours of time per week.

Intentionally do less. I frequently trim back all the things I think I "have"
to do and realize they're not worth the marginal time. This includes things
like cleaning my apartment (once a month instead of once a week). Checking
email besides when I find my self waiting for something else (like an elevator
or coffee). I also try to keep this mentality with development. I try to code
the least thing and get it shipped so that we can improve it if/when someone
ever uses it. The vast majority of P0 Must have CEO direct features have been
largely untouched and thus I now just do the bare minimum on things so we can
get the data to know where to focus real effort.

~~~
riku_iki
I would hate chicken after few weeks of such diet )

------
Thriptic
The biggest change for me has been partitioning. When it is time to work, I
work. No distractions, attack the most important tasks etc. During breaks I
will let my attention wander but not during work periods.

When I am participating in hobbies, with friends, on vacation, done for the
day etc I do not work. I will not check my email, I will not answer phone
calls, I will not do any work. Obviously if there is an emergency I will break
this policy, but true emergencies are pretty rare. I schedule both work time
and time off in my calendar and make it available for people I work with to
see. They know that unless it's an emergency, if they contact me during a
marked time off they will not get a response until the next work period.

------
narag
I've never made a change in my life with the conscious purpose to become more
productive. But there have been a couple of periods in my life when my
productivity was higher, so it was tempting to examine what circumstances were
present that could explain those good times.

I have no positive answers. It's more like I am usually very productive as
long as there's not some circumstances that slow me. Actually it's very easy
to find the causes for my _lack_ of productivity: illness, family problems or
toxic workplace.

So my advice is: get the monkey off your back and forget the details.

------
kowdermeister
Try FaceApp and see yourself aged 30+ years. You will eventually become that
person so it's worth taking steps towards making that person the best version
of you.

"We treat our future selves like strangers"
[https://www.vox.com/2014/12/18/7414105/procrastination-
futur...](https://www.vox.com/2014/12/18/7414105/procrastination-future-
planning)

------
Toine
I stopped caring how productive I was and just produced stuff when I felt like
it

------
atsushin
Ditched multiplayer roleplaying games: I found I was mostly playing these
games out of desperation for meaningful interaction and chatting. Though I've
replaced that with Discord servers now, so perhaps I should cut that out too.

~~~
iKlsR
Same! I replaced it with Manga, read a couple chapters in my downtime or
during meals. You'd the surprised the depth of these, they are usually well
written, basically an ongoing book.

------
legohead
Got married and had kids. Before that, I was happy working a 30k/year job,
coming home and playing video games every day. It was a simpler, and more
blissful time, but I was not progressing in any way.

~~~
taheca
Getting married and having kids is amazing at building up both focus and
ambition.

------
swendoog
I've played video games my entire life. I'm really good at them, and as a
result, I enjoy them. Video games have always been my outlet, my "TV", my go-
to when I just need to detach and relax. I play ~17 hours a week +/\- 3 hours.

I'm not as productive as I'd like to be in my side projects. So I'm trying
something new that I started 2 days ago: Quitting video games ENTIRELY.

Here's my theory:

Video games are really fun. The instant gratification of landing a head shot.
The skill, investment, and reward of becoming better, and better. The social
atmosphere of team based coordination... These things have become my
expectation for what is "fun" and "interesting". Years of gaming has reset my
subconscious view of the world. How can reading compete with the excitement
you get from a round of CS:GO? How can my mind be pulled to work on a long
running side project, when I get stimulation and excitement from a game? I
need to give my willpower a break, and reset my expectations of what "fun" is.

I'm going on a 30 -> 60 -> 90 day video game "detox" to assess whether or not
my productivity (and other mental health factors) benefit.

In the first day (Saturday) I was far more productive around the house,
because I was bored. I would not allow myself to play video games, so I took
care of shit that I'd been putting off for months. So far, so good. I'll
continue to monitor and see if this has been a net positive, or net negative
decision (or neutral).

------
riku_iki
Learned few simple HIIT exercises. Now when I am feeling tired, I do them for
5 minutes, and it resurrects me and boosts productivity significantly.

Plus regular exercises (heavy lifting once a week, and interval running 3
times a week) boost energy level and don't take much time.

------
geori
Started my own company. I know why we're doing things and why they are
important. And I know that if I don't do some things they won't get done.

~~~
osrec
In a similar vein; I quit my job and started my company. The number of empty
hours I spent trying to be/look busy at work was astounding. When it was my
own company, my work ethic became more sensibly based on actual output, rather
than perceived output.

------
mkumm
Using a notebook. Just writing down observations (code, health, whatever) was
incredibly powerful in making and evaluating changes.

~~~
chronal
Do you use the notebook as a self evalation tool or something else? Can you
give any examples?

------
jbob2000
I got a better keyboard. I had some bad typing habits that a regular keyboard
was "allowing". I tended to reach across the keyboard with my dominant hand
and left my non-dominant one to easily accessible keys. Needless to say,
typing was slow and error prone.

Then I tried one of those keyboards that splits in the middle. It forced me to
break my bad typing habits, I literally couldn't reach across the keyboard
anymore, it was waaayy to far to move. My WPM went from 30 to 60 in about two
weeks. (Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, for those interested. About $40 on
Amazon)

Typing faster allowed me to express my ideas much quicker. I could iterate
faster, solve problems quicker, etc. etc. I started moving around the computer
with my mouse less, so common operations like saving and opening files sped
up.

------
nunez
I moved my phone away from my person when charging it at night. I’ll, without
fail, spend an hour on it doing bullshit before going to bed if I don’t.

------
a13n
Installed Qbserve. Makes it easy to cut down on daily distractions.

[https://qotoqot.com/qbserve/](https://qotoqot.com/qbserve/)

~~~
chronal
What have you discovered about your habits and time usage by time tracking?

------
gxs
I just came to terms with the fact that I work 100 times better with external
motivation. Worked in school, works at the job, needed to find a way to make
it work in personal life.

That's been a lot harder - still not good at it. Best I can do is announce
things to people beforehand and then work at it as opposed to not working on
it and risk appearing all talk.

I'm still working on finding internal motivation - but this is bridging the
gap for now.

------
ioddly
1) I built an app to help me form habits on a daily basis:
[https://github.com/ioddly/meditations](https://github.com/ioddly/meditations)
. Pretty simple, minimalistic, but having it open every time my computer does
makes it low-friction to log all these things. There are loads of these; I
wrote my own for fun and because I wanted to keep the information encrypted,
locally.

2) I've started unplugging the internet. Like I literally pull the ethernet
cord out of my computer and turn off my phone. I do it every night so that
when I wake up, I code for about 4 hours without it. This has been the biggest
boost to productivity and _happiness_ I've had in a long time.

Two issues with this so far:

a) Sometimes I hit a wall where I need to look something up before I can
proceed, but I've never run out of work that I do know how to do. So I just
write it down to search for later and work on something else.

b) I'm not sure how this would work with paying clients, managers, and so on.
So far I've only done this on my own projects, in between clients.

------
twunde
I used a browser plugin similar to StayFocusd to block social media and news
sites while working. This helped wean me off of checking Hacker News
throughout the day. This helped me focus much more on work and on enjoying my
personal time. In a similar vein, get off social media as much as possible
especially Twitter. I'm also at the point where I would include TV and netflix
in general in this category, where you should wean yourself off of it.

Something that may help is to use a paper notebook to take notes and keep
track of important todo items. I personally feel more productive with pen and
paper but your milage may vary. I particularly like either legal pads or the
moleskin-type journals.

For those introverts like myself, make sure to set up events to look forward
to on a regular basis. Meet up with ex-coworkers, college friends etc. It
definitely makes getting up in the morning easier knowing that you have
something to look forward to.

------
eplanit
1\. Serializing my tasks and assignments (to the extent possible).

2\. Doing my work more slowly and deliberately.

3\. Working in my own shop with nobody around (i.e. reduced distractions, no
office chit-chat).

Not a complete list, but these 3 changes make me more productive than ever
before, and with less stress.

(edit to add: not only is productivity greater, but the quality of my output
is improved, too.)

------
1001101
Make a prioritized list of things that need to be done with my time, and
setting goals based on those lists.

I just start going down the list, and use the goals to measure whether my time
is being used effectively. Also, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the
good here. Make incremental improvements.

------
tobltobs
Stop watching television, getting kids.

~~~
sliverstorm
_getting kids_

Ah, the trial-by-fire approach to streamlining your life.

~~~
cosmie
That's probably the most succinct way I've seen to articulate the Kid Effect.
I'm going to steal that one!

------
k__
Started working remote.

Stopped setting alarms for getting up in the moring.

~~~
chronal
How did no longer setting "wake up" alarms help?

~~~
k__
I now always sleep as long as I need, which makes me wake up more refreshed.

~~~
k__
Also, it leaves me with only 14 wake hours a day, lol

~~~
Sevrene
Not sure if you're joking. So you sleep 10 hours a day?

~~~
k__
9-10h yes

------
zitterbewegung
Don't think about productivity because it will introduce yourself to mental
stresses that will derail your productivity. For a few simple things I have
some ideas.

\- Do small changes

\- Break apart what you have to do

\- Realize what you can't do and instead do something you can.

------
padthai
Good sleep, food and sport. It is the step 0 if you want to improve your
productivity.

------
toomuchtodo
Switched jobs. No longer on call doing DevOps means I can focus on each task
knowing I'm not going to have to drop everything and work on a technical issue
off hours.

------
PascLeRasc
I started taking L-Theanine with my coffee in the morning. It's been about a
month now and I find myself having incredible focus when I need to throughout
the day.

~~~
chronal
What are specfic benefits L-Theanine gives you? I've read that L-Theanine is
more of a relaxant that counteracts the anxiety casuing effects of caffiene,
so I can't really see how it helps you focus.

~~~
PascLeRasc
It helps me get into the "flow state" where I can work on just one thing and
dive deep into it without thinking of all the other things I have to do or
want to do.

------
cujic9
1\. Spend ~3 minutes stretching and doing light exercise (pushups / situps)
upon waking every morning.

2\. Skip breakfast. Just black coffee until lunch. The intention is to train
your body to get its energy from fat reserves (a more stable source) instead
of the sugars in the food you just ate.

3\. Cast aside desires, in the Buddhist sense. I found that, with just a
little mental shift, I could "let go" of many daily frustrations that were
sapping my energy.

EDIT: 4. GTD

------
bauerd
Made OS X's ssh-agent remember my passphrase today

------
psyc
The biggest was deciding to work on things I love. For days when I'm feeling
distracted, I use Freedom and it works pretty well.

------
jmcgough
I started using a habit tracking app. I've always had things I've wanted to
stick with (eating healthier, learning a second language, learning how to
solve CS-heavier algorithm problems), and this has helped incentivize me to do
a little bit each day, or just keep up with important daily tasks like
cleaning or using skincare products.

~~~
Hates_
Any app in particular that you recommend?

~~~
jmcgough
Habitica

------
sitkack
Exercise, water and sleep.

------
virgil_disgr4ce
Used website restrictors on multiple browsers to block out Facebook and other
shit, then eventually stopped looking at Facebook altogether.

Also: had a baby, realized that my death is a certainty and that I need to
make my dreams come true RIGHT NOW.

------
hbcondo714
Being in a relationship. When single, I would spend time & money on dating
apps and going out. Now that time is spent with her at home where we can read,
work on side projects and just be productive.

------
twobyfour
Shifted my schedule 2 hours earlier so as to get to the office while it's
still quiet and get some focus time in.

If there were any offices left in this city that weren't open plan, that would
be the next step.

------
bec123
Met my best friend through work and she changed my life, I enjoyed work more
than ever, you can't choose to do this so I apologise but if you find it
you're very lucky <3

~~~
maerF0x0
I alway thought workplace dating was at least risky, and mostly just off
limits?

~~~
bec123
We're not dating just great friends

------
otterpro
The greatest productivity boost was to get rid of internet altogether at home
(say goodbye to Comcast) and work only at the office. Also, I downgraded my
phone service plan and switched to 1 GB limit/month on the data plan. I also
recommend getting rid of cable TV.

I became more efficient at work, with clear goal in mind that I had to finish
my daily work in order to meet my hard-set deadline of 6pm. I was able to
really focus and concentrate with greater intensity, since I couldn't do more
work at home.

There were also other unintended benefits.

Not having internet at home allowed my mind to be free from "distractions" at
home. At home, my mind was still engaged in the work-related stuff. In order
to switch gears and to unwind, I was spending time on Youtube and mindless
entertainment, but more often, I was vegging out and becoming an internet
couch-potato.

Now, I tend to spend more time with the family, and I am able to focus on
people and not technology. I am free from the burden of FOMO. I am thinking
more clearly and creatively. I have more time for hobbies and side projects.
If I really needed to Google something , I'd use my phone for quick search
(again, being limited to 1GB limit so I didn't get side-tracked). I can't
procrastinate by going on the net and getting lost in endless research.

And since I couldn't be online while at home, I was unconsciously building
good habits. I am reading more books (and buying more paper-based books
instead of e-books/Kindle books). I am writing more, journaling more, and
getting more exercises and working out. I'm also sleeping better and no longer
have insomnia, probably due to limited screen time in the evening.

I also became more selective of the type of entertainment, preferring quality
over quantity, and elminating my binge-watching. Instead, I watch movies on
Bluray/DVD and is a much better viewing experience. I recommend Netflix (snail
mail service, not the online version).

During weekends, I have an excuse to go to a local coffee shop with good
coffee and fast internet connection. For dealing with urgent issues that come
up during off-hours, I can use my pre-paid LTE hotspot (Karma).

I also use my phone less, and now I use it mostly for maps, weather, and
email.

If cutting the cord is not an option, an alternative is to set the parental
control on the wifi router and use time restriction to block internet during
evening and on weekends.

Also having good set of tools AND having mastery over them are important, but
that's another topic.

------
pawelwentpawel
In recent weeks: disabling push notifications for social apps, getting up much
earlier (also to beat morning rush hours), pomodoro.

------
BubbasDad
Left Facebook. Meditate. Turn the devices off when working and meeting humans
on the physical plane.

------
neves
Blocked Hacker News at work!

------
Sevrene
1) Taking Modafinil[1][2] semi-regularly. I've always had problems focusing
and being productive. Honestly I've always wondered if I have some form of ADD
or something. I used to drink large amounts of caffeine but the effects after
long term use declines dramatically due to tolerance and I found out I was
lactose intolerant. So I tried Modafinil after hearing a lot about it. I
personally find it to be an extremely useful tool for my productivity and even
my social life. It's also a much better drug in comparison to caffeine
(disclaimer: individual results may vary, do your research, I'm not a doctor,
etc).

2) Write things down. Make a list, write a journal, what ever feels right and
works for you; just dump thoughts or ideas from your mind onto paper. Make it
as structured or unstructured as you desire. It might be projects, things you
want to watch or buy or upgrade around the house, etc. My 'notes' are
literally completely random things I've thought or been told immediately and
want to remember later. Most of them I'll never see again, but I know they are
there. Eventually some of these might make it into the next step.

3) Get some productivity/task software or devise your own system for tasks and
reminders and actually stick with it. I use OmniFocus2[3] but use what ever
works for you. A simple calendar and notes system would work for most people.
I work from home and found myself just reverting to reddit or hacker news when
bored, where as now I see if there's any tasks assigned for today and what
needs doing and do those before I allow myself to relax for the day. Having my
day already planned makes me so much more relaxed when I wake up. The alarm
can go off and I don't have to worry that I forgot to email my client, or the
tax statements need to be mailed today. It's already sorted out for me to do
and I don't have to think about it. It frees the mind to think about what
you're focusing on, or a problem that requires devoted attention.

4) Every few weeks or so, spend some of your down time reflecting and thinking
about what you can automate to save time, or what you can change so that
you're more productive. Automate and iterate upon your productivity systems
like you would as if practising agile. You wont get it perfect the first time
around. I identified tracking the time spent on different clients was taking a
lot of my time by hand, so I automated my timesheets into a CSV format which
is imported into Google Sheets and used in my books for invoices. Later I
automated the invoice email too. I used to do that by hand. I also created a
filter that forwards my client's emails into my OmniFocus inbox and I can set
the tasks for a date which appears in my calendar with alerts. You can do a
lot, even with out the expensive productivity apps.

5) Don't work against your own unique circumstances or biology, work with
them. I have a sleep disorder[4] (unrelated to the Modafinil, I assure you)
and had a really bad time working full time normal office hours. I lasted two
years full time waking up at 7am but I was getting 3-5 hours sleep and as a
result I got burnt out, depressed and anxious. I quit and currently contract
remotely earning a lot less money than I could otherwise, but now I get to
work during my own sleeping hours and I feel a lot more happy. I tried
changing my sleeping pattern and tried a bunch of band aid solutions but I
never had any success, where as I've had great success adapting my life around
my biological abnormality.

6) Reduce friction. It's really obvious when you think of it. I learnt this
when I was playing guitar. If I have a guitar sitting next to my desk already
tuned and ready to play, it results in me playing guitar more regularly. If
it's untuned and in a case, I'd play it much less regularly. Reduce friction
required for you to get started.

7) Don't believe anyone who tells you they have the solution™. You are a
unique individual with unique problems which require unique solutions. This
applies to self help too. No one has the 'real' answer. You need to try,
experiment, think, and decide for yourself. Modafinil might kill you. Notes
might waste your time. You might spend $80 on a productivity app and never use
it after the first week. You might be suited to orderly enforced sleeping
patterns.

EDIT: Formatting, added #6, and added some references

[1] Wikipedia Modafinil:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil)

[2] Very informative write up about Modafinil from the lovely Gwern:
[http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil](http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil)

[3] OmniFocus2:
[https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus](https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus)

[4] Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder)

~~~
swendoog
(5) has been one of the biggest struggles in my life. At times where I could
sleep/wake naturally, I was a different person. I had more energy, I felt more
optimistic, and alive. I still had my struggles to be sure, but sleeping in
your 'natural' rhythm (whatever is native to you) is far superior to a forced
sleep/wake cycle.

The problem is, even if you do contract work, or work remotely for a flexible
company, you're beholden to your partner's sleep/wake cycle as well.

~~~
Sevrene
That's very true (depending on the partner's pattern, I guess), and not all
contract work allows you to be asleep during the day, some still require phone
meetings and the such.

Even working remotely from home, I still have occasional logistical problems
because sometimes there are appointments at 9am, or social events in the late
morning and this will always be the case.

Just going to have to work with what you've got and work around it to the best
of your ability. Although I should probably point out that it is important to
find out before hand if there's anything else going on that could be causing
this and potentially be resolvable before you stop expending energy fixing
something you can't solve.

Although, if you are still having troubles sleeping and waking naturally
feeling refreshed do your own research and maybe ask your GP if Melatonin[1]
would suit you. Using flux[2] is also a great tool to help get to bed earlier
too as that actually increases your melatonin naturally. Melatonin is not
really similar to any other sleeping pills and it seems to be quite safe and
has a great return on investment[3].

You probably already know about it so sorry if this was an unrequested
information dump :)

[1] Wikipedia: Melatonin
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin)

[2] Flux: [https://justgetflux.com/](https://justgetflux.com/)

[3] Gwern on Melatonin
[http://www.gwern.net/Melatonin](http://www.gwern.net/Melatonin)

------
skrebbel
Exercise.

------
nolite
Uninstalled Facebook and all other social media apps from my phone

------
musgrove
Stopped watching TV. Total life improvement all-around.

~~~
swah
Does TV include Netflix/Youtube? I love watching those and can't really muster
the energy to read after dinner until I go to bed..

~~~
otterpro
Watching DVD/Bluray discs helps (vs watching unlimited contents from
Netflix/Youtube), since it limits the number of hours I spend watching, and I
can avoid binge-watching. I recommend Netflix (the snail mail service, not
online streaming)

------
kthejoker2
In the vein of Michael Pollan ..

Say No. A lot. Mostly to your self.

