
Show HN: Deep Work Hours - just4sky
https://pomodoro-80211.firebaseapp.com/
======
gatherhunterer
Whenever I see Deep Work apps I always see a reference to the Pomodoro
technique but nothing about the techniques specific to deep work as it is
described by Cal Newport. What about omitting distractions, prioritizing a
single daily task or using your down time to do some brief yet satisfying
activity to relax between tasks? Many of these deep work apps are just to-do
lists with a timer.

Edit: For what it's worth OP's previous post about this project suggests that
he/she has these features in mind and they are just not in this version.

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muzani
Ironically, if you're in deep work, Pomodoro Technique is actually
distracting.

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HiroshiSan
Yeah, once you're in that state of flow where time ceases to exist, that
beeping snaps you right out. I think the key is to find the time chunk which
gets you up to that point where you're just about to feel mentally exhausted.

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fuddle
Looks good, but I'd need to see more features & screenshots before signing in
with my Google account.

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amerine
Why?

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Zyst
Not parent, but for me it is because signing in with my google account is a
relatively bigger commitment. They have my email, they can send me marketing
content, among others.

On the other hand, I still have no idea what their product does uniquely
outside of any todo list. Thus, there is no value for me there outside of the
proposal of "Deep Work" which I remember fondly due to the book.

In simple terms, signing in with my account extracts an imagined cost (A
company(?) has access to me), and the value presented is not enough for me to
justify that cost.

Adding other screenshots, and descriptions of what the application does would
allow me to understand what I am getting into, before deciding if it's worth
it for me to pay that cost, and thus make an informed decision as to whether I
want to sign in or not.

~~~
just4sky
I hear you.

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dbcurtis
Pomodoro is not Deep Work: [http://calnewport.com](http://calnewport.com)

Not that what you are doing is bad, but you need a rebrand.

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peruvian
Agree but pomodoro is a good way to get into DW. The truth is most of us are
actually not able to focus on a single task for an hour or two. There’s such a
thing as an attention muscle. Pomodoro helps with that by starting at 25 mins
with a break.

~~~
dbcurtis
Hmmmm... OK, but it also interrupts you at the end of 25 minutes.

Maybe look for a venue with fewer distractions? For me, a workspace that has
_only_ the relevant work materials and sufficient space to work is a great way
to get into flow.

My personal failing is not getting to nearly all the reading that I want to
accomplish. The best thing I have found to get through a lot of reading is a
coast-to-coast flight with only a Kindle in my carry-on.

~~~
jfim
I've found that the better way to do the Pomodoro technique is to use a
physical hourglass (one that has sand in it).

If you find yourself wandering, look at the hourglass and see if it still has
sand in the upper chamber. If so, go back to work, if not, you were focused
enough on your work for enough time not to notice the time running out.

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apas
Congrats on shipping, OP--looks interesting. FWIW, if someone's interested in
a macOS app instead of a web one, I built Pomodoro a little less than a year
ago. [0] It's minimal, sits in the menu bar, looks ok, and doesn't have ads.

[0]: [https://github.com/apas/pomodoro](https://github.com/apas/pomodoro)

~~~
just4sky
Thank you

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servercobra
I think getting an actual domain name and maybe some screenshots and a little
more explanation of what's going on would go a long way here. I signed up and
as far as I can tell it's just a timer? I'm thinking there's more here, but a
little onboarding would be helpful.

Congrats on shipping! :)

~~~
just4sky
Thank you for your feedback. It means a lot to me.

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rchaud
Is it possible to track not just the number of Pomodoros but also the time of
day in which they occured? Something like this:

Jan 1 - 5 pomodoros between 8AM - 1PM, 2 Pomodoros between 1PM - 5PM.

Jan 2 ---etc.

Over time you could have a personal heat map showing the times you're able to
string together the most. I remember the book mentioned two types of work
styles and it might take some tracking to figure out which one you fall into.

One is monastic, which is where you have a work environment where you'll be
left alone for hours each day (e.g. working from home, no meetings).

The other was bi-modal, where you may have a predictable chunk of time each
day where you're available to do deep work, but other times won't work.

~~~
just4sky
You want to know which hour of day you are most efficient right?

The heatmap can identify whether which working style suits you.

Sounds like a good idea.

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ravenstine
To whomever owns this app, I have a small technical suggestion. The Polymer
app-drawer is a lot more functional than similar implementations I've found
for Material Design. I'd suggest giving it a look and see if you can integrate
it, since it provides a better mobile experience by providing touch-swipe
support:

[https://github.com/PolymerElements/app-
layout/tree/master/ap...](https://github.com/PolymerElements/app-
layout/tree/master/app-drawer)

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z0han
Hey, congratulations on the project deploy! I'm trying to take it for a ride,
but to my horror, I keep getting an "Invalid OAuth Response from Google.com"
:(

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wmichelin
I got the same error as well

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just4sky
I'm sorry to hear that. I'll look into that issue and update you once it's
resolved.

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samuraiseoul
I notice the favicon is the vueJs logo. Anytime I go to sites that have the
default favicon on them like that I worry about the developer's or the owner's
attention to details. Might want to change it! Other than that it looks nice.
:)

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just4sky
Thank you very much. I don't have a logo design yet but I'll figure it out.

~~~
samuraiseoul
Good luck! I remember there have periodically been posts on show HN for free
logos/branding, perhaps some google-fu can get you in the right direction?

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rmist
How does this compare to web-extensions like
[https://github.com/samueljun/tomato-
clock](https://github.com/samueljun/tomato-clock) which I find is easier to
use?

~~~
just4sky
My initial idea is to make a very compelling scoreboard that motivates you
focusing on your goals. I'm still working hard on that.

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keyle
Pomodoro is a technique I used when I was in crunch on my indie game, and it
really helped me ship the game after a year of fulltime work.

Just a simple timer with conscious ON/OFF for myself really helped staying
focussed.

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tianshuo
This is quite similar but not as well polished as
[http://pomotodo.com](http://pomotodo.com) (Pomodoro+Todo list+scoreboard)

~~~
just4sky
I have to admit that, but this is just the beginning.

What do you like about pomotodo?

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deepstream
I like it. Can you please point a real domain at it? :)

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just4sky
Yes. Here for you. [https://deepworkhours.com/](https://deepworkhours.com/)

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selfselfself
Had a quick look. Not completely sure the value this adds other than a "to-do"
list for your deep work goals?

~~~
just4sky
My initial idea is to make a very compelling scoreboard that motivates you
focusing on your goals. I'm still working hard on that.

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robbystk
Looks similar to [https://complice.co](https://complice.co) but not as full-
featured.

~~~
rficcaglia
Looks really interesting but wow do they have every conversion hack enabled
which makes it look super spammy IMHO. I’m all for converting, but there is a
fine line between pitching your product and “But wait! There’s more!”

