
Ask HN: What do you do to boost your creativity and/or productivity? - chaosprophet
Hi all,
Recently I find that whenever I sit down to work, the ideas don't flow as freely as they used to. Whereas once I would be able to think of 3-4 solutions within a short span of time, now I can barely come up with one.<p>Also, by habit, it takes me a certain amount of time to get into my 'zone' before starting work. However, recently I have been taking more and more time to settle into this 'zone'.<p>So I would like to know what specific hacks you guys use to keep the creative juices flowing, and also how you manage to get more productive.<p>Regards,
chaosprophet
======
jdlegg
1\. Silence. I'm not smart enough to get anything done with a lot of noise or
music going on.

2\. Distracting my mind. I read long, complex fiction novels for 30-60 minutes
at night before bed. This is the most valuable part of my day because it acts
like a shutdown script for my mind. Afterwards I feel completely disconnected
from what I'm working on, worrying about, or struggling with. Some novels that
I've used in the past: War & Peace, Ulysses, As I Lay Dying, Moby Dick.

3\. Frequent breaks. While working I make sure to pause regularly and often
stop altogether, walk-around, etc. This helps and hurts because it can
interrupt flow, but the big benefit is that I find myself less tired at the
end of the day when I stick to this.

4\. Pen & paper. I buy spiral-bound notebooks at Walgreens for $0.35 and fill
one every 3-6 months or so. I use pen and paper to plan programming projects,
do class designs, brainstorm ideas, draw diagrams, almost everything.

5\. Org-mode. I also use org-mode to more formally track things. I consider my
notebook an "informal" workspace, while my org-mode files are more "formal". I
utilize the agenda feature to produce to-do lists and calendar.

6\. Diversity of projects. I try to always have some toy or pet project to
play with when I find myself lacking motivation or hitting dead-ends on my
primary work.

7\. Try to keep it to 8 hours per day. This often seems (or "is" depending on
your management) impossible, but it really does make an enormous difference in
your ability to stay consistently productive and creative.

~~~
gte910h
>a lot of noise or music going on.

Yay, someone else who gets destroyed by music. I thought I was the only one. I
was told by a boss once upon a time to "put on earphones", but he didn't like
the protective earwear I brought in (they were from home depot for using loud
machines) and was unsympathetic to the fact music really makes me not do well
at coding.

>This is the most valuable part of my day because it acts like a shutdown
script for my mind.

You know what, I did not realize how the reading could actually be helping
there. I like long series of works that are interconnected because they're
typically much longer than even classics. The 1632 series is excellent and
long, for that reason.

>Try to keep it to 8 hours per day.

Do you mean at least 8? At most 8? Exactly 8?

~~~
jdlegg
I would say at most 8. I don't necessarily believe in working less than 8
hours per day has a particular benefit, but I don't really have evidence, even
anecdotally, for that belief. 10 or 12 hour days are OK as one-offs, once-in-
a-blue-moon (I mean that literally). But doing that for many days in a row has
major negative impacts on my productivity and my general mood.

------
edw519
The single most important thing I do to "boost creativity and/or productivity"
is to work in such a way that I don't need to "boost creativity and/or
productivity" to get my work done. This has to be done the night before.

I always quit all online work at least 2 hours before bedtime and print
whatever I'm working on.

Then I go into any other room with program listings, blank paper, and pens
(especially red!) and plan out all of tomorrow's work.

All analysis, design, and refactoring must be done at this time. I do not
allow myself to sleep until the next day's work is laid out. I also do not
allow myself to get back onto the computer. The idea is to have a clear
"vision" of what I am going to accomplish the next day. The clearer the
better.

This does 2 things. First, I think about it all night (maybe even dream about
it). Second, I can't wait to get started the next day.

I always wake up and start programming immediately. Once I get going, it's
easy to keep going. Any difficulties are probably because I didn't plan well
enough the night before.

With proper planning, "getting into the zone" becomes a much smaller problem.

~~~
chaosprophet
Okay, I'll start planning my work ahead. I've never planned my programming
ahead of time, and in fact I have never planned anything other than travel
ahead of time, so maybe this is something I should make a habit. Thanks.

------
dstorrs
This will sound weird, but I harness hatred.

Find a person or organization that you absolutely despise. Preferably a person
that you know personally--someone who makes your blood boil just from thinking
about them.

Then, do the following:

1) Every night, put together a task list for the next day and do whatever
preparation you can. I have a template of standard tasks, the last two of
which are always "finish tomorrow's list" and "prep for tomorrow". Preparation
means locating resources, laying out clothes if you will be travelling, etc.

2) Every day, work through your task list. As you finish each task, mark it
off.

3) At the end of each day, for every task that you did NOT complete, put $1 in
a jar. At the end of the month, take all of that money, put it in an envelope,
and mail it to the person you hate. (I generally send it anonymously.)

It's amazing how powerful this technique is. It also helps a great deal at
teaching you to estimate how long a given task will take, and teaches you to
break large tasks into small ones.

~~~
detcader
What if you don't hate anyone?

Edit: Oh wait, I hate the Fox News staff, I forgot. Never mind..

------
percept
Whenever I start forking around too much, spending too much time reading HN
and the like, I go and read job ads. Once I've read a few of those, and
remember what it's like to work in a corporate environment, I'm sufficiently
motivated to get back to work on my own stuff.

No joke!

~~~
dangrover
That is an awesome idea. I'm going to start doing that.

------
symptic
I clean.

First, I clean my room, so my atmosphere feels less cluttered and my mind is
less likely to wander of to thinking "I should get around to this."

Then, I'll clean my desk, which usually means throwing everything away that is
not 100% absolutely necessary (old notes, ideas, drawings, cups, etc.) These
all make you feel crowded mentally and literally. A clean desk lets you focus
on the screen without any distractions.

Finally, the desktop. I make a point to zero out my icons when I do this, only
leaving My Computer and the Recycle Bin on the desktop, with a wallpaper that
reminds me of what my current goal is.

This usually has me inspired to take advantage of the completely fresh
atmosphere I've created and tends to be when I create my simplest and most
effective work. It also works wonders for coming up with ideas, both
creatively and on the business end. Basically, cleanliness helps me solve
problems more easily.

~~~
bayareaguy

      Even if it keeps you up all night,
      wash down the walls and scrub the floor
      of your study before composing a syllable.
      Clean the place as if the Pope were on his way.
      Spotlessness is the niece of inspiration.
      The more you clean, the more brilliant
      your writing will be, so do not hesitate to take
      to the open fields to scour the undersides
      of rocks or swab in the dark forest
      upper branches, nests full of eggs.
      When you find your way back home
      and stow the sponges and brushes under the sink,
      you will behold in the light of dawn
      the immaculate altar of your desk,
      a clean surface in the middle of a clean world.
      From a small vase, sparkling blue, lift
      a yellow pencil, the sharpest of the bouquet,
      and cover pages with tiny sentences
      like long rows of devoted ants
      that followed you in from the woods
    
      Billy Collins, Advice to Writers

------
vital101
I agree with the comment about going for a long run. I always seem to be in a
better state of mind after a few miles. If I'm still having issues maintaining
focus, then I try to make a list of everything I'd like to accomplish today.
By setting smaller goals I get a deeper sense of satisfaction with my work. On
a historical note, this is the same notion that is applied in war. Instead of
setting your object as "winning a war", the object becomes "take the next
hill" or "win the next street".

------
jazzdev
What motives me is what Dan Pink calls "purpose" or wanting to make a
difference in the world.

I spent 9 years building software to make the lives of telephone support
workers better (by helping them create and re-use solutions to common
problems).

I've spent the last 8 years building software to make the lives of network
engineers better (by helping them automate repetitive tasks on thousands of
network devices).

Thinking about making a difference for the user of the software I'm writing
keeps me going.

------
gte910h
Whenever I have issues getting something done next, I say: "What activity, if
I do it right now, will bring me closest to the next payment" I then do that.

(Disclaimer: If you do not run a custom prodcut development company, this
question may involve some heavy reworking to get you something useful).

If I'm having issues generating different ways of doing something, I've done
Mind Maps sometimes, cleaning things (I don't know why this stimulates my
creative mind, perhaps because I hate cleaning things), buy and read/skim
books on the topic..

As far as zone goes, I suggest a ritual if you're having problems getting the
"cares of the world" out of your mind.

Drink here, notepad here, and emptied, listen to a short song, then go. Or do
three jumping jacks, shut your eyes, breath deeply, sit down and fullscreen
your ide, etc. Just something to start off coding in a way to signal to
yourself "I will be doing this now".

Or a couple day retreat to solve what problems that are plaguing your life and
constantly harrying you if you're actually thinking about your problems
instead of zoning. While you may disagree, you brain likely things certain
things very important and will bug you to holy hell if you don't deal with
them _completely_.

~~~
gte910h
Oh, I also call customers when I am needing more inspiration and ask them more
questions about their product. Works as a double whammy, I get more in depth
knowledge of their field, and they get what is basically a more in depth
status message.

(I generally do not work with customers who cannot take hearing real status
updates, ones who need lies and smoke I elect not to work with whenever
possible, so I'm not sure this applies to everyone).

When working on things not for a customer, I talk to people who would be its
perspective user base. For instance, board game selection app, talk to
boardgamegeek.com users. Configuration file generator module for iphone apps,
I talk to people in the local iPhone developer's meetup, etc.

Do not underrated human contact.

------
tcskeptic
The two things that make the most difference to me are haivng a "Personal
Productivity Scaffold" and excercise. (See
([http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/07/how-to-create-a-
per...](http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/07/how-to-create-a-personal-
productivity-scaffold/)). The scaffold is nothing overly complicated, it is
essentially a standard way of planning my day and starting work in the
mornings and after lunch.Working out is something I hated to do for a long
time until I started lifting weights, now I find that an exhausting workout
3-4 times a work really helps the quality of my sleep, which really helps my
mental altertness the following day. The almost meditative "Zen" time while
working out has become a key problem solving and decision making time for me.
And the fact that it reduces stress and improves stamina over time is a great
bonus. On rare occasions now when feeling trapped by inertia or indecsion I
will leave during the middle of the day, and work out. I almost always have a
clear picture of the path to resolution or the creative solution by the time I
am done.

------
TrevorJ
I have talked with a neurologist's office at length about brainwaves and the
behavior associated with them. We all exhibit these wavelengths, but in
different ratios depending on individual makeup/what we are doing.

Typically Alpha wave activity (8-12 mhz) is associated with creativity and
calm alertness. According to the neurologist, certain relaxing activities can
boost Alpha waves such as taking a walk or taking a hot shower.

The next bracket up is beta waves. the higher range of Beta is the stressful
"fight or flight mode". If you are on your third cup of coffee and frantically
trying to get something finished before an impending deadline, odds are that
if somebody did a EEG on your brain you would see high levels of beta
activity. Trouble is, this is where a lot of people live these days and we
function in this mode as the norm, which becomes counter productive to
creative thought.

My advice is to make sure you give yourself time to downshift into the calmer,
more creative state as much as possible. Take a walk, take a shower. Practice
slower, deeper breathing.

------
SaurabhGarg
For me, Following things work..

1\. Keep a notepad and a pen handy. Whatever occurs to me, I write it down.
And then I type it out on a personal wiki. Right now the wiki is organized by
days. Eventually it would be organized by topics.

2\. Use tools like bookmarking etc to be able to retrieve things fast.

3\. Action things NOW. I dont keep them pending. Even if they are tough ones,
I do them.

And apart from these productivity things, for creativity, I do following ...

1\. Multidisciplinay approach tot things. Have one major hobby apart from
work. Keep changing it every few days. Like now a days am playing poker.
Before this I learnt juggling. Before that was Rubik's cube. I dont know when
I have to move on but I do keep on changing these challenges.

2\. At max have 4 tabs on your browser at any given time. Helps you focus ;P

3\. Jason Bourse says, sleep is a weapon. I agree. Use it. Make sure you get
enough sleep. I sleep about 7 hours a day.

4\. Meet people. Travel. Attend things that are completely different from your
domain. I for example goto theatre, college campuses, long car rides etc.

These are more but guess these depend from person to person. Hope the ones I
put in help.

Thanks, SG

------
sidmitra
For years i've been reading up on improving productivity but nothing worked
untill i started on the Pomodoro Technique, with a s/w timer. I don't follow
it religiously but enough to get work done.

Some Tips: Once that clock is set honor it for that 25 minutes. Try to start
the timer as many times you can in a day. If you feel the need for longer
breaks between than is recommended, take them or set a timer for your breaks
as well.

The good thing about is the technique is that it understands that there are
always interruptions and tells you a way to mentally make a note and move on.

For a timer you can use tomato timer(or a physical one if possible) and a
piece of paper. Note down your tasks for a day/session on a piece of paper and
treat it like your 'bible'!. Close all your fancy GTD apps for that period,
you can use them during the breaks.

The timer gives you a sense of urgency and a fake deadline. I've noticed that
sometimes i feel the need to work, but don't start the timer. Don't do that.
Alyways work with a timer, make it a habit.

~~~
tgittos
I too have found the Pomodoro Technique fantastic, especially when combined
with a GTD-like list of tasks for the day, broken down as atomically as they
can be.

It's really helped me get through some of the most mundane work I've had to do
on almost no real deadline (which is completely toxic to productivity), where
I was the least inspired to work.

As a bonus, it helps make the workday pass very quickly, as you tend to focus
on the current Pomodoro, instead of think about all the hours ahead of you.

------
jlees
If I get into that sort of zero-to-negative flow state, I travel, go to a
conference, do _something_ to actually transplant myself away and rekindle
ideas. On a more local level you can just change scenery. Go to starbucks.
Whatever.

I know what you mean about the 'zone' issue. I found that happening when I
worked from home a lot. I still do find it happening if I stay at home. It
depends a lot on what you define as work, and what you're doing to fill the
time before you settle in. Things like the pomodoro technique or other "look,
I'll just do it for 5 minutes, then I can get back to reading HN" carrot/stick
approaches to oneself can help -- if, like me, once you actually start doing
something, you're fine.

Changing your diet and exercise routines to revitalise your energy levels can
also help. I started running a few weeks ago and it's really helping me find
time where I don't _do_ anything but run. Turn my brain off, almost. When I'm
done, ideas come flooding in.

------
pavs
Do more than one thing (not at the same time) in a day. preferably tasks that
are quite a bit different from each other.

For instance, I work from home on my computer. This makes me sit in front of
the computer for a long period of time even when I am not working (for non
work related computer time). So I try to put tasks in my todo list (the night
before) that requires me to get out of my comfort zone. Which included
exercise, preferably eat at least one meal a day outside (most of the time),
compulsory book reading (I read at least one book a week), cook when I am not
eating out and frequent breaks from my work.

For me, frequent breaks are the single biggest boost of fresh ideas. I always
get my best ideas on my breaks.

------
scottw
My never-fail recourse: sitting down in an uncomfortable chair for a few hours
at a local smoothie shop with lousy background music and telling my self I
can't leave until something good comes out of me.

------
peterwwillis
Music for me. If i'm feeling distracted or can't quite get my thoughts clear,
I blast hardcore punk or drum & bass and once my blood gets pumping the
productivity begins. Sometimes it doesn't work so well and i'll try something
on the opposite spectrum - bob dylan's first album, slow classical
piano/strings, etc.

Also, and this may sound weird: a trip to the restroom. Sitting on the can for
5 or 10 minutes helps me think about the one problem without distraction.
Usually I can formulate an outline there and come back and start typing.

------
amichail
Try spending the first half of your work day in a different place thinking
while keeping web surfing to a minimum and doing no programming at all.

------
marcusbooster
Keep a notebook with out at all times to jot down those random, incomplete
ideas you have over the course of a day. Then when you sit down to work you
can just go through your list and throw away the mostly bad ones, but
hopefully you'll have a good one in there worth expanding on. Either way at
least it gives you a starting point to actually start working.

------
Ixiaus
The best hack I know for this, is solitude. The more time you spend alone the
more the unconscious wants to express itself (you can find many creative ideas
this way).

Solitude also gives you no option but to do the thing you are secluding
yourself to do. Block distracting websites if your task is computer based.

------
kp212
Hmm, maybe I am approaching this incorrectly, but I'll go out, drink it up
with friends, and not think about work, or my side project. I'll come back to
it a day or 2 later, after not looking my problem for a bit. Sometimes that
break lets me see things another way, albeit a little hungover ;).

------
jamesbritt
Create crap. Write drivel, draw shitty pictures, code a half-assed one-off
script.

Biggest obstacle I often have is getting started, that whole "fear of the
blank page" thing. But once I get into something I find I can keep rolling,
and editing and revising starts to bring out the better stuff.

------
idlewords
Go for a long morning run (creativity) and then take half a modafinil
(productivity).

~~~
chaosprophet
Yes I have taken to a long run at about 4 in the morning for the past couple
of days, and it does seem to help. I'll stick to this till it becomes a habit.

------
yesimahuman
I make sure I get enough sleep often enough. Also, I lift weights and go off
of caffeine (for some reason, when I get back in the caffeine addiction, I
have far less energy during the day and just get cranky and unproductive).

------
thunk
Long walks (to gather my thoughts), greenery (creativity) and tea
(productivity).

~~~
pasbesoin
That is a marvelously concise yet descriptive sentence.

I would add some socialization, to get me out of my own head and affirm my
membership in the human race. Perspective, I guess I would call that.

------
jokull
I make sure my work motivates me without any extra effort.

------
patrickryan
I play music everyday. For me, it's acoustic guitar.

~~~
chaosprophet
I guess that would be writing some prose for me. It's been a really long time
since I actually wrote anything worthwhile, but the problem with this is
writing requires some amount of creativity and I seem to be stuck, so whatever
I write doesn't really feel right, when I read it later. Regardless I think
I'll try setting aside some time especially for this. Thanks.

~~~
hegemonicon
The best writing advice I've ever heard can be summed up more or less by the
following:

Just do it. Don't worry about creating that perfect sentence or finding that
word that perfectly expresses what you're feeling or setting up the perfect
introduction. Just start putting the words to paper, even if it's complete
gibberish. Don't labor under enormous expectations, don't worry about the end
result, don't think about whether it sucks or not, just keep letting one word
flow after the other. You can go back and correct the hell out of it later,
purge everything except that one perfect paragraph, but before you get there
you need to write and write and write. Preferably every day. They say every
writer has 1 million bad words in them, and you have to get them all out
before you can write anything worthwhile. So just write write write, and worry
about the other stuff later.

------
jgrahamc
I go outside

