
Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification? - sidcool
...in the context of programming and problem solving.  For me, it becomes intensely boring and border line ADHD while pondering over a complex problem that requires some dedicated attention without worrying about the end result.  Instead, I end up taking the easiest solution that may solve the problem only partially, just for the instant gratification it gives.  Needless to say, this is harmful for important decisions.<p>I believe this has come from years of INSTANT dopamine rushes from social media and Hacker News.<p>How do you avoid it?
======
strawcomb
Some things I'd recommend, off the top of my head:

\- Do not grab phone/computer etc. and mindlessly browse first thing in the
morning. (Or before bed. Or at any time really.) But doing it first thing
really starts your day on the wrong foot.

\- When seeking to relax, do not mindlessly browse the internet/social-
media/tv. Read an enjoyable book. This is an order of magnitude more
fulfilling and beneficial to you. And genuinely more relaxing: screens are
stimulating, and might let you 'relax' in the sense that you can momentarily
be completely absorbed in something 'other', and forget your day to day life;
but they don't relax you in the sense of being calm and contemplative (in
general, in my experience).

\- Reduce instant gratification from as many areas as possible. Do things that
are rewarding longer term. Like reading, cooking, growing plants, hiking, etc.

\- Cut video games.

\- Block facebook + reddit + sites you waste a lot of time on, from main
computer. Maybe have a secondary device you use to access these sites, for a
set period each day (I recommend this mainly because it can be quite difficult
to maintain a social life without facebook, (which is a terrible state of
affairs)). Have days where you don't go onto these sites at all.

\- Spend as little time on screens as is possible -> if you can work on paper
do so

\- have a regular exercise regime. eg. swim/run. Doing first thing in the
morning really helps set your day on the right track, you have already exerted
a good amount of self discipline, and achieved something, and this makes it
easier to continue being disciplined.

\- I recommend reading 'The Power of Habit'.

~~~
basdevries
Really good advice. I tried blocking some sites but whenever my 'bad side'
comes up again, I always find a way to get around the block and visit the site
anyway. Any recommendations on blocking a site indefinitely?

~~~
kentt
I have a weird alternative strategy. First a backstory, when I quit smoking, I
tried what you did, making my vice less accessible/desirable using the sort of
strategies you'd find in top 10 ways to quit smoking article. After failing at
that for the umpteenth time, I did the opposite. I bought my favourite
cigarettes, bought some very nice cigars, fresh pipe tobacco and put it all on
my desk where I have to study all day.

Now that it was in my face it wasn't about working around myself, bit rather
deciding if I actually wanted and had the will power to do what I had claimed
I wanted to do.

So, if you really want to reduce mindless browsing and find you can't and
little strategies end up being ineffective, perhaps the opposite might be a
worthwhile strategy.

All the best.

~~~
snikeris
This is a good point. Those moments where you are ambivalent about a course of
action are self-defining moments. If you want to quit smoking, you need to
become a person who chooses not to smoke when they have the opportunity to.
The problem with habit is that you're no longer choosing. By keeping your
cigarettes close, you gave yourself many ambivalent moments in which to build
the self that you wanted to become.

~~~
ethbro
And to look at it another way:

When the object is out of common sight, you only encounter your self-defining
vice moments _when you 're at your most vulnerable_ (because you willfully
sought the thing out).

When you bring yourself into more frequent contact, you provide yourself with
more training opportunities when your willpower is greater (because maybe
you're already busy, or happy, etc).

Thus, even if you fall victim to the poor choices you're trying to avoid the
same number of _absolute_ times, you've drastically increased the number of
times you make good choices. And the percentage of times you choose good
choices over bad.

Counterintuitive, but I like it!

------
andai
I'm surprised no one mentioned meditation yet!

A regular meditation practice helps with impulse control (sitting still for X
minutes requires exercising self control) and that will help with resisting
the urge to do tasks which are immediately gratifying, which will free up time
and energy for activities which lead to long term growth.

Two things really helped me with meditation: setting a timer, and meditating
every day.

Insight Timer (not affiliated) helped with both of these, keeping track of how
many days in a row you've meditated, and allows you to set daily reminders.

There are also guided meditations available (in the app or YouTube if you
prefer) if you are just starting out.

Best wishes!

~~~
bargl
This is one of the two things I miss about my more religious days as a younger
man.

I would pray a lot and it was a great way to run through things I was both
thankful for and the people in my (pray for) list who I needed to reach out to
and make sure they were OK. I cut it because I stopped thinking it had an
affect on the external world, but should have kept it because of how it
affected me internally.

I also miss the community, but you can get that elsewhere it's just harder for
me personally.

------
Delmania
You don't. There are some great suggestions in this thread. I would definitely
recommend reducing social media usage, random browsing, picking up meditation,
sleeping, and looking to learn new skills. None of those will overcome or
avoid the need for instant gratification because seeking dopamine rushes is
something we do no matter what. You need to change what gives you the rush.
Define the end goal, break up the project into chunks, and then award yourself
when you complete a chunk. This is how video games work, they divide up long-
range goals into chunks, and then award you for those chunks. I'm currently
training for my second-degree black belt. I have no idea when I will get it,
so instead, I focus on daily practice which gives me the hit, which then
combines with the long range pleasure of knowing that so long as I continue to
practice and improve, I will get promoted.

Before you ask yourself how can I avoid something, it's better to ask yourself
how you can use it to improve yourself. Fighting against something drains your
willpower and you only have a limited amount.

------
kichuku
I too second the recommendation for "Deep Work" by Carl Newport
([http://calnewport.com/books/deep-work/](http://calnewport.com/books/deep-
work/) ). This is one book which is a must-read for all the current generation
technology workers like us. I started reading this book about two weeks back
and I have finished reading 90% of the book. Already I am seeing tremendous
improvement in my day-to-day life.

~~~
bitexploder
Cal Newport (not Carl) -- just in case anyone is searching by author.

Thirded. Read his book. Do what he says.

~~~
sidcool
Just bought the book.

~~~
bitexploder
Neat. It is one of that books that really helped me change my habits. I don't
think there is anything revolutionary in there for the average knowledge
worker, but the presentation is compelling and it offers very practical advice
and examples. I often think we "know" a lot of things that are good and work
well, but without picking some of those good things we "know" and just working
them and doing them "knowing" that stuff doesn't help. Books like this offer a
practical framework to narrow the scope of the doing and can surpass the
mental hurdles to commit to things you already "know" or have a good idea
about.

------
matt4077
Several thoughts, somewhat unsorted:

\- There could be an underlying medical problem. Mild depression often has low
willpower as the most noticeable effect. If it's not too much of a hassle,
maybe get your thyroid checked. And whatever works for depression should
usually work for your problem as well, exercise unfortunately being the most
effective

\- If what you're doing really doesn't interest you, it doesn't make much
sense to see a pathology where everything is working as intended. Try
something new (as a hobby maybe) that requires similar levels of engagement,
and see if the problem persists. If not, it's time for tough decisions.

\- There's a theory that willpower works much like a muscle. There's a book
about that phenomenon, but it really doesn't have much more content than the
last sentence. It's one of those results that I don't completely trust, but
trying it out doesn't cost much: do anything that requires willpower
regularly, and see if you improve. The examples from the book were really
small interventions, such as brushing your teeth with the non-dominant hand.
After three weeks or so, people were significantly more likely to successfully
stop smoking, compared to the control group. That's a rather big effect.

\- Try reducing your work hours. Being "always on" just drains your resources.
Start with restricting your daily work hours to something like 3h or even
less, and only expand again if you're productive in those hours.

\- Somehow get your hands on ADHD meds (or, you know, the generic alternatives
that fuel the bitcoin boom). You'll be as focussed as you ever wanted to be,
and even a one-time experience can be helpful, by reminding you what it
actually feels like to be "in the zone".

~~~
brango
> Somehow get your hands on ADHD meds

Are you a qualified medical doctor?

~~~
charsifood
> Are you a qualified medical doctor?

You don't need an MD to know that stimulants increase focus.

~~~
brango
But you should be one to tell someone to take medication.

~~~
charsifood
And what would you say if the author comes back and replies "Yes, I am an MD."

"Oh, okay. Sorry."

?

~~~
brango
More likely what lottery numbers I should pick for the week since they must be
psychic to diagnose a guy on the Internet after just a few sentences.

~~~
charsifood
Right. So regardless of his qualifications, you would have objected to his
suggestion. So why ask at all?

~~~
yrio
I think brango's point is that it can be dangerous to give medical advice if
you are not qualified / not a MD, & even then, it should be given only after
proper examination

~~~
wslh
The MD will not even give a public advice public about sensitive subjects.

------
exabrial
* Temperance: Restricting yourself in things. Try it: find a vice. Now stop doing it.

* Integrity: Doing the right thing, when no one is looking, or "when it doesn't matter"

Example: Yesterday, Amazon accidentally discounted a $3.5k guitar to $112. It
was widely publicized and hundreds of them were purchased. Some people go
theirs shipped. Is this right or wrong? After all, it's just "pennies" to a
company like Amazon. Answer: yes it's wrong.

* Self-discipline: Do you work out? Force yourself to work out 2x a week. Stick to the schedule. Do you play an instrument? Force yourself to practice multiple times a week.

These things were beat into me as a kid by a pair of "tough love" parents. I
cannot thank them enough.

~~~
sidcool
Thanks for this.

------
degenerate
Non-ironically, I watch this video every couple months to remember all my
problems are first-world problems and I need to remember how good I have it:

[https://vimeo.com/69662330](https://vimeo.com/69662330)

That helps with the instant gratification problem for me.

~~~
nemacol
I watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-
ydFMI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI)
[http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf](http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf)

This is Water - David Foster Wallace Commencement Speech.

I watch this from time to time for a similar reasons.

~~~
leonroy
That was pretty eye opening indeed. I feel that companies as well as schools
should be attempting to instill more conscious and empathetic behaviour in
their execs and employees.

After all - as Foster states education never really ends - considering the
immense time and commitment we give our employer I think their reinvestment in
our skills and mental well being will reap dividends for both parties.

------
mxschumacher
Don't watch porn (nofap). It is one of the worst habits of instant
gratification

------
pjc50
> taking the easiest solution that may solve the problem only partially, just
> for the instant gratification it gives.

This isn't necessarily bad. "YAGNI", after all.

In a work programming context, if you're trying to work up the motivation to
do it properly rather than hack it, can I suggest a variant on "rubber duck
debugging"? Simply find a more diligent co-worker and discuss the short and
long solutions. When they say you should do the long one, agree with them.

Bang! Now you're _socially committed_ to the non-instant solution. It's like
having a running buddy. Or the old joke about why are mountaineers roped
together: to stop the sensible ones going home.

~~~
corobo
> socially committed

I've found the opposite to be true unfortunately. I can work on a project for
hours and hours but the moment I say something about it to a friend, coworker,
spouse the motivation to complete it just _dies_. Very odd effect and sucks
when you're trying to release a product MVP

------
bitL
Well, think twice if you really want to go that way. From my own repeating
experience, you spend years working on some insanely difficult problem, making
you feel miserable all the time, then once you accomplish it you have your 15
minutes of chemical euphoria in your brain; in a week or so everybody around
you starts treating it as nothing interesting anymore, and your bosses induce
themselves even daily a similar feeling you had from your accomplishment by
snorting cocaine, inflating their egos. In addition, all the "easy problem,
low hanging-fruit" solvers that rank high in popularity contests will overtake
you.

~~~
titzer
> all the "easy problem, low hanging-fruit" solvers that rank high in
> popularity contests will overtake you.

I laugh at myself, heartily, merrily, humbly. I am in my low place. Maybe they
laugh at me, maybe they hate themselves, maybe they don't even exist.

------
jyriand
1) You could try doing TDD. Each passing test will give you instant
gratification. You could even try doing Acceptance Test-Driven Development.
Basically you start by writing end-to-end test and implementing minimal code
to make it pass. After that you will go one level deeper etc. I would suggest
reading "Growing Object-Oriented Software Guided by Tests", this will give you
a good overview of the method.

2) Also, if you can choose language to work with, you can try languages that
allow you to work in the REPL. That way you can have instant feedback loop and
feel satisfied even when you get some small functions working.

3) Pomodoro technique.

------
erikb
Addictions can't be unlearned, in my experience. It's more like training a
muscle. And like with body training it's an additional habit. So if you are
addicted to instant gratification when programming, you need to learn an
additional habit of keeping to go on. The longer you do it, the easier it
becomes. But it will always cost energy. And when you stop training that
muscle restarting will become harder again.

Your question contains a second part: The question for motivation to continue
training despite having no internal motivation. I'm not good enough in that
department to give a short, precise answer yet.

~~~
maneesh
Sure they can. You ever see someone drink too much tequila, get sick, and
never want it again? Or go to mcdonalds, see a cockroach, and never go again?

It's called an aversion, and aversion therapy was a common method of habit
cessation through the mid 90s. Check out this study on how >50% of 2-pack a
day smokers quit smoking after just 6 sessions:

[https://www.schickshadel.com/documents/Commercial_Stop_Smoki...](https://www.schickshadel.com/documents/Commercial_Stop_Smoking_Program.pdf)

~~~
erikb
I know a lot of people who don't like to ever drink again in the morning, and
I also see them again with a bottle of tequila in the evening.

Joke aside, a successful aversion therapy will also train another habit
additionally to the addiction habit, that just has the opposite reaction, and
the hope is that it becomes stronger than the original habit. So it's more of
a method of application rather than a counter argument. Wouldn't you say?

------
ciaphascain
Sometimes you have to harness your perceived weakness and turn it into a
strength.

Sure, meditation and exercise and reading on paper are great overall lifestyle
changes that will help in the long run, but that's not what I see you asking
about.

Two things I think can help you immediately:

1) Timers. Set a timer if you're working on a hard problem. 10 minutes focus,
5 minutes to fuck around, rinse, repeat (work/break times are up to you, just
start somewhere). Personally, I notice that the "it's only 10 minutes and then
I can take a break and look at cat pictures!" is enough to temporarily short
circuit the "instant gratification" I want. Before you know it, you'll find
yourself annoyed when the 10 minutes is up because you broke your train of
thought. Time to add another 5 minutes. Then 5 more. It's important to reward
yourself for your work, even if it just means you went 10 minutes without
checking Reddit.

2) If you can't shake the feeling and need to just solve the problem and move
on, that's fine. Figure out a way that works for you to revisit the problem.
Make a note in a journal? Give yourself a calendar reminder? Put in a ticket
detailing what you still feel needs to be done so it can be added to your next
agile cycle? It's up to you. It's okay to implement temporary/bad solutions
and revisit later.

Don't be too hard on yourself and don't let anybody tell you that you're doing
to little. Start somewhere an iterate. This is self-improvement and in this
context nobody else matters but yourself. Good luck!

------
laktek
I recommend reading Deep Work by Cal Newport. There are some good techniques
explained in it.

~~~
sidcool
Just bought a hard copy. Thanks.

------
terrib1e
By realizing that there isn't enough instant gratification in the entire
universe to satisfy that void in you. But a less melodramatic way is to learn
to frame things differently. I agree it's a rush to create something that
functions even if it doesn't solve the problem in it's entirety, but why stop
there? A polished product is much more interesting and satisfying than a
sample of one. I don't think there's anything wrong in hacking together a
program, in fact it's probably a great way to begin a project, but you'll feel
so much more fulfilled and the high will last so much longer, if you take your
basic machine and add jet engines to it. By doing things the way you are
you've basically created the end result so now .you can work on refactoring
the best way of getting there. A bunch of little dopamine rushes is fun, but
why settle for that when you can bathe in perma-rush?

------
Powerofmene
In order to stop the time drains in my life, endless browsing of the internet,
venturing down rabbit holes when I would read something, etc. I had to
initially set a schedule for internet activities. I had to do that for about a
month in order for me to break the habit of distracting activities when I
needed to do other things.

Willpower works for some, not for others, but the bottom line, willpower will
only get you so far and if you keep testing it, it will let you down at some
point. Get up from the computer and take a short walk, do some form of light
exercise or maybe just meditatefor a few moments so that you can refocus.
Sometimes just stepping outside for a couple of minutes to enjoy the refresh
air and sunshine will let you go back to your project refocused and ready to
get after it.

Find what works for you and when you find yourself drifting into things that
waste your time, remove yourself for the reset that works for you.

------
taylorjacobson
Practice.

I repeat versions of these mantras in my head:'

\- Always do your best work

\- It's not done until it's done 100%

I also find it's helpful to chunk things down so that I _can_ bite off a
smaller piece without wanting to be done with the larger project of which it
is a part. But, I strive for excellence in that part, and often can leverage
that momentum to keep going.

------
shoover
Putting my phone in another room while I'm working does wonders.

For rationale to steele your resolve for pursuing your question, see this
jblow comment for the ages [1] and the comments on _Deep Work_.

[1]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7789438](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7789438)

------
pookeh
Solve the problem on paper including writing code, even if it is pseudo code.
Once you have a good grasp of the problem and your hands are just twitching
for a keyboard move over.

I find that whenever I am unfocused but have a big problem to solve doing the
paper exercise for 30 min to 1 hour greatly help me focus throughout the rest
of the day.

ymmv

------
trevyn
Something to consider: Trying to hold onto the systems and methods of the past
is one way in which people lose relevance as they age.

Personally, I embrace the dopamine rush provided by small tangible units of
progress, but I make sure that some of these units include refactoring and
reworking design decisions, which also provide a tangible sense of progress.
(And improves your skills in these areas!)

I believe this is an overall better system than trying to build a perfect
artifact from the start -- too often you're actually solving the wrong
problem, even if your solution ends up being elegant.

Scott Adams has some good writing on choosing to do the thing that gives you
the most energy, which for me is very often something quick and dirty, and I
love it.

~~~
titzer
> Something to consider: Trying to hold onto the systems and methods of the
> past is one way in which people lose relevance as they age.

I'll bite. The older I get, the more I realize how stupid it is to throw out
the systems and methods of the past without understanding them first.

------
tomasth
ZOOM IN. focus on the smallest details discernible.

that is what the idiom "put your nose to the grindstone" is about.

if you dont know/aware that the journey is long or even how long , time will
fly.

you put one leg in front of the other , until you realise you finished
something.

------
swalsh
You don't have an underlying medical problem, you're fine, you're just wired
to want to solve the problem as fast as possible. It's not a bad thing. It's
an awesome thing, that's what motivates you. I'd have you on my team! for
every engineer like you, there's another who's wired to come up with the most
insanely flexible solution possible. Sometimes the quick solution is needed,
and sometimes the flexible solution is needed. If I was doling out work, I'd
give you the important stuff that needs to be done now, and I'll give the
infrastructure work to the other guy.

------
danso
Why (e.g. for whom) are you solving these programming problems in the first
place?

~~~
sidcool
For my employer. As in I work with a tech corporation.

~~~
logfromblammo
I don't expect gratification from my work as an employee: I expect money.

Many years of submerging my own will has resulted in the realization that the
company does not get any gratification from me, either. A quick and dirty
solution that produces the expected results is completely acceptable to them,
and making an extraordinary effort to produce a deliberate and solid solution
was likely a waste of effort.

If you want to write code that won't make you cringe after a six month hiatus,
start a side project at home in your leisure time, or launch your own company.
Don't think of the rapid and sloppy fix as instant gratification, but as cost-
effective development effort. In general, companies don't want the well-
considered, "correct" solution, but the one that represents the lowest costs
or the greatest profits. And they don't often consider technical debt in those
calculations.

If they cared at all about code quality, they would have a person whose job is
to monitor and improve it, with the authority to institute procedures for the
other developers. If you don't have a boss (or pseudo-boss) nagging you about
code reviews or test coverage or metrics, your company doesn't care. Just fix
the problem in front of you with as little effort as possible. Take the
instant dopamine hit, if you still get one from solving your company's stupid
problems with a scant twitch of your brain.

The real challenge in an office environment is to build personal relationships
and trust networks, not the actual work you are assigned. In a way, all of
your assigned tasks are a distraction from that.

If this seems _wrong_ in your gut, this is a direct result of the current
management culture.

------
napperjabber
Stop consuming sugar and caffeine. Fruits are a great suppliment until your
body adjusts. You cannot have an abundance of attention without the fuel to
power it. - It was one of the hardest things for me to do.

~~~
mrleinad
Fruits contain fructose, which is another form of sugar, and not quite good
when consumed in large quantities.

[https://paleoleap.com/10-reasons-why-fructose-is-
bad/](https://paleoleap.com/10-reasons-why-fructose-is-bad/)

~~~
kichuku
I doubt this. Anything naturally occurring and has existed for millions of
years cannot be bad for us. No matter, what the "research" says.

And if you do want to go by research, please read the works and watch videos
of "Robert Lustig"
([http://profiles.ucsf.edu/robert.lustig](http://profiles.ucsf.edu/robert.lustig)
)

~~~
glogla
> Anything naturally occurring and has existed for millions of years cannot be
> bad for us. No matter, what the "research" says.

Like plutonium?

The difference is, that fruit tends to contain a lot of fiber, which makes the
fructose harder and slower to absorb. So fruit is okayish.

However, fruit juice is just sugar water worse for you than Coke, so keep that
in mind.

------
abbadadda
I second the suggestion for DeepWork. The bit on "Embracing Boredom" is a
really good way to exercise that muscle. Also, think deeply about the axiom
"think more, type less." Ideally you're programming to create long-ish term
solutions. Programming for the flow or gratification does not lend itself well
to that. On the other hand, if you're in competitive programming, think about
the gratification you can get by writing clean AND fast code.

------
benmarks
Simplest trick for me (and anecdotally for my peers in the developer world):
track your time. Pomodoro technique [1] can give some structure if you're not
used to it, with the main benefit (to me) that it forces you to quickly track
& dismiss distractions.

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

------
dep_b
Break big problems up in smaller ones. Make a checklist of the smaller items.
Feel a rush of fulfillment every time you check something off

------
DenisM
Taking the shortest path is a very beneficial habit in a startup environment.
That works for us really well - make a quick and dirty solution, manage
expectation that it's not permanent, gather feedback, design and commit to a
long term solution, implement it. When you promise a specific solution to a
given customer the social obligation will help you stay on track.

------
maneesh
Pavlok allows you to add a slight punisher (uncomfortable negative stimulus)
when you do activities like load up Facebook/reddit, use your phone, or sit
for too long. The whole design is structured around removing instant
gratification.

Bias: I'm the inventor.

[http://pavlok.com/break-habit](http://pavlok.com/break-habit)

~~~
013
Is this similar to how an electric dog collar works?

~~~
maneesh
like a smart dog collar for humans :)

------
d--b
I'd suggest taking more vacation. I find myself a lot more willing to take on
bigger tasks when I come back from vacation.

------
voiper1
When I face a problem that I don't know how to deal with, I try thinking about
it. But that's a very unfocused, ungrounded issue.

I've found some help with typing out, free-flowing style: "What's the issue?
Why is this difficult? What are my options? How can I fix it?". YMMV.

------
rajadigopula
Simple. (Purely my personal opinion)

1) Divide the complex problem into small yet challenging chunks of problems.

2) Totally forget about the large/complex problem.

3) Focus/Solve one problem at a time, the way you already do.

4) In the end, ask someone else to weave the individual solutions to solve the
original problem. (or DIY if you prefer to!)

------
DoofusOfDeath
As someone who was diagnosed by with bad ADD well into my career, I know of
three solutions:

(1) Have a work-related problem that absolutely needs you to take the approach
you wish you'd be taking.

(2) Adderall.

(3) Vyvance.

EDIT: I've found (2) and (3) to be very helpful for impulse control, which
might be an additional factor in your troubles.

------
sharemywin
Weird I'm kind of the opposite. I will procrastinate before I start something
big usually a day or two and then it's kind of like my subconscious gives me
the answer. And I'm like that's how I need to do this. This has to do more
with design than programming tasks.

------
chairleader
Some great tips and tactics here. I think it's worth describing the end-state
you might be shooting for which those tactics can help with.

From what I'm reading, I think you're looking for the ability to deeply
immerse in problems when the time is right.

When you're deeply immersed or in a flow state, your conscious and unconscious
are completely aligned on a common goal. In fact, your conscious mind
participates less and less in the tasks - only providing high-level strategy
notions to your work, letting your subconscious tactical problem solving,
recall and muscle memory do the work of getting the solution out into the
world.

When it's working:

\- your working memory (i.e. the classic 7+/-2 figure from psychology) is
filled with the task at hand, and nothing else. Not only are you not thinking
about other things, but you also have no doubts or second thoughts about what
you're doing or how you are doing it.

\- you have short feedback loops in place, letting your brain's pattern
recognition work effectively.

\- you have all of the tools you need at hand to solve the problem, and don't
need to switch tasks to build/acquire them.

When you're in this state, you don't need a dopamine rush from anything else -
you're caught up in in the problem, and don't need something to synthesize the
excitement of discovery. You're getting that from the task!

Conversely, some examples of how it can break down:

\- The steps required to reproduce your test conditions overflow your working
memory, especially when decisions or analysis is required. Any conscious
thought put towards the steps to recreate a test case is a task switch away
from the problem you're solving. You might want to invest in scripts to
automate some or all of the work.

\- you're not sure if your approach is the right one. Now you're spending some
of your problem solving energy on the "meta-problem" of how best to solve the
problem. Take a moment to prove to yourself that the approach is at least
worth investing in and then move forward.

Finally, know that deep immersion has its own drawbacks! Most importantly,
while deep into solving one problem, it's easy to "over-invest" by going down
the wrong path. For now, you might consider that a good problem to have and a
sign of success at acquiring this skill. Honing the skill of choosing between
the two approaches is level 2 ;)

------
LeicaLatte
Growing older always helps with this.

------
brango
Meditation. Coursera have a course called "Demystifying Mindfulness". Check it
out.

------
treme
I'd first like to recommend a book called "power of habits" which will help
you better understand the mechanics of habit forming & reforming habits.

Deep work as mentioned by other poster is also another good resource for focus
related topics.

------
amine_benselim
one thing that really helped me is working out, when you are building muscles,
the result is only visible after a few months, that is how i got to enjoy and
grasp the benefits of delayed gratification

------
danm07
I have another border-line mental sickness that keeps me from going for the
easy solution. If something is sub-optimally structured, it will get under my
skin beyond what is normal.

------
sidcool
I am reading the book 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck' by Mark Manson.
Quite an interesting read. Also have bought Deep Work by Cal Newport.

------
sjg007
Solve the problem the first way. Take a step back and see how the solution
might break or doesn't work. Solve the problem again. Repeat.

------
amorphid
Learn how to have a feeling without acting on that feeling. It works some of
the time!

------
sixo
Do not have a computer. Just leave it at home. Nothing else works.

------
ycombinete
I've been battling this with Vipassana meditation. I came accross it via Sam
Harris. He posted a very nice little intro essay to it [0]; and there is a
good podcast interview with Harris and Joseph Goldstein, on Harris's
podcast[1].

Another thing is to get off of Social Media, _immediately_ [3].

[0] [https://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-
meditate](https://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-meditate)

[1] [https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/why-
meditate/](https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/why-meditate/)

[2]
[http://matthewbrecher.com/socialmedia.html](http://matthewbrecher.com/socialmedia.html)

------
j45
Some ideas/tactics that might be of interest and have been useful to me or
people I know:

\- Find some short programming tutorials you can follow along on and gradually
increase the length.

\- Starting and stopping your day with the right routines makes a difference.
I don't check email and use aquamail to not bug me during those hours. If
somethings down I setup a different kind of emergency alert.

\- Treat your senses a little different when you want to focus. Tools like
white noise, ear plugs, 9th beet stretch of brain.fm can work well.

\- Keeping a dedicated space for work has taught me to focus at that desk and
play in other locations. I have the exact same desk and screen setup at my
office and home. I keep it to focus.

\- Log out of all social media apps. And news apps. Disable all notifications.
Every app thinks it's at the centre of your life by wanting to gamification
you so take it away. Only use the mobile web sites in your phone in a web
browser installed only for it.

\- Refuse to read or watch anything that isn't immediately useful for you and
what you're up to now. Afraid you'll miss it or forget it later? Install diigo
and keyword evening you read. You may find you rarely go back. Plus people
don't mind filling you in when you've missed something.

\- Manually block all news, social media sites in your hosts file (point
everything to 127.0.0.1) on your laptop. Seems to help a lot of folks. If the
path of least resistance is increased just enough..

\- Read books more. Finding good books will teach your brain the act of
immersion, focus and flow. You know you've found it when you get slightly
enraged by an interruption.

\- Going for walks or bike rides help me. There has been some studies out
linking walking, learning and problem solving.

\- Take up some meditation as a form of settling your thoughts and focussing.
Meditating can provide the same feeling of a buzz without any hangover, mixed
with giving you the fresh mind and focus you woke up with.

\- Use do not disturb and silence notifications as much as possible. It makes
a world of difference.

\- Install a plugin that limits the number of browser window and tabs you have
open at any given time.

\- Keep a separate device for reading, communicating/socializing. I use a
kindle and phablet phone.

\- Understand your time. Be ok with scheduling your day in 1 hour pockets,
including fixed reading time, at first and working your way down to 15 minute
increments when needed. Be ok with tracking your time for 30 days to observe
what you're doing with a tool like harvest.

Hope that mught be of some use.

Some other things I try to remember:

Productivity is as much a muscle as it is a habit as it is a discipline.

It's possible to grow out of the chasing shiny things phase little by little
by cutting out all the other places that contribute ute to a distracted state
of mind.

We distract ourselves when something becomes a little more difficult, and it's
an important thing to manage.

Don't pressure yourself, a little sustained improvement at a time will go way
further in the long run.

Building discipline that you can selectively use to focus when needed helps
get things done is the goal.

We have a fixed amount of attention each day. Many things are trying to steal
it from us so we don't get much done.

Much of our digital experience has devolved into the mindless chasing for hits
of dopamine of the good enough updates, links, articles, etc. It's not
anyone's fault except the PhD's spending their life's work getting people to
click on stuff. If you are, don't feel bad about it, just cut the jerks out :)

There's very little worthy of being an interruption in a day.

Managing focus means managing those hits of novelty and distractions.

The power of habit is a great book as someone mentioned.

IIRC, If will take a few weeks to start forgetting and form new habits
according to this book. Starting small, and keeping a list of what your doing
helps you come back to it when one strays.

~~~
mxschumacher
I recommend:
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/xtab/amddgdnlkmoha...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/xtab/amddgdnlkmohapieeekfknakgdnpbleb)
to limit the number of tabs

Outstanding to store valuable tabs and get on with your work is one-tab

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/onetab/chphlpgkkbo...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/onetab/chphlpgkkbolifaimnlloiipkdnihall)

------
bchjam
iterate more, starting simple has its merits

meditate

------
Danihan
Fasting

