
Ask HN: Share your best personal productivity tips and tricks - mstolpm
Productivity, staying on focus, fighting distraction and procrastination and so on are often addressed in &quot;Ask HN&quot; threads, but it is difficult to find and keep track of the nuggets and best tips and tools mentioned in the responses.<p>So, let&#x27;s use this thread to collect and share YOUR best tips, tools and ressources for personal productivity.
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alenox
I have a lot of productivity programs, calendar apps, todo lists, mind mapping
software etc. etc... But the greatest tool in my arsenal is a notebook and a
pen.

Every morning, before I start working, I browse my calendar, Omnifocus, notes
from yesterday, and with my notebook, I write down the three things I
absolutely want to get done today.

I don't always get those three things done, but I sure do make a lot of
progress on them and feel good about my productivity at the end of the day.

Something about the ritual and physical act of writing stuff down with a pen
really does it for me. When I forget to do this or start working without it, I
feel directionless and will mostly just answer email and get inconsequential
stuff done all day.

------
caio1982
Avoid multitasking as hell. Very few people can really afford it without going
mad in the long run. At first it's very demotivating because you feel like
stalling but then you'll naturally learn what (and how) you can micro-improve
in your daily life to make the whole pipeline of TODOs more productive. I
might not look very productive in the eyes of multitaskers, but at least I'm
happy and totally not burned out.

~~~
arethuza
I'd say its best to try and find out what level of multitasking you can handle
without becoming too stressed and/or unproductive - it does vary a _lot_ from
person to person.

Once you understand your own capacity for multitasking then fight to stay in
that zone (and before anyone calls something like that a "comfort zone" its
more like an "efficiency zone").

~~~
ivanche
Well if we are talking about _true_ multitasking (working on more than one
thing at the same time) then humans can't do that - we only have one CPU with
one core, our brain. Some people can do scheduling and time-sharing well, that
is they work on one thing for some time, then on second one for some time,
then on third one, then they return to the first one etc. but that's not
multitasking really.

~~~
raverbashing
"we only have one CPU with one core,"

"but that's not multitasking really."

Do you think single core computers don't do multitasking? They do it exactly
this way.

~~~
falcolas
Computers have a context switching time of a few nanoseconds. People have a
context switching time measured in the tens of minutes. If you do it too much,
half of your day is consumed just switching your mental context between the
tasks.

------
rayalez
\- Buy a cheap android tablet to do all the time-wasting activities
on(HN/Reddit/tv-shows), that way it is pretty easy to avoid doing any of it on
your laptop, which turns it into a pure-productivity device that you use only
for creating things.

\- Try to find ONE most important activity to do and focus on doing that.
Switching your focus between several tasks, or having to constantly decide
what is the most important thing to do takes an enormous toll on your focus
and productivity.

\- Start to value being Lean. Aside from adding things to your life(buying
physical objects, taking on projects, developing skills, engaging in
activities), realize that removing unimportant things is also very valuable. I
love making my life lean, it is surprisingly liberating to remove unnecessary
noise and be able to focus on what really matters.

\- Instead of just relying on your will power, try to align your incentives,
and make the things you do fun and engaging. Will power is important, but I'm
1000 times more productive when I find an activity my brain can "buy in" into,
and be completely engaged in.

\- Read about the "flow" state, understanding how it works is very important
to improve your engagement.

\- Read about the "pomodoro" technique. I don't always use it, at some points
in my life it works very well, sometimes it doesn't. But it's cool to know
about.

\- Track&Share is an awesome iPad app for tracking habits.

~~~
cJ0th
upvote for the first bullet point. I never considered that!

------
tawan
Given a set of tasks T, that have to be done, and the tasks are
interdependent.

Sort T by difficulty to complete. Complete one task after the other starting
with the hardest.

This approach goes against the often spread advice that you should start with
the easiest tasks, which are probably fast to complete, in order to get
quickly a feeling of accomplishment which keeps you motivated. I think this
approach is wrong and here is why:

IMO our brains always weigh risk multiplied with investment against reward,
and as long as the reward outweighs (risk * investment), we are motivated:
Risk meaning here, that you invest time and effort but eventually you miss the
deadline and are not paid the full reward. The more time we let pass, without
completing anything, then the risk of not getting the rewards becomes bigger
and eventually it is not worth our effort anymore, and our brain finds more
rewarding things to do (procrastinates). So why should we start with the hard
tasks first?

Because, given that we start with the easy ones first, we reduce the available
time to complete the hard tasks, and by the time that we start with the hard
ones, the risk of failing becomes too big in order to be still motivated. In
contrary, when we start with the hard ones, of course it takes longer to
finish them, and the time left for the easy ones is less, but our brain can
easily estimate the risk of easy tasks, and it will find that it's quite
possible to get the final rewards, because we already finished the hard ones.

The realisation changed my life. I completed my CS master studies within 15
months.

------
brettlangdon
I like to take walks.

Sometimes when there is too much going on, I'm a little too restless or I just
can't focus. I'll just get up and go for a short walk, try to clear my head,
maybe tire myself out a bit. Usually gets me a little more relaxed.

~~~
FrankenPC
A few decades back when I still smoked cigarettes, I really enjoyed simply
getting out of the office on a periodic basis to gain perspective. No more
cigarettes, but I still stand up and walk around the block. Still works great.

------
baobaba
1\. The most valuable productivity hack I ever learned: facing an overwhelming
task, write down all the tiniest steps the task consists of (even if the step
is as simple as opening an IDE). Then, do the first tiny step. This goes a
long way towards fighting resistance/procrastination. I do this with Trello
cards (easy to add checklists to cards).

2\. If you want to get a project done, keep your mind in the context of that
project at all costs. Simple trick: in the evening, close other windows on
your computer except the ones related to the project you want to get done: an
IDE, a TODO list, related research. It will be much easier in the morning to
kick things off.

3\. If a project / work causes a lot of resistance and procrastination, ask
yourself if you absolutely must be doing it. Challenge assumptions.

~~~
jordsmi
Number 1 is a huge. The biggest thing with procrastination is actually
starting on the task. Usually it's something I want to do, but just can't get
myself to do it for various reasons. If I just do something as simple as
saying I am going to write one line of code, I usually get sucked into the
project.

------
Zolomon
Adding "127.0.0.1 news.ycombinator.com" to the hosts file.

~~~
qntty
how's that working out for you? :P

------
dharma1
-Waking up really early, before sunrise, with no other distractions than a cup of tea and your work. Knowing you have 3-4 hours of uninterrupted time to get shit done, and someone to show the work after that.

Works better for me than burning the midnight oil (which works too but
probably isn't as healthy).

-Not doing too many things at the same time (hard)

-Having a passion in what you are doing and being proud of the quality of the end result

-Some excercise helps to get the blood flowing and oxygen into your brain which I find helps with focus

~~~
bostonpete
I'm not necessarily disagreeing but what makes you say working extremely early
hours is probably healthier than working extremely late hours?

~~~
rm_-rf_slash
I wake up at 4 most mornings. I'm always at the peak of my energy at the 3.5
hours I have before I walk entirely uphill to work. After my descent I'm
usually too worn out to get anything productive done, and since I start
wrapping up my evening around 7-8, I don't sacrifice sleep.

My Chinese teacher put it best: "Early to rise, early to bed, leaves you
healthy, wealthy, and socially dead."

~~~
ricklancee
Nice to know someone else is waking up really early. I started setting my
alarm 5 minutes back each day toward my goal of waking up at 4am. I started at
7am now I am at 4:40am and I'm really liking it so far; I get stuff done this
way.

------
andersthue
In my consultancy we struggled for many years with these issues which led to
poor performance and low revenue/profit and missed deadlines.

For the last couple of years we have tried many different things to boost
productivity, inspired by netflix, valve, linkedin and more.

This year all these things resulted in us inventing a new method
([http://timeblock.com](http://timeblock.com)) that is more about transparency
and feedback between Makers and Managers than anything else.

The method results in less procrastination, better estimation, happier Makers,
Managers and customers.

------
olalonde
My biggest productivity boost as a developer has been switching to a Vim, tmux
and more recently Docker based development environment. Whereas it used to
take me quite a while to get my environment started and get in the flow, it
now takes just a few seconds with a simple "tmuxinator start projectname".
It's especially helpful when you often switch between projects that have
different languages and stacks.

------
amelius
Use a language that allows you to be productive. For example, if you are using
C++, and feel the burden of maintaining header files, then, if possible,
switch to another language that doesn't need header files; or use a tool that
automatically generates your header files.

------
andreasklinger
Doing emails like this:

[http://www.klinger.io/post/71640845938/dont-drown-in-
email-h...](http://www.klinger.io/post/71640845938/dont-drown-in-email-how-to-
use-gmail-more)

(disclaimer: i am the author of this post)

~~~
cec
Great post, definitely giving this a try.

------
tirant
To me, the start of a productive day beings with a good sleep the previous
night. No need for coffee or other stimulants.

If possible a short nap after lunch (siesta) will also help stay energized for
the rest of the day.

------
charlieirish
"Opportunity looks a lot like hard work"

Whilst I don't love this quote, it represents a problem that I see often:
people are asking for tools and techniques to achieve better productivity when
often, it's about discipline. I wrote more about how discipline and why it's
important here[0], with a particular story about how my father's time in the
British Army taught me a few things.

However, there are certainly a few strategies that we can all use to combat
our irrational behaviour and get things done rather that procrastinate (on
hacker news all day!):

Make Time

Stop saying you don't have time. It's up to you to make time. If it's
important enough, you _can_ do it. Read more at 'Make Time for Your Side
Project' [2].

Timeboxing

This is a simple technique (similar to using a pomodoro timer) that defines a
start point and a fixed time for completing a task. Often starting is the key
to finishing.

Mise-en-Place

Prepare for success by getting the environment right and ready. Make it easy
for you to jump in to a piece of work without any 'set up' time. Give yourself
the chance to succeed by removing any potential distractions.

Celebrate Small Victories

Allow yourself a pat on the back. Completing small tasks can give you enough
of an adrenaline rush to start the next task. Then you're on a roll!

Stop Aiming Too High

This is something I suffer from all the time. I see so much great work out
there that I'm constantly embarrassed to launch. This 'fear of the launch'[3]
can be dealt with. It's about overcoming your anxieties to produce something
'epic' by purposefully launching something below your comfort threshold. True
success is often journey paved with small, iterative launches.

For more, you might want to read the previous discussion on Good and Bad
Procrastination (2005)[1]

[0]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7864959](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7864959)

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7864525](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7864525)

[2] [http://www.startupclarity.com/blog/make-time-side-
project/](http://www.startupclarity.com/blog/make-time-side-project/)

[3] [http://www.startupclarity.com/blog/fear-of-the-
launch/](http://www.startupclarity.com/blog/fear-of-the-launch/)

------
nns
I've recently started doing Yoga (mainly breath yoga - Pranayam) and
Mindfulness.

30 minutes - first thing every morning.

It's unbelievable how much my energy levels and concentration have gone up!

------
marak830
At work? I struggle there too.

At home doing my own coding? Light beer(as light as i can get, i want to take
the edge off, not get drunk), a movie/music on the tv that i have seen/heaed a
lot before.

Honestly the drink is a crutch, but i cant program more than once a week, so
it seems to work for me. (Time constraints due to work/wife), but in my
current project helps me relax enough, forget about my dayjob and focus for
3-4 hours.

------
drivers99
I use Mark Forster's "Final Version - Perfected" algorithm for tracking and
selecting what to work on next.

[http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2015/5/21/the-
final-...](http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2015/5/21/the-final-
version-perfected-fvp.html)

------
rm_-rf_slash
Call a friend once a day at roughly the same time. Catch up on what you two
have been up to, talk about what you've accomplished in the last 24 hours, and
discuss what you'd like to get done before the next call.

No app or self-help book could ever replace the shame from letting down
someone you respect.

~~~
bechampion
calling isn't cool anymore , we want to be cool.

~~~
rm_-rf_slash
You're free to make an Apple Watch app that sends each other's heartbeats
through morse code if you're that determined to be no fun at parties.

------
raverbashing
\- Good ergonomy of workstation (not staying crouched on a laptop computer for
example)

\- Find your most productive times of the day and manage your day around it

\- Take notes and have yourself be notified (for important stuff) instead of
polling (unless the frequency is too big, then poll for a large time

------
spectrum1234
1- Hit the gym most mornings 2- Stand at your desk an hour in the morning and
an hour after lunch 3- Always be sure you are working on the #1 priority task
4- Don't each like crap 5- Get enough sleep

People underrate standing. I can literally feel my brain being more
productive.

~~~
qntty
I like the standing suggestion. I don't know how many hours the average
standing-desker stands at their desk but 2 hours seems like a very realistic
goal.

------
alphadevx
1\. Each morning write down the 5 most important things you need to do that
day.

2\. Do those things.

3\. That's it.

------
ishener
JetBrains IDEs

------
onoyoudont
Kill your TV.

------
dagw
Don't feel you need to do everything yourself. Try to get people who can run
interference for you, know what to ignore and know when to delegate.

------
warmuuh
i am using a personal kanban board to organize my tasks and work on them one
after another... if someone interrupts, i just add another task and continue
working on the previous one

------
rickdale
Tim Hortons coffee.

------
jdimov9
Here's what works for achieving extreme levels of hyper-creativity and hyper-
productivity for me. Will it work for you? Yes. Will you do it? No, you will
find endless excuses to call the below "impossible". Still, for anyone who
dares, here it is:

1\. Get as much sleep as you can. Consistently. Yes, it's counter-intuitive.
Yes, you'll have fewer waking hours. But those few hours will be many times
more productive and joyful.

2\. Drink more water and eat fresh food. Eat less than you normally do.

3\. Get plenty of fresh air and sunlight.

4\. Get a good amount of physical activity throughout the day (exercise,
walks, whatever works for you)

5\. Get plenty of vacation time during the year. Do not do ANY work during
your vacation time - focus on enjoying yourself. (Ideally, 1/3 of the year
should be spent on vacation time)

6\. Make a list of the 20 most important things you want to accomplish (near-
term). Sort the list so that at the top you have the things that you feel most
passionate about. Keep the top 2 items and scratch everything else (I don't
mean de-prioritize - I mean scratch it / drop it / burn it / forget it / it
ain't happening.)

7\. Focus all of your time and attention on doing those things that are most
exciting TO YOU personally. Whether those things have any utility to anyone
other than you is irrelevant. You come first.

8\. If there is anything else that still absolutely needs to be done - find a
way to delegate it to someone who's good at that stuff.

9\. You will be unstoppable.

~~~
atmosx
Did you get that list from some TED, Accelerator Speech or a book? Because it
ain't realistic for 90% of the 'population'... which means it's unrealistic
and pretty much useless.

~~~
DanBC
Wait what? Which steps are impossible for 90% of the population?

~~~
vrutberg
Not a lot of people can spend 1/3 of a year on vacation. I'm in Sweden and I
consider my vacation time pretty generous (6 weeks per year), but still, I'm
still nowhere near 1/3 of a year.

~~~
qntty
I assumed that holidays and weekends count as "vacation", in which case you
are already there if you don't work on the weekends. If not, then yes it's
definitely unrealistic for many.

------
MichaelCrawford
Here's One:

It's 4:30 AM. I am going to go to bed RIGHT NOW.

------
honest_joe
Get a lot of caffeine pills.

~~~
dayone
this is very bad for your health. if possible avoid any caffinated drinks or
stitch to healthier ones like green tea.

