
Ask HN: Different Types of Productivity - aaronjgreenberg
Is it better to intensely productive in bursts, or mildly productive consistently?<p>I'm wondering if one way is better than the other. In my case, I'm able to be very productive for a few days, but then I usually have a slump where I get bored easily and find it hard to focus (lasts a day or two). Some people are more consistently productive, but probably not as intensely so. I'm guessing it's not healthy to always be 100% productive.<p>If it's the case that one is better than the other, is it possible to shift your productivity habit? How might you do so?
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ScottBurson
I don't know what's better, but I tend to run hot and cold like you.

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heretohelp
I don't think you can make a normative statement like "better" about this as
far as comparing the two goes.

I can say that my productivity as a programmer has traditionally been very
bursty and requires long blocks of time and isolation.

This is the traditional (PG APPROVED!) understanding of programmer
productivity. That said, I've been getting better at becoming more
consistently productive of late.

I think it has more to do with the individual and the task than anything.

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aaronjgreenberg
I guess by 'better,' I meant the amount of output produced by one style or the
other. Would there be a repeatable and measurable difference in the amount of
output from someone who is bursty productive than from someone who is
consistently productive?

Have you started doing anything different or made any changes to your working
style that have led you to become more consistently productive?

~~~
heretohelp
>Would there be a repeatable and measurable difference in the amount of output
from someone who is bursty productive than from someone who is consistently
productive?

Nope. Never. Sounds like a CTO/CIO's pipe-dream.

It's a personal thing that likely has little correlation with overall
productivity, and most programmers are bursty.

If you want to help programmers be productive, make them happy and give them
the working environment they crave. Whatever that may be.

>Have you started doing anything different or made any changes to your working
style that have led you to become more consistently productive?

The only change I've made recently that I'm convinced made a sustainable
uptick in my productivity _personally_ (not applicable to everyone) is that
I've started following Seinfeld's and many other writers advice.

I just make certain I write code everyday and if I'm stuck I force myself to
start sketching out boilerplate/rough-ideas until I get unstuck.

