

What would Jack do? - k-mcgrady
http://alyssaaldersley.com/what-would-jack-do/

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Quizz
As an experiment in human limits, great. As a sustainable and effective way of
running your business, absolutely terrible. Keep in mind the following
(assuming you are a normal human being and do not have special powers, like
Jack Dorsey): 1\. The human mind can only maintain sustained focus at the
highest levels for a limited amount of time each day, which is why in a
typical work day, performance drops significantly after 3PM.

2\. When tired or exhausted, your mind will default to system 1 thinking
(using Nobel winner Kahneman's description for fast, intuitive, emotional and
automatic decision-making process because it requires less energy; from his
book Thinking Fast, and Slow) which is normally bad for start-ups that require
intense focus and deep insight.

Accept that the human mind works very well in matters requiring problem
solving skills and creative deliberation for 4-5 hours, the other 4-5 hours
leave for less intense duties (responding to routine email, basic accounting,
staff meetings, exercise, playing with the kids, etc.). To push your mental
focus so hard will render you a complete zombie by nighttime and your
significant other will leave you, make no doubt about it, because it would be
like talking to a wall that just nods and blinks. I know, been there, done
that, both as the zombie and on the receiving end of a zombie.

Simply put, 16 hour work days will destroy your family and wreck havoc on your
creative process. Although it may be great for those engaged in routine
debugging that is almost automated and rythmic, I simply don't see this
approach to work as useful for anybody in a position requiring problem solving
or creative focus.

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OoTheNigerian
I like the idea of thematic days.

Some days i just feel like writing all day. I should do all the writing for
everything I am working on.

I could also setup meetings for all projects on certain days.

Finally, like my dad say, it is all about discipline. Without it, it is not
going to work.

~~~
npsimons
There's something to be said for setting a (reasonable) goal for a day, a
theme if you will, and sticking to it. It's also interesting to note that this
might be the best way to train/practice. I think it was an article linked off
of HN to that 10,000 hours website about performers who practiced in three (or
more) hour chunks who made the most progress.

As an anti-anecdote, I've been trying to burn through my todo lists without
really organizing the items on them, just letting them come as they may, and
it always seems demoralizing at the end of the day because even though I may
have checked off a lot of items, there was no "big" coherent thing I
accomplished, and I didn't check off as many items as I wanted to.

