

Ask HN: what do you do to stay productive? - bzupnick


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RRiccio
Write down to-do itens to do in specific day or period of work.

Always carry around your to-do list in your wallet (clear your mind from to-
do's).

Separate work space from home/personal space.

Limit checking email 2-3 times per day.

Work in a silent place with no or very few interruptions.

"Pomodoro technique" for completing a particular task.

Eat properly, stretch often, exercise, sleep.

Set approximate time you'll stop working.

Set mid/long term goals and have them visible in your workspace.

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chrisbennet
Rest: When I'm tired I make mistakes that I later have to undo/redo.

Stop thinking about the problem: I take an hour lunch and read hacker news.
When I resume coding, I am more likely to see the problem with fresh eyes. I
think of that "unproductive" pause as pushing in the clutch to change gears.

Work/think at home: In this new world of cube farms it can be hard to get
uninterrupted periods to think. That hour and half I work at home before I
drive into work at 9:00 is some of my most productive.

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markkat
Don't stop working on things.

That's it.

It's habit-forming, actually. Just get over the hump.

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petervandijck
\- Have weekly task lists.

\- Work mostly during my "productive" hours (7am to 2pm)

\- Always think: what needs to be done urgently and what are the babysteps to
do that?

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exhnlurker
pomodoro technique

Work in small chucks with define goals and time periods. For me I would say
something like. "Get X done in 15 minutes". Set an alarm for it and at the end
of it set another goal. On a sheet of paper or in Evernote, document what you
accomplished in this time frame.

Before you take a break, take a look notes as to what you actually
accomplished and take note of any roadblocks. Often times I find that I do the
run into the same wall if I don't analyze and make the necessary adjustments.

Remember to take breaks. after a few successful task. 10 or 15 minutes. I
generally try to work in 2 or 3 hour chunks of time before taking a break.

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Zev
This is a pretty big question. Do you mean productive throughout a single day,
or over a period of time? At work or on hobbies? When working by yourself or
with a team? Etc. The answer will be different for every scenario.

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dgeb
I've started to take long walks every morning. It clears the mind and removes
the restlessness I used to feel from sitting for so long.

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latch
Good physical and mental health is the most important thing. Eat properly,
exercise and sleep well.

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staunch
Great environment + powerful incentives.

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ignifero
Get the habit of starting a new side ("weekend") project every 2-3 weeks.

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proexploit
I've got to recommend exactly the opposite of this, but it may depend on what
time of problem you're having with productivity.

Do you have many projects and have a hard time motivating to complete them?
Force yourself to limit them and finish them before starting something new.
Record any new ideas in the meantime in a simple document.

Do you have nothing going on and always wish you had a project to work on? It
may be a good idea for you to try a variety of different side projects and see
what sticks as ignifero suggested.

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hammock
Make a new thread and get people to answer for you instead of searching
yourself through the 6 billion threads that have already been made on this
topic. Then use the time you saved to get some work done.

