put “do focused work” on my todo list (actually already did this and worked surprisingly well for a week—why doesn’t it work as well anymore?)
block various chatting apps
block lesswrong?
do pomodoros
use some coworking space to encourage focus
take more breaks
eat healthier food (possibly no carbs) to have more energy
get a better sleep schedule to have more energy
meditate more for better meta-cognition and focus
try to do deliberate practice on doing focused work
install a number of TAPs related to suppressing desires for distraction, e.g. “impulse to stop working → check pomodoro timer”
I’m told complice is useful
daily reviews might be helpful?
be more specific when doing weekly review
make more commitments to other people about the amount of output I’m going to have, creating social pressure to actually produce that amount of output
be more careful when scheduling calls with people so i have long series of uninterrupted hours
take more naps when I notice I’m losing focus
be more realistic about the amount of focused work I can do in a day (does “realize this isn’t actually a problem” count as solving it? seems like yes)
vary the length of pomodoros
do resolve cycles for solutions to the problem, implementing some of them
read various productivity books, like the procrastination equation, GTD, tiny habits, etc.
exercise more for more energy (unfortunately, the mind is currently still embodied)
make sure I’m focusing on the right things—better to spend half the time focusing on the most important thing than double the time on the 2nd most important thing
spend more time working with people
stop filling non-work time with activities that cause mental fatigue, like reading, podcasts, etc.
stop doing miscellaneous things from my todolist during “breaks”, e.g. don’t do laundry between pomodoros, just lie on the floor and rest
get into a better rhythm of work/break cycles, e.g. treat every hour as a contiguous block by default, scheduling calls on hour demarcations only
use laptop instead of large monitor—large screens might make it easier to get distracted
block the internet on my computer during certain periods of time so I can focus on writing
take various drugs that give me more energy, e.g. caffeine, nicotine, and other substances
stop drinking things like tea—the caffeine might give more energy, but make focusing harder
wear noise-canceling headphones to block out distractions from noise
listen to music designed to encourage focus, like cool rhythms or video game music
work on things that are exciting—focus isn’t a problem if they’re intrinsically enjoyable
Ben Kuhn has some good tips—check those out again
RescueTime says most of my distracting time is on messenger and signal. I think quarantine is messing with my desire for social interaction. Figure out how to replace that somehow?
communicate via email/google doc instead of instant messaging
make sure to have snacks to keep up blood sugar
alternate between standing desk and sitting desk to add novelty
reduce cost for starting to do focused work by having a clear list of focused work that needs to be done, leaving computer in state ready to start immediately upon coming back to it
nudge myself into doing focused work by doing tasks that require micro-focus first, like make metaculus predictions, then move on to more important focused work
ask a LW question about how to do more focused work and read the answers
work on more physical substrates, e.g. paper+pen, whiteboard
use a non-linux operating system to get access to better tools for focusing, like cold turkey, freedom, etc.
switch mouse to left hand which will cause more effort to be needed to mindlessly use computer, potentially decreasing mindlessness
acquire more desktoys to serve as non-computer distractions that might preserve focus better
practice focusing on non-work thing, e.g. by studying a random subject, playing a game I don’t like, being more mindful in everyday life, etc.
do more yoga to feel more present in body
TAP common idle activity I do with “focus on work”, e.g. crack knuckles, stretch arms, adjust seat.
Time taken: 20 minutes
More things I thought of after reading Rafael Harth’s response:
use something like beeminder to do more focused work
do research directly into what causes some people to be better at focusing than others
ask people that seem to be good at doing focused work for tips
problem: I don’t do enough focused work in a day.
set aside set times for focused work via calendar
put “do focused work” on my todo list (actually already did this and worked surprisingly well for a week—why doesn’t it work as well anymore?)
block various chatting apps
block lesswrong?
do pomodoros
use some coworking space to encourage focus
take more breaks
eat healthier food (possibly no carbs) to have more energy
get a better sleep schedule to have more energy
meditate more for better meta-cognition and focus
try to do deliberate practice on doing focused work
install a number of TAPs related to suppressing desires for distraction, e.g. “impulse to stop working → check pomodoro timer”
I’m told complice is useful
daily reviews might be helpful?
be more specific when doing weekly review
make more commitments to other people about the amount of output I’m going to have, creating social pressure to actually produce that amount of output
be more careful when scheduling calls with people so i have long series of uninterrupted hours
take more naps when I notice I’m losing focus
be more realistic about the amount of focused work I can do in a day (does “realize this isn’t actually a problem” count as solving it? seems like yes)
vary the length of pomodoros
do resolve cycles for solutions to the problem, implementing some of them
read various productivity books, like the procrastination equation, GTD, tiny habits, etc.
exercise more for more energy (unfortunately, the mind is currently still embodied)
make sure I’m focusing on the right things—better to spend half the time focusing on the most important thing than double the time on the 2nd most important thing
spend more time working with people
stop filling non-work time with activities that cause mental fatigue, like reading, podcasts, etc.
stop doing miscellaneous things from my todolist during “breaks”, e.g. don’t do laundry between pomodoros, just lie on the floor and rest
get into a better rhythm of work/break cycles, e.g. treat every hour as a contiguous block by default, scheduling calls on hour demarcations only
use laptop instead of large monitor—large screens might make it easier to get distracted
block the internet on my computer during certain periods of time so I can focus on writing
take various drugs that give me more energy, e.g. caffeine, nicotine, and other substances
stop drinking things like tea—the caffeine might give more energy, but make focusing harder
wear noise-canceling headphones to block out distractions from noise
listen to music designed to encourage focus, like cool rhythms or video game music
work on things that are exciting—focus isn’t a problem if they’re intrinsically enjoyable
Ben Kuhn has some good tips—check those out again
RescueTime says most of my distracting time is on messenger and signal. I think quarantine is messing with my desire for social interaction. Figure out how to replace that somehow?
communicate via email/google doc instead of instant messaging
make sure to have snacks to keep up blood sugar
alternate between standing desk and sitting desk to add novelty
reduce cost for starting to do focused work by having a clear list of focused work that needs to be done, leaving computer in state ready to start immediately upon coming back to it
nudge myself into doing focused work by doing tasks that require micro-focus first, like make metaculus predictions, then move on to more important focused work
ask a LW question about how to do more focused work and read the answers
work on more physical substrates, e.g. paper+pen, whiteboard
use a non-linux operating system to get access to better tools for focusing, like cold turkey, freedom, etc.
switch mouse to left hand which will cause more effort to be needed to mindlessly use computer, potentially decreasing mindlessness
acquire more desktoys to serve as non-computer distractions that might preserve focus better
practice focusing on non-work thing, e.g. by studying a random subject, playing a game I don’t like, being more mindful in everyday life, etc.
do more yoga to feel more present in body
TAP common idle activity I do with “focus on work”, e.g. crack knuckles, stretch arms, adjust seat.
Time taken: 20 minutes
More things I thought of after reading Rafael Harth’s response:
use something like beeminder to do more focused work
do research directly into what causes some people to be better at focusing than others
ask people that seem to be good at doing focused work for tips
reread Deep Work and take it more seriously