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Comment by projectramo | Hacker News Reader

I am not kidding or being sarcastic, but let me add another tip for using your "full brain":

aerobic exercise.

If you just take a brisk walk, a quick sprint, or a jog, before you code or intermittently, you'll notice a world of difference.

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I started doing Ashtanga Mysore style yoga a month and a half ago, and I'm bursting with energy throughout the day. I'm saying this as someone who is 41, has spinal degeneration and is a cancer survivor, and I feel years younger after practicing. It's a more traditional style that is done very early in the morning, and has an exact sequence which is great for those who like structure. The expectation is that you practice every day except Saturday. It's pretty demanding physically, but can be adapted for those who are less fit and flexible. A lot of thought has been put into the design of the sequence, in that each posture and movement is preparation for another movement later in the sequence, so it leads you step by step to do things with your body you wouldn't have guessed you were capable of. The sequence emphasizes both strength and flexibility, and my body is already taking a much nicer shape after only a short period.

Is the 6 days a week requirement or is it nice to do? I do basic yoga for 2-3 days a week and I'm generally tired after.

I don't think it's a requirement, in that the teacher won't kick you out of class if you don't show up every day, but it's highly encouraged. This is a opinionated and prescribed form of yoga, and the idea is that you practice as close to that prescription as your life will allow. But I haven't detected any pressure or negativity from my teacher toward students that don't show every day.

Agreed. Hell, it doesn't even have to be aerobic.

Installing a pull-up bar in my apartment has noticeably improved the quality of my work, as well my own enjoyment of working.

Any time I feel a bust of frustration in my gut, or any time my code is compiling, I get up and crank a few (like 5) out.

Makes a world of difference.

By writing one letter at a time, you're not utilizing your "full communication" power. In fact you're using just 1/26 of the power of the alphabet, that comes at 3.84%. So, instead, write with a superposition of all letters at once to utilize 100% of the power of the alphabet, using 100% of the brain.

What do you mean by "write with a superposition of all letters at once"?

Presumably that would mean all 26 letters printed on top of each other.

There's a silly old factoid about how "you only use 10 percent of your brain," which psychics and other woo-peddlers use to sell their personal solutions for opening up the potential of the unused 90%. Of course the idea that you can think better if you use 100% of your brain at once is as silly as the idea that you can communicate better if you use 100% of the alphabet at once, which was Visarga's point.

That's not what the article is talking about specifically, but the bit about "using your full brain" does raise unfortunate associations.

He's being sarcastic and it's actually quite funny if one uses less than 100% of the brain.

I assume it means he's been playing with quantum algorithms lately.

The logic that we are using "only a small part" of our brain is caused by the sparse activations. When perceiving something, we need to encode the raw sense data. When encoded, only a small part of the brain is necessary to represent it, thus the misconception that we are only "using" that part. In fact we are using all of it, even the inactive parts. By analogy, when I am writing, I am only using one letter at a time. This does not imply that I am only using 4% of the power of the alphabet, just that it works by sparse combinations. Thus there is no basis to thinking that we could improve if only we could use 100% of our neurons at once.

Strongly agree. Another good option for aerobic exercise is the 7 minute workout [1]. I often do a couple of rounds of this when I need a quick refresh between sessions of focussed work.

The routine is easily done in an office / park / parking lot, though you'll probably want a shower afterwards.

[1] http://7-min.com/

Sprinting is largely anaerobic, which is good too. Variety is probably best since different muscle fibers release different myokines, and since the stimulus necessary to elicit a particular level of response increases with degree of training.

Why interleave? Just install your laptop on top of a treadmill ;-)

This is basically what I do. Well, it's a desktop installed semi-permanently on a desk that I raised with cinder blocks to be high enough to fit a treadmill underneath. I try to walk 5 miles each work day on it. I can only walk about 3mph before things get too wobbly to stay focused.

I've found that there is some sub-conscious mental block that makes it hard for me to start walking, but once I'm going I barely even notice that I'm walking - I can get lost in the work I'm doing just as deeply (possibly more deeply?) as when I'm sitting or standing.

I've tried to come up with some objective ways to measure my productivity walking vs standing vs sitting but haven't come up with anything concrete. If I had to guess I'd rank my focus level high to low in this order: 1) First 3-5 miles of walking 2) sitting 3) 5th - 10th mile walking 4) standing. Standing is much more strenuous than walking to me.

Great idea! If you don't have the time or money to set all that up, or you want something a bit more portable, you can also pick up a pedal exerciser/exercise pedaller (same thing, oddly). They're $25-$50 on Amazon, and you can stick them under your desk and pedal away while you work.

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