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Comment by ak39 | Hacker News Reader

I agree with this. I’ve spent just as much time researching productivity as being productive some times. And I agree, we don’t fail on the motivation part but on inability to create environments, habits and schedules that allow for distraction-free productivity. But I always failed to maintain longer than a week’s worth of concentrated productive habit. Why? I have a theory: you can’t maintain rigid schedules and habits if you have family too.

No chance of choosing focus areas and ignoring a sick child and sleepless nights, family emergencies and soul-sapping homework assistance.

Family is my productivity enemy. But I love my family so I don’t sweat lack of productivity that much. Anymore.

But yeah, motivation is not the answer. Fully agreed.

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You train your family, like you train your dog.

If you are working on a hard problem and you dog comes with the leash on her mouth, you can do what the dog wants or do what you need to do. Your dog will have to wait. Non negotiable. if you negotiate and are not consistent, you are in trouble.

Your dog needs to know that she is going to go outside, but when you say so. Dogs understand it very well. If it is a rigid schedule it works much better, it is not arbitrary.

If you are working on a hard problem and your son or daughter interrupts you, it is your job to make it clear to them that they can't interrupt you unless it is important.

They need to know you will spend time with them, on a consistent basis.

People understand it very well if you are an adult capable of saying "no". Rigid schedules work much better.

I believe you are confused. You can be disciplined and love your family. Sick child? Not the end of the world, it looks like it for first time parents. Homework assistance? You are not loving your children if you do their homework for them.

>Why? I have a theory: you can’t maintain rigid schedules and habits if you have family too.

Haven't millions of people -- and lots of famous productive writers, and such, done exactly that?

And to varying degrees the detriment of their family.

Machines are very productive. Humans don't always need to be.

Or, if you expand your definition of productivity to include raising happy children then it sounds like you're extremely productive.

> But I always failed to maintain longer than a week’s worth of concentrated productive habit. Why? I have a theory: you can’t maintain rigid schedules and habits if you have family too.

Counterpoint: I too fail to maintain a concentrated, productive habit for longer than ~a week. I do not have kids (yet) now, and I've also been failing at it when living alone. I was good at cutting out the distracting presence of other people, too, and it didn't help. I conclude that, at least for me, it's not about other people. There's something within me that prevents me from sticking to a habit I try to force on myself.

I think the point was that a family => you cannot maintain schedules/habits.

If you cannot maintain schedules/habits that may be related to the presence of a family

Some things like family can make us well rounded too, which in turn help us focus on the right things while st the keyboard.

Have you had any luck with early morning productivity?

Having never had a family, it really sounds impossible. I’m sure it’s rewarding. A vacation to Mars would be rewarding too, but it also sounds impossible.

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