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Comment by anoplus | Hacker News Reader

I started stretching and walking around once an hour or so few years ago, and it is the simplest most efficient prevention to various pains. Even in harsh deadlines, when I feel the slightest pain, I stop everything, and get-up/stretch/walk around for 5 minutes. Health is above everything else.

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Dude, I'm trying to do this right now because of back pain and stuff.

It looks nice on paper but I have trouble focusing so when I actually get in the zone I tend to forget and hours go by, I only stop when I'm actually experiencing pain (an stimulus which reminds me to get back to reality).

Any tips?

You need to work on focusing so that you can take breaks and go right back to work. There are many ways to improve that from simply 'do it' to using a certain playlist. I started with the playlist and have now use a combination of that with 'do it' discipline.

I can't find the quote (Shakespeare maybe?), but paraphrasing it says the worst time in ones life is the moment between deciding to do something and doing something. The goal is to get rid of that moment in between.

I've been using a standing desk for about 2.5 years. I stand almost all the time but I tend to take few mile walks every few hours to break up coding / thinking, etc..

I no longer do it by a schedule because my mind will tell me when I should go, but to begin with I would just set an alarm and go get up every 2 or 3 hours, and if you're close to finishing something important (say 10 minutes), finish it first and then go.

I had the same problem. Tried the standing desk, no go. Couldn't get in the zone ever (and I tried it for 2 full weeks).

My tip: drink a LOT of fluids. You will have to keep going to the bathroom which is a natural break point, and not something as abrupt as an alarm; the urge to pee sort of creeps on you, so you can stay in the zone until you really gotta go. The hydration is good for your brain/body anyway, so win-win.

Seconded.

Found that lack of fluids (water!!!) was the source of many of my headaches, so I came at this solution from that angle.

As an aside, this does require you to chunk your work differently. I've found it's a great practice to use such opportunities to keep up with the communication part of your work, so that when you hit the desk again, your mind & messaging apps are clear of those social notifications

Go to a bathroom on the opposite side of the building. Bonus points if it's not on the same floor. It's the best way to get a forced walk. Hey, and you even get to chat with the other departments!

pomodoro technique?

thirty minutes of stretching targeting at people who sit would do wonders as well.

I do two small sessions a day (targeting hamstrings and groin). any basic yoga video would walk you through warming up and hitting these.

In addition to the other comment suggesting yoga for back pain, I might recommend you see a physiotherapist. You want not only stretching but also strengthening and it's difficult to figure this stuff out yourself. In my case, I found out I had no idea how to correctly activate my transversus abdominis, which is a muscle that should be active during all waking hours to support the spine.

Hemingway, on the subject of staying motivated, offered that you should quit writing when you know what happens next.

Work on decomposing work into a bunch of independent steps, and stop when you finish a step. For me it seems to work best when there is one clear course to work on next (easier to retain it when I interrupt myself).

Another trick is drink more fluids. Your bladder will tell you when it’s time to take a break.

Exercise to strengthen the muscles in your core. It will likely help the back pain.

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