Be smarter at work, slack off | Hacker News Reader

Be smarter at work, slack off

money.cnn.com

11 pointsprakash14 comments

"The "time cost" of refocusing your attention may be only a few seconds with each switch, but the researchers found that, over time, it reduced people's total efficiency by 20% to 40%."

So true. The average RescueTime user visits 40 different web domains (note: not PAGES-- domains!) and uses 15 different installable apps-- per day. Another tidbit-- the average RescueTime users alt-tabs to an IM window 70 times per day. Email is around 30. Toss in cell phones, meetings, coffee breaks, and (ahem) Hacker News, and it looks pretty grim.

I love rescue time :-). It's interesting to know the kind of meta info and intelligence you can gather and build recommendation systems or dating sites with it ;-)

How many of those 40 domains is ad networks?

Second when are you guys going to make a linux version? It would be cool knowing what I spend my time doing.

Almost none are ad networks! We don't track domains of embedded stuff-- only the URL that's in your address bar. So ad networks would only theoretically show up with pop-up/pop-under windows. Which are the devil.

Linux version is open-sourced and active-- and ready for action!. I've heard good things: https://launchpad.net/rescuetime-linux-uploader

'"The physiological effects of tiredness are well-known. You can turn a smart person into an idiot just by overworking him," notes Peter Capelli, a professor of management at Wharton.'

I've definitely felt this. I tried to explain it to my boos once. 'My brain feels dead, sir. I can't code any more. I need a break'.

That wasn't received so well, but I got out of there.

I guess its time to leave, the moment you start calling them "Sir" :-)

Don't tell anybody this, but I always take a 15 minute nap in our break room after lunch everyday at work. It really helps me get back to focus for the rest of the day when I'm coding.

Start telling people; maybe things will change.

Maybe the fact that you feel like you have to keep this a secret is a clue that you're not at the right place.

Well I like where I work, but the only problem is that the old people don't believe in naps. They prefer the 9-5 mundane corporate environment despite the fact that we're a startup.

Ev Williams talks about how this book (Tom Demarco's _Slack_) sets the tone for his companies. And it was on his recommendation that I read it.

Ironically, he mentioned that his experience at Google did NOT typify the mentality of leaving space to maneuver. My experience there corroborates.

Tom DeMarco's books are awesome. Slack really opened my mind, instead of optimizing every waking hour, I used a "structured procrastination" approach in getting things done.

Structured procrastination?

Is that where you give yourself x minutes to surf the web or whatever, but when the timer goes off, you go back to work, or is it something else?

http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/

(using your tendency to procrastinate to work for you)

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