Ask HN: Do you have trouble staying productive with all the online distractions? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Do you have trouble staying productive with all the online distractions?

21 pointsdoitorscrewit15 comments

Do you guys have any problems staying productive with all the distractions available online (social media, googling stuff, etc.)? What are your distractions? How do you deal with them or how did you try? Did you use any productivity tools, time trackers etc.?

Some of my distractions: - Watching non work related videos on Youtube - Googling stuff that I randomly think of - Listening to podcasts or consuming blogs and educational material too much and too often instead of actually working on my projects - Reading news and newsletters I am subscribed to over email - Checking Hacker News and Indie Hackers

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No, I keep two completely separate laptops... one for work, one for personal. On the work laptop, I do not do a single task that is not work-related. When I want a break, I switch to the personal laptop. It does take some discipline, but after a while it becomes second nature. You end up in a place where there are no distractions, only deliberate choices to either work or play.

I do this as well.

Having two distinct physical devices makes it much easier to avoid distractions. I have never accessed Hackernews, YouTube, etc on my work machine and never will.

Not as much as I used to:

Just some context. I went to uni before MySpace and Facebook. And I studied hard sciences, which required hours and hours of intense focus. I loved that. A couple of years ago it hit me I very rarely get to that level of focus. Only when I work on projects I'm really invested in. Even then, there's a struggle. I used to abide in a state of deep stimulation, and now I don't.

This realization sucked bigtime. Therefore:

1. I left Facebook (not deleted my profile, just let my network know I'm not there anymore)

2. After experimenting a while with Twitter decided it's almost the definition of a waste of time, so cut that.

3. No way Jose am I signing up to new social networks. No Instagram/Snap/TikTok/Whatever new bullshit comes round the corner.

4. Zero intention of dipping into Slack. Yes, there must be good useful discussions there, like anywhere, but that's how it sucks you in. You spend 90% of the time on crap for these few golden nuggets, and usually these nuggets are not even that golden because you don't go away and actually take action on them, because scrolling is so much easier than actual doing.

5. My only social media activity is LinkedIn, and I try to limit that as well. (I read here, and when a topic that matters to me comes up I might respond, but I don't get sucked into it).

6. Videos and Podcasts - I have to say, these really test my patience. I'm a fast reader, and I can't help thinking - I could have digested this so much faster if you'd just transcribed it.

Reading the Verge's "The Interface" newsletter really helped with all of this [1].

I think part of that has to do with age; not that I'm old, but I've been an adult throughout the onslaught of ALL types of social media, and I'm tired and bored with it.

I do Google for learning. I do read around. But on the whole, that's not a big time waster.

[1] https://www.getrevue.co/profile/caseynewton

I do work crazy hours, so sometimes i let myself get distracted for 30 minutes or so, just to relax.

Having said that, while working I don't have much trouble with social media/googling stuff, since I'm logged off everything while working (except youtube :D).

What's really getting me distracted are sometimes the insane compilation times - every small code modification, and sometimes I need to wait another 45 seconds. Sometimes this just doesn't let me get in "flow" mode - but it is what it is. Apparently, for a good while, there's nothing for me to do (I hope MS will improve on those compilation times, but that will probably happen 8+ months from now)

As for email - I'm only subscribed to one thing (codeproject).

I stopped checking Indie Hackers long time ago - seems good info is really hard to find, just procrastination there.

I used to, what I am currently doing is having a physical notepad next to me and when my mind comes up with something interesting or something to remember i write it down. At the end of the work day I scan the paper with my phone and then process the items GTD style.

- I turn off all the push notifications from my phone

- I don't access non work related websites apart from youtube to play some songs or spotify

And that's it really... when I need a break I go outside for a coffee and a walk with team members.

Looking back I used to get "very distracted" at work when I wasn't very into what I was working, luckily that hasn't happen in a noticeable way for the past couple of years as I am very excited about the industry / work.

I keep tabs open for later if they are not immediately needed for work, or I move them to my reading/watching list in Trello. No social media really. My biggest distraction is HN; a long running test or a few minutes until my next meeting will usually have me skimming here. Worse is when I can't sleep, like right now. Instead of sitting with my eyes closed since 2am, I'm casually reading comments that don't actually enrich my life.

I can understand setting aside time to not get on HN or twitter, but how does a developer keep up without these? As in, work on a needed library for weeks only to find out later that there's a good open source one that meets your needs? Or just be alerted to alternatives to investigate, like PyTorch vs. TensorFlow?

For sure. more so at home than I do at work, but I have a really bad problem with laziness that I cant seem to beat.

The only time I seem to be able to pull myself together is when there is situation where there will be severe consequences if I dont do something immediately, at which point I can complete weeks worth of tasks in a day

Yes. The more things "I have to check" serves as believable mind-delusion until I drain that pool.

Also people / noise / visual distraction is way up there in terms of trivial-type distraction.

Sleep, exercise, socialize, meditate, and spend time in nature. When I have a good balance and routine with these things the procrastination and self-distraction ceases or at least becomes a non-factor.

I don't have much trouble when there is interesting coding work to be done. When noodling with Jira is the task at hand, then it becomes a problem.

I've previously found myself subverting tools to limit distractions, but have had success by placing focus on interesting problems.

1) Using a tool like SelfControl or ColdTurkey to block distracting websites.

2) Taking care of my body with sleep, exercise, food.

3) Taking good care of my brain by the above alongside regularly seeing friends, doing folk dance, meditation, and taking my ADHD medication.

4) Making it clear what I should be focusing on by deeply understanding the "why" of the project, knowing how to recognize progress, and using TDD to get into a good loop between exploratory and focused thinking.

> time trackers

I don't particularly recommend this if you want to use it as a form of accountability. As Jocko Wilink[1] says, accountability is a crutch--a temporary stopgap to detect and then fix a larger problem of self-leadership. Instead, you should strive to build discipline. But first you need to understand what discipline is not.

Discipline is not punishment.

Discipline is not shame.

Discipline is not external.

Discipline is self-care.

Discipline is the mental garden that you terrace and irrigate and weed and nurture in order to help your goals grow out from your impulses -- no matter what precipitates. That garden takes real regular work and sweat and re-work to build. Yet, it is not harsh. Every push-up and every pomodoro expresses the kindness and care you have for your future self.

So that means you need to first:

- Know yourself: What are the natural inclinations of your brain? What are your values?

(Warning: This can be scary if you realize you've been pursuing a goal that is totally disconnected from your values.)

You sound like a person with curiosity impulses. Channel those. Discover your other impulses.

- Know your goal: Why are you striving for it? How would you recognize the signs of success?

And then you need to:

- Build your environment: Remove barriers. Remove distractions. Improve your tools.

- Build your relationships: Communicate to ask "why?" and get the right resources. Communicate to get incremental feedback.

- Build your mind: Adopt mantras to remind yourself of the simple things that are hard to hold on to. Imagine clear pictures which help you feel the links from your values to your goal, from the goal to the signs of progress. Link the steps of progress to your impulses so they can drive you forward to take them.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZe67lXVzgE&t=1s

When I start working, I turn WiFi off.

It is good for an hour or so.

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