I disagree that programming isn't done well in robot mode. Lots of things like test coverage & braindead text editing doesn't require analytical thinking.
Hell, analytical thinking is overrated. Just pick a direction and go!
Hell, analytical thinking is overrated. Just pick a direction and go!
Many programming tasks, refactorings, and documentation writings are shallow work. Much of planning and preparing for deep work is shallow work in programming. Learning how to optimize the deep focus time is really helpful. Grease the gears, prime the pump, etc. etc.
There is wisdom in acknowledging a particular mental state and understanding it, but it is also wise to know how to guide your mind to the state you want when you can best use it based on your schedule and other factors. There is a lot of push and pull here, but discipline in habits will let you control the monkey mind, as the author calls it, in my experience. Though I think of my "me" as a monkey and the rest of it as an elephant to properly put it in scale (thanks Joscha Bach + Lex Fridman). The monkey tries its best to guide the elephant to the right place :)
The attitude that makes much of the foundation of the culture of the technology industry, that constant push of "produce produce produce" makes it hard for web developers to step back from their work and take the time to know themselves and their processes. I often find new students stuck in shallow work mode because they can't stop thinking about the deadline and "get it done" supercedes the ability to "learn it well".
Had something similar during my biweekly management and product meetings today; updates to not-quite-every syslog call where there was a tiny bit of judgement in deciding whether to make the update and a tiny bit of judgement in the making itself (a few vim macros could have sped that last part up a little, but that would almost have been too effortful).
Perfect drudge work I could do with 1/2 to 3/4 of an ear tuned in to what others were saying, not so difficult/deep that I couldn't rouse myself and comment when necessary.