Ask HN: Do you CODE and watch MOVIE at the same time?

2 points·shail··5 comments

I have been trying to do this for last couple of months. There are negatives (such as a bit of lack of attention) and as well positives (I can keep bottom at one place for a little longer).

I was wondering is there anything else you do along with coding? listening music?

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I usually listen to repetitive music (makes it easy to focus) or just play some TV shows I basically already know by heart (The Simpsons) in the background/on another monitor.

This provides something to look at to distract me for a short time (helps me to get ideas popping back into my mind) and just generally provides some background noise.

I have tried listening to the same music approach as well. Its also a very good technique. Though a slight difference I felt was watching movie and coding does not leave me looking for entertainment at the end.

Not movies. But definitely something that does not need your full attention - something that you don't mind tuning in and out of. This would mostly be TV shows - Simpsons, Family Guy, Two and a half men, How I met your mother. Seinfeld was great for this.

depends on the movie - old favorites, can help set the mood (your brain already knows whats going on-screen).. documentaries where you don't have to look at them all the time seem to be good too.

Anything new and action oriented will probably will make you loose your attention track.

Sometimes my brain is musiced-out and I need something else in the background. Some that I know by heart: Star Treks, Real Genius, Tron, War Games, Hackers, True Stories, Koyaanisquatsi, Slackers, Clerks. Working at home the idle/predictable conversion in the background sometimes helps.

Especially if its a movie I've seen before. I've found that _most_ times I'm not much less productive.

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