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Ask HN: How do you focus at work?
Ambient noise generators like mynoise and noisli have been a great help in getting dev and documentation work done amidst noisy workplaces. What about you? Is there anyone out there who doesnt need noise cancellation headphones or ambient noise generators to get focus intensive work done?
- jaysonelliot 8y agoThis sounds like a silly trick, but I literally put a post-it on my monitor with the name of the task I'm currently working on. It's very easy to get distracted by things in my environment and on my screen, and just seeing a sign in my line of vision that says something like "making redlines for mobile screens" helps me re-focus. --------- Edited to add: the task needs to be something specific, not an abstract like "doing UX work." I take advantage of Asana's sub-tasks to try and break down all my work into the most robot-like steps possible. That keeps me focused on the task itself, instead of figuring out what my next step is.
- wool_gather 8y agoIt's not silly at all; it's a good trick. It's one that the Pomodoro technique uses, and at least one piece of productivity software (Vitamin-R) that I know of. Having a clear immediate-term goal is very valuable for getting stuff done. Just defining it is a good start; having it in front of your face can't hurt either.
- pspeter3 8y agoDo you know about Asana focus mode? https://asana.com/guide/help/fundamentals/navigating-asana#gl-full-screen https://asana.com/guide/help/fundamentals/navigating-asana#g...
- baxtr 8y agoThat’s a great hack! It prevents the “doorway effect” that happens often at work https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-walking-through-doorway-makes-you-forget/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-walking-throu...
- hhh 8y agoI listen to a lot of music and try to make myself work at late hours, when nobody else is around. ADHD medication helped me over the years as well, and allows me to function well every day. The best way I've ever been able to explain my thought process is as a branching tree, in which the trunk is the primary focus and the branches are the wandering paths that I think of along the way. Unmedicated I cannot help but only suggest where to think, but when medicated I can choose. Luckily I can make my own hours or else I can't really manage much social interaction without needing to leave.
- acconrad 8y agoCommunicate with your team a physical signal for what is focus time and when you're open to "office hours." The simplest example could be "if I have headphones on" or you can have some sort of trinket on your desk that shows when you're free or when you need to focus. That combined with proper away messaging on Slack/IM, you should be able to get focused chunks of time
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- Adamantcheese 8y agoBy work being more interesting than being bored out of my mind. If the work's boring though, an album or two from my collection; C418's One is pretty great.
- jeffail 8y agoWhen I'm struggling to focus I just walk away from my desk. It doesn't matter where I go or what I do. I spend up to 10 minutes letting myself think about whatever my mind naturally brings to the table. Usually when I return to my desk the distractions I was struggling with no longer bother me.
- Thaxll 8y agoGet a Bose QC 35, it will change your life and also your future flights.
- maerF0x0 8y agoMany have said that noise cancellation does not work for coworkers' voices. Is that your experience or are these for another reason?
- simongray 8y agoIf you listen to music on normal volume while the noise cancellation is on, you can drown out anything.
- loco5niner 8y agoI used to do that, and got tinnitus. Now, I try to keep the volume pretty low
- simongray 8y agoHm that sounds kind of worrying, but maybe we have different definitions of normal volume? I've been using noise cancelling headphones pretty much daily for 3 years and still no tinnitus in sight.
- loco5niner 8y agoI also had some sinus issues that likely contributed. I really did have the headphones on for at least 8 hours a day. Then going home watching TV, not getting enough sleep. I'm guessing it all added up.
- simongray 8y agoSorry to hear that. Hope you're doing better now.
- baq 8y agoHave kids at home.
- captain_perl 8y agoThe OP makes it sound like inability to focus is a normal thing, but it's not. I've never used white noise or headphones to improve focus, and it's rare that co-workers ever use headphones. So maybe investigate whether the problem is you or the office. Or if you really understand what you're being paid to do - I can write documentation and diagrams effortlessly.
- loco5niner 8y ago> The OP makes it sound like inability to focus is a normal thing, but it's not. But it is normal. When there are noises and distractions all around your desk, of course it's hard to focus. It's also normal to be able to drown all those things out, and completely zone it out and focus on work. It's also normal to thrive on activity, getting your best work done in a busy environment. It really depends on the kind of work you are doing, and the kind of person you are. There is a wide spectrum of what is "normal". There is a simple reason that libraries/exam rooms/lecture halls are not full of distraction. People focus better without distraction.
- tombert 8y agoI just don't focus and bounce around everywhere :D But seriously, I try and psychotically keep Jira updated. It probably drives the PM crazy, but it's very satisfying to see your progress grow, and especially satisfying to close a ticket.
- idoh 8y agoKudos for keeping JIRA up to date. As I PM I am fine with that. If devs just kept JIRA a little up to date then it saves me and them the hassle of checking in on the status of things, I can just look it up.
- fanf2 8y agoGoa trance
- chuckdries 8y agonot reading hacker news lol
- misiti3780 8y agoi use self control app and https://www.noisli.com/ https://www.noisli.com/
- codewritinfool 8y agoOzric Tentacles. Psychedelic Space Rock. Maybe two songs with lyrics in 30 years of albums.
- jaysonelliot 8y agoThanks for the suggestion. I've never heard them before, this is great focusing music.
- micky_25 8y agoAt my current work my main distraction is in my peripheral vision as I can see every move made by co-workers either side of me. I'm seriously considering buying sunglasses with side shields or some type of goggle, similar to a race horse. In the spirit of Cato the Elder, Open Offices must be destroyed!
- zwieback 8y agoI have a pair of Julbo sunglasses I use for skiing - those would work great and they stay on your ears even during frenzied hacking sessions.
- lowhangingnuts 8y agoAddy. 5 mg. Every other day. I know this will be down-voted, but I've been having issues focussing at work and completing projects for the last 10 years or so. Visited a Psychiatrist (in Palo Alto). After listening to my situation, she followed it up with a detailed Q & A. She then prescribed 5 mg XR (extended release) of Adderall. Apparently "mild ADHD" is a thing with software engineers in their 30s and up... The difference has been night and day. I'm completely focussed now, in the zone. I've even gotten side-projects that were languishing for many years, done and shipped over 2 weekends! I take it only on days I need to focus and get something done. I also take weekends off and also take 1 week per month completely off. This keeps me from building tolerance.
- bassman9000 8y agoClassical music or alpha waves, with a pair of decent Sennheiser over-the-ear headphones.
- btilly 8y agohttps://musicforprogramming.net/?two https://musicforprogramming.net/?two is something that my wife uses with success.
- theon144 8y agoCan attest to musicforprogramming's effectivity, I literally only remember the first 5 minutes of every mix before I totally zone in.
- gknoy 8y agoThank you for sharing that! I normally queue up a station on Digitally Imported [0], but I do find myself getting distracted if I recognize a song I like, or when the ads come on. I'll give this a shot and see how I like it :) 0: http://www.di.fm/ http://www.di.fm/
- wool_gather 8y agoI've had this on for most of the day now; definitely a good recommendation. Thanks for sharing!
- rwcarlsen 8y agoI try not to read/post on HN.
- takemypills 8y agoAddy. 5 mg. Every other day. I know this will be down-voted, but I've been having issues focussing at work and completing projects for the last 10 years or so. Visited a Psychiatrist (in Palo Alto). After listening to my situation, she followed it up with a detailed Q & A. She then prescribed 5 mg XR (extended release) of Adderall. Apparently "mild ADHD" is a thing with software engineers in their 30s and up... The difference has been night and day. I'm completely focussed now, in the zone. I've even gotten side-projects that were languishing for many years, done and shipped over 2 weekends! I take it only on days I need to focus and get something done. I also take weekends off and also take 1 week per month completely off. This keeps me from building tolerance. Also 5 mg Addy is like the LOWEST dose dispensed, so I feel ok with it.
- 67_45 8y agoDoesn't it leave you shaky? I had similar results but the comedown and the tolerance were deal-breakers. I am completely absent minded but when I take those stimulants it allows me to focus which, I feel, finally puts me on a level playing field with everyone else. It sucks that the drugs have side-effects.
- takemypills 8y ago> Doesn't it leave you shaky The 5 mg IR (Instant Release) did leave my a little shaky, and I also felt 'high' as opposed to feeling focused. I also felt the 'come down' you mention. You should try the Adderall XR (Extended Release). Shire, the company that made the original Adderall IR, sold it's IR forumula and now in many ADD forums, people are complaining about the efficacy, salt concentrations etc. The Adderall IR are now manufactured in India, and the Pharma has standing FDA complains against it w.r.t. Quality Control, salt composition and concentration etc. Shire makes the XR version now. You should try it if your doc can prescribe it for you. My Psychiatrist had me try the IR and then the XR in the lowest possible dose i.e. 5 mg, and it works for me. Like I said, if you do end up on the Addy XR, do take complete breaks every few weeks. This helps with not developing tolerance, and staying with the lowest does, which will, in turn, keep side effects and long term changes (if any) to an acceptable level :)
- 8y ago
- swah 8y agoEvery trick helps, but when you actually get to work and into the flow, the room might be noisy or you might be hungry and you don't even notice. So I try to achieve that state more frequently. Its hard..
- aidos 8y agoMeta: Curious how a dup of this comment is downvoted into oblivion under a different account and this is at the top.
- sctb 8y agoWe detached this comment from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545540 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545540 and marked it off-topic.
- kostarelo 8y ago- Disabled notifications. - I take long walks, frequently. - Cancel noising headphones
- bargl 8y agoPomodoro timer. I work for 25 minutes at a time then take 5 minute breaks. This is more to help me start getting into flow. I know I don't do it right, but I'll start the pomodoro and that's my minimum. If I'm really into what I'm working on I'll see my time is up and commit to an additional work cycle or two. It also helps me track what I'm working on and how long each task takes me. And gives me set breaks in which I get to write comments on HN, like this one :-)
- c2h5oh 8y agoActive noise cancelling headphones. Monitors set up to block rest of the office including peripheral vision. Wall behind my back. Slack notifications and all in browser notifications off.
- Artlav 8y agoAs someone who grew up next to a highway in a place with constantly-on TVs, i don't notice most kinds of noise, so i can't offer any advice on that front. What was a distraction in my case was internet browsing. This got solved by having a dedicated tablet for all sorts of non-essential browsing, and the work computers never having anything but work-related links. You'd think that's not going to matter, but the little bit of friction that created was enough.
- hluska 8y agoI hope that this isn't the culprit for you, but I was having a lot of trouble focusing. I kept finding lifestyle reasons for it (a life of attention issues plus a newborn baby were near the top of the list), but then my health went to hell. Turns out that my blood pressure was through the roof. I fixed that and I can focus again. I genuinely hope that your blood pressure is fine, but seriously, if this is a new thing, it might be a good idea to see a doctor for a checkup. From experience, it's far better to catch blood pressure early than when you end up in a cardiac unit...
- mkempe 8y agoPlaying London Calling, on repeat. Turning the volume up to 9, not 11.
- peelle 8y agoCurrently I get my best work done in a cafe. Usually, without using headphones. There is the usual cafe background noises. I find it hard to work from my small apartment, whether family is around or not, music or no music. I forget the term but I think it has to do with the fact that I use this same room to watch TV, play video games, sleep, and eat meals. My desk and bed are only inches apart.
- b3b0p 8y agoFor me, I have found it hard to focus mostly only when I have another externality in my life on my mind or something outside of work causing stress (mentally). I also like to listen to video game music via rainwave.cc (OCRemix Radio basically), Bandcamp, or (this may be strange) the classic Retronauts podcasts (still available on Archive.org, not the new ones).
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- amorphous 8y agoOh, yes, ambient/white noise has changed my life. I even use white noise for sleeping (via sleep headband), much better than ear plugs
- bartozone 8y agoI found this post on HN (and ensuing comments) maybe the most ironic of all time.
- pmarreck 8y ago1) A bit of Adderall 15mg XR on the days I need it 2) An excellent automatic-time-tracker app, the transparency into your own habits is life-changing: https://www.rescuetime.com/ https://www.rescuetime.com/ 3) NC headphones: Sony WH1000XM2 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B074KDJVS2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B074KDJVS2/ref=oh_aui_se... ORRRR apple's AirPods