I was hoping for something profound and specific for designers/software engineers.
The most helpful advice I've gotten on productivity has come from Merlin Mann of 43Folders (and other projects), and he mostly writes about writing.
Scientists,Mathematicians and artists don't use strategies to get focussed , they just get on with it.
designers and developers are no different than anyone else in terms of focus.
Let me know what other types of focus activities have helped you out. I'll include a chapter or piece on it.
- Scott
P.S. I've been using RescueTime and it's also a good addition in using focus tools
For my own part, this is common sense rather than profundity. I don't have a smart phone, I don't use Twitter, I don't worry about getting my inbox to zero, and I disconnect from the internet when I'm trying to get something done that requires focus (writing, coding, projects, etc). The fewer distractions... the better.
Perhaps I'm just young and impudent, but it bothers me that this might surprise anyone, or that this might be unintuitive. It's the unintuitive stuff that I consider profound.
First of all: Get loose leaf black tea, trying out several varieties to find a baseline one you like. Black tea is the simplest to brew of all the caffeinated tea variants. You'll also want to experiment with water temperature, steeping time (not that long, else you'll get the bitter flavor bits that no one like), and how you go about steeping (i 've found that disposable tea bags that I can fill with loose tea is best for me). I've fine tuned this process for myself to the point that I can make super strong tea that also naturally tastes sweet!
The mistake that many people make with tea vs coffee is that they equate the jitteriness with the caffeine working. In tea, there is also theanine, which moderates the jitters that occur due to caffeine via being a very mild muscle relaxant, and I am lead to believe that theanine has been found to have wholely positive cognitive effects generally.
That being said, coffee or tea are only helpful if you have a caffeine dependency, or you are amidst being tired/groggy to an extent that interferes with work. If your issues with doing work are not those, drink the tea anyways because its tasty, healthy and easier on the stomach/body than equivalent volumes of coffee (also tasty) or sugary(real or fake) energy drinks. and/or go talk with a doctor to figure out why you can't do work.
