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Productivity

I am fascinated by productivity and always look for ways to increase my productivity. As I am only one person, I must maximize the amount of work I can do to the greatest extent possible.

One of the most important things you can do to maximize your productivity is to understand how you learn most efficiently, and from then on, make sure to put yourself in an excellent opportunity to learn.

Learning is best when you can continuously bounce ideas back and forth with peers or tutors. My greatest learning moments have been in such situations.

Focus​

Much has been talked about deep focus and the flow state that makes time pass away, and you are very productive. Sometimes, the flow state can be overrated as you are in the learning phase, where you know a lot of the things you are working on and, therefore, can be more efficient. I think getting a grasp of unfamiliar concepts is incompatible with a state of flow.

Flow​

Definition:​

Flow is a state of complete absorption in an activity, where an individual is so engrossed in the task at hand that they lose track of time and their surroundings. During this state, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and total involvement with life.

Conditions for Flow:​
  • Challenge-Skill Balance: One of the primary triggers for a flow state is the right balance between the task's challenge and the performer's skill. If the task is too easy, it can lead to boredom; if it's too hard, it can lead to anxiety.
  • Clear Goals: The activity has clear goals and objectives.
  • Immediate Feedback: The person receives immediate feedback about their performance, allowing for adjustments and improvements.
Characteristics of the Flow Experience:​
  • Concentration: A high level of concentration on a limited field of attention.
  • Loss of Self-Consciousness: A loss of reflective self-awareness.
  • Transformation of Time: One's subjective experience of time is altered; hours might seem like minutes.
  • Sense of Control: Feeling control over one's actions and environment.
  • Merging of Action and Awareness: One's actions and awareness merge, making the activity automatic.
  • Intrinsic Motivation: The activity becomes intrinsically rewarding, meaning the experience is the primary reward.
  • Loss of Awareness of Physical Needs: Reduced awareness of bodily needs like hunger or fatigue.
Applications:​

Understanding flow has numerous applications, especially in enhancing the quality of life, improving performance in various fields (from sports to arts to work), and in educational settings to make learning more engaging.

Barriers to Flow:​

Distractions, lack of clear goals, insufficient challenge, and lack of immediate feedback can prevent one from entering the flow state.

Links

Thoughts

  • I liked the book Deep Work by Cal Newport on deep work. See the Lex Fridman podcast (Spotify)with him as well for a more condensed version.
  • Never accept a position or role where you do not have the opportunity to discuss with peers or experts.
  • Learning how to touch type is one of the most efficient ways of increasing your productivity. Writing fast reduces the feedback loop time. Also, it makes it much easier to follow along with your code.
  • Sometimes, you should accept that you won't get anything done and be willing to be okay with this. You are not a robot, and even robots get worn down. Take the time to reflect on how far you have come and look forward to getting back at it.
  • Understand that productivity is about gradual improvements; you will never be able to have a tool that increases your productivity drastically without effort. Tools such as LLM support (ChatGPT) are fantastic, but they took some time to exploit fully.
  • Never give up on a tool; remember to come back to it sometimes and work on it.
  • The best productivity app on your phone is already installed, called the OFF button.
  • If you measure everything by productivity, you have already lost at the beginning. - mbeex on Hacker News
  • If it can be done before the date, it is a task, not an event.