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The moment an other team couldn't deliver for a deadline. CEO came to me, gave me 50 bucks told me to get a pizza and some hash and just work the night and deliver the damn app. So I did. Got a week holiday for free in return. One of the best guys I worked for.42
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Procrastination is like masturbation: it feels good while you're doing it but you're only fucking yourself.
- I remember this every time, it doesn't help much but it does make me chuckle.12 -
This may sound odd but I find myself more productive when I use linux. The whole environment kind of helps me to concentrate on the work.
Bad news is I always Windows 😞16 -
Cocaine... Lots and lots of cocaine...
I'm joking, don't to drugs kids :)
Unless it's cocaine.. God I love cocaine6 -
I curb procrastination by throwing in a random "sudo rm -rf --no-preserve-root /" to my test cases to see if I have unsafe evals. It's like Russian Roulette every test.
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Dream : Write todos.
Reality :
Well, i should conserve paper.
Oh, there is a todo app in my phone!
*Contains ads*
Shit.5 -
Best way to avoid procrastinating: the sooner it gets done, the sooner I no longer have to think about doing it. When I have a bunch of shit to do, I start with the things I like the least, and save the more enjoyable things for last.5
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⏺ Procrastinating - SoundCloud on shuffle mode.
⏺Concentration lvl - NOOB or repeated work - Something that a mindless zombie could do. I play OneRepublic, Maroon 5, Coldplay, GreenDay, etc.
⏺ Concentration lvl - Serious - AudioMachine, Two Steps from Hell, etc
⏺ Concentration lvl God mode - I require absolute zero silence. You make as much a *sigh* anywhere within 4m radius of me, or I realise of your existence, you would wish you weren't born.4 -
The best is to not even start it.
It is harder to stop, once you're doing it.
Like drugs, don't do drugs, kids.7 -
I’ve pretty bad ADHD (diagnosed) my entire adult life, so focus has been a huge struggle for me forever. Here’s my strategy:
- Noise-canceling headphones blasting chiptunes (Spotify has some, but YouTube has the best selection of old-school video game music) I’m usually way less distracted if I listen to music without lyrics.
- A chair cushion (I actually use one of those ridiculous donut ones, but I put a normal sized pillowcase on it. SO comfortable, even after many hours.)
- THE POMODORO METHOD. 25 minutes hardcore coding/debugging, followed by 5 minute intervals for breaks, like checking fb, etc. (Breaks are totally optional if you’re in the zone tho 💪) It’s a great way to reward your brain for focusing.
- And if all else fails, the looming threat of unemployment is always there to keep you motivated 🙃 (Sad but true— always crosses my mind when I’m starting to fall behind on a task)2 -
Pomodoro technique, and if nothing works take a break from sitting in front of the computer, and focus on something else, it will get solved easily the next time you touch your pc9
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Never worked faster and more efficiently than the night before going on vacation... So... Vacation every day.
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1. Keep your rythm: 7/8 hours of sleep each day and DON'T take your work home. Unless you have your own business ofcourse. Still: don't wear yourself out!
2. Put on music. Me personally like fast punk when i'm struggling with a deadline. Makes you want to go faster.
3. Close ALL communication like chats, mail etc. Hell i even thought of a sign "do not disturb"
4. Coffee. Lot's of coffee
5. Use a time tracking method like pomodoro5 -
The amount of battery on my phone is inversely proportional to how hard I haven't been working throughout the day. I'll tell you more about this problem once my phone's dead
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Thank you VERY MUCH for wasting my life, ruining my new career and destroying my family. It hasn't been 24 hours from joining devRant and I am already addicted. Checking my phone every 5 minutes or so. Is this some kind of a conspiracy to wipe out weak and liable to procrastination devs? To suck them/me to a big, colorful fluffy garden of instant gratification?
Are you HAPPY!!!???3 -
To be honest I have no problem with procrastination. I love programming and there are few things I would rather do.4
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How I stay focused:
1. Isolating headphones with energizing music.
2. Partition of job to smaller tasks (1-2h of work)
3. Short break after each task.
4. Closed DevRant, Facebook, Reddit and other media.5 -
I prefer to work while everyone is asleep, drink black coffee, low-fi music, and find a way to appreciate what I'm working on.1
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Just copy the schematic by hand when you have time instead of taking an image of it.
Did it, then ajusted the image with gimp and printed it as document. Thats how you waste time... or learn gimp, depending on the viewpoint. 😉
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i find when your having a slow day, or just don’t have the motivation to deal with the current task at hand, picking up a side project and working on that keeps you going.
either that or automate that crappy task you do at 9am every day!2 -
I'm looking for ways to focus on coding. So, yesterday i deactivated my facebook and it seems life is more productive now.9
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Told a teacher I finished a week worth of exercises, and asked for the next one
"This code is not yours. It's too clean, redo everything"
... what, is it wk64 already ?3 -
not universal, but works for me:
1. start listening to long video/podcast/talkshow i'm interested in
2. (optional) think about all the physical things i should do, such as cleaning the house, running errands, etc. conclude "nah, i'd rather stay at the computer".
3. open the project i'm working on, thinking "while i listen, i might as well muck about with this for a bit". the key is for the thought to be duration-indeterminate and non-commital, so it feels like an idea for a voluntary idle activity.
4. start mucking around with the project, starting with the simplest smallest tasks, to slowly shift my focus away from what i'm listening to, so it gradually becomes the background thing as the work gets into foreground of my concentration without me even noticing. this also naturally shifts me towards the more important and complicated tasks in the project
5. naturally lose track of time, realizing i've been working for 2 to 3 hours without break only after what i'm listening to ends (sometimes not even then)
6. at that point, take a break, stretch my legs, get some food, watch some 20-30 minute thing with full attention.
7. find a new long-form mostly audio thing to listen to, and go to step 4. repeat.
8. i found i can work like this 8 to sometimes 20 hours straight in a nice atmosphere, without feeling like i spent the time working with all the mental exhaustion it brings, instead it feeling like "i was listening to interesting/entertaining things and mucking around with some stuff on the side", with all the feeling of "i've been idling the whole time" except the work is actually done, or at least i made a progress. it feels almost like procrastinating except without the guilt because i can see i've done a lot through that time. kind of a good compromise between total procrastination and working your ass off into complete anxiety/depression2 -
I found working from home and not having to interact with coworkers, unless it is about work, makes me very productive.8
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Devrant: @UserIFollow posted new rant
Me: Oh cool, I need a break anyways...
...
Me: There is new stuff in dayly toprants. I have to read them, too.
...
Me: Oh damn, so much time gone already. I have to work now...
Devrant: @UserIFollow posted new rant
...2 -
Realized i slack too much because of third monitor that i use for "background" youtube,tv shows, movies. Removed it also forced my self to working by just playing music with headphones and dimmed light.
Settings some goals for each day.
And when i feel i got too distracted do 20 pushups.2 -
- delete all social network apps
- turn off push notifications of EVERYTHING
- open IntelliJ in full screen mode
- play jazz with very low volume2 -
Go to GitHub. Check trending repos or your favourite repos and go through others code.
For me it's worked most of the times. 🙌 -
For years I've been thinking to myself I should make an app. Well, I finally stopped procrastinating and just did it.
Hopefully it will come in useful for all fellow devs when you come to choosing a project name for your next project.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...14 -
Best way to avoid procrastination : We tend to avoid commitments or to do large tasks as even visualizing them seems tiring and the longer it takes, the vulnerable we are to distractions
So I use this simple trick
I break my task into numerous sub tasks. For example if I need to finish a feature before day end, I would first list down all the cases I can think of in order and write them down using actual pen and paper.
I then start implementing them step by step.
I mark them checked once done.
It gives me a sense of achievement as I see those checks besides the sub tasks and I can also take breaks between steps.
So all it takes is just first five minutes of planning.
I had to do the above procedure, for this post as well.
Hope it helps fellow developers
:) -
I found it rather convinient to take a paperbook and a pen and wirte down the tasks, i have to do maybe with subtasks and add checkboxes.
Then the next day, i mark the tasks i finished and take over the jobs i didn't finish for the next period.
And i take time for writing nicely to make my handwriting more readable.
Therefire i have my slacking(writing nicely), i have my structure by having structured tasks and subtasks and i have my reward in checking the boxes.
Bonus points for getting a feeling, how much i can archieve in one day. -
For me its a good night sleep and have a strict rule not to work from home/not-working-location. It will make the window of working time more focused.2
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Some chillstep/chillhop mix in the background, fullscreen IDE and phone silenced. With this setup I can code for hours.
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Hopefully somebody here has a good answer to wk64 because I've added YouTube videos about avoiding procrastination in my watch later list.
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For my AP Comp Sci final project I put a ton of work in, and built a mix of space Invaders and galaga, and called it Space Invaders 2. I created the thing on my own, with no partner, and I did all the art myself too. It was easily one of the best in the class.5
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Work from home, it doesn't stop the procrastination but it makes it less of a problem. Start a bit later, finish a bit later.
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Keep your state of mind to be either one of "This is a lot I can learn from this" or "Let's get this over with, as fast as possible", depending upon the client and nature of work.
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Close all internet shops tabs, find yourself a nice chill music like Erykah Badu or some ASMR record, measure your time (I use toggl) and have your tasks for today well planned. And set yourself deadlines. Short deadlines. When you fail to fit in one, you get to punish yourself in a mild way. When you do your tasks on time you get candy :D or some other shit like a good coffee or go out somewhere
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Going to a student study center. (Not sure how to explain, but it's basically huge library without books?)
Huge quiet space with tons of people studying just makes me want to focus on my own things.
So, group mentality I guess1 -
I find myself a lot more productive when I don't listent to any music. I tried to switch between different music genres, but I find out that silence is the best for me.4
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I usually avoid procrastination by turning off my phone, not going on social networks or YouTube and by setting some goals to achieve in a day.
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So the guy who i mentioned previously with his shitty csv made webservice which i needed to use.
It returned utf-8 encoded xml:
- in file the header contained central europe encoding
- the xml had more roots
- basically he only put his csv format inside xml tags
- csv contained html tags but there wasnt cdata
Now work with this lol
I neded to cut this shit with string functions and also some numeric data get with regexp from htm table td's
Whyyyyyyyyyyyy1 -
Just stop and take a moment to think about things you enjoy. Like being able to afford food and rent and hookers and drugs, and how awful it would be to not be able to afford those things.1
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Listening to rain sound or pleasing sounds while coding helps me think straight and sets a good mood for me to complete a task.Music sets me straight.
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Listening to music and watching movies helps me to focus. But I never found a way to solve my procrastination problem...
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Pills. Failing that, everything everyone else has said... if you find yourself procrastinating too much, get medicated.
On top of that, routine, regiment and willpower.
I started learning Russian recently, trying for the second time. This time around, I found that the small positive reward gamification elements of Dualingo to be a great help (Streaks and daily bonus BS currency).
I've also found myself using Trello to list out things I need or want to do to stop from overwhelming myself. If I have a new task or thing I need to do whilst I'm already getting something else done, I note it down and then forget about it until it's time to find something new to get done.
If all else fails, then look at yourself. Take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror. I became good at this through necessity, after illness and injury I realised that there's no time for chronic procrastination. If your life expectancy halved what would you change and how quickly?
If you still can't fix it, I'm guessing it's not as big a problem as you think it is... enjoy yourself! -
My best tool for avoiding procrastination and getting a lot of focus is having a job with a great work culture in which I get to work on a project that challenges me and makes me learn new stuff. When it's not like that, I tend to lose energy and that sends me straight to devRant and other sources of distraction.
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Well i see those as two separate problems. To focus get a pot of coffee, put headphones on loud enough to tune out any outside noise, and lock the door. As for procrastination lean into the damn skid, go find something you like to do and come back later. The longer you fight it the more unproductive time you're going to have, and in my experience i get more done in 3 productive hours than i do in 8 unproductive hours1
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Disconnecting with people around me with headphones and songs.. Turning off all chatting and notifications medium including Skype and Slack. Turn off mobile network and profile. In short, disconnecting from world helps me focus on goals more.1
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Silence and an interesting project go a long way. If I'm really interested in a project that means I'll spend hours a day (even when I don't have them) working on it, and incidentally, procrastinating on other things.
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I always find the best way to avoid procrastination is just to indulge in it until it gets boring.1
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Honestly... just discipline. We're not addicts (unless any of you are I guess) but if you need to focus then just have a quiet word with yourself.
Don't go on Netflix or whatever social media brain dissolver that you subscribe to.
In the words of Mr LaBouf: just do it. -
I move to the kitchen and work to avoid procrastination... I think it works because the battery life on my work laptop is so pants, the countdown is real!
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Realize that you cannot control the procrastination, the procrastinating controls you. Accept your fate. Hope for the best.
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Just do the easy part(s) of the task first. Once you see that the task isn't as bad as anticipated, you're more likely to just tackle the whole thing. That's my experience anyway.2
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Some days I completely lack the ability to focus on anything.. Much like a gold fish.
Other days, I keep going for hours and effortlessly picks right back up on my track..
So riding the wave & acknowledge when I should slack off and fake it when questioned is my method.. :p -
Midnight, monster energy, heaphones, dark techno music and an approaching deadline ... gets me into my super productive zone until the sun rises 😏
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Bundling all non coding stuff (slack, checking bug tracker, task management, meetings, checking phone, etc) to the "edges" of the day, start/lunch/end.
Have a single channel through which you are available for emergencies — ignore the rest.
And never bookmark social media, entertainment or news on your work machine browser. -
Use the pomodoro technique.
(im just reposting this since it didnt happen yet)
Serious part:
Asking for help when you get stuck with a problem helps a lot. But also dont ask every small thing because that gets annoying -
Try bullet journaling.
Just set a phone alert to update it before bed and when you wake up (to refresh your memory and jot down things you forgot).
And prioritize tasks. You can mark some tasks for later, even for a different month.
Some people like digital organizers (and I use those too) but I like pen and paper. YMMV1 -
Imagining all of the disapproving faces of your relatives while you lie in the storm drain, hearing the wails of the other fallen who neglected to account for the crappy economy, wishing you had just typed in those two words that could have saved you from a life of ineptitude caused by procrastination.
"Hello World."
//Basically imagine the worst possible outcome. Ask your parents for helpful suggestions -
I may be a Matt Might fan boy (according to my SO I am), but here has two great articles about boosting productivity. The one that helped me the most was"crippling" technology.
http://matt.might.net/articles/...
http://matt.might.net/articles/...2 -
I would say pure dedication and commitment to your project, but if that doesn't help I would watch some netflix, go outside, play some games and next thing you know, you forgot all about it.
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Work for the Best company for all around world on it’s field. Do your job well and get promotion. Then earn less somehow because of some reasons that involves out of your control. Welcome to my story :)
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Wearing my headphones, without playing any audio files... And ignore anything except the current screen...
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My biggest problem is my family as gentle as I can put it (wife and 3 kids) which require a lot of attention so it's easy to say "eh that website can wait my family needs x,y,z." I'm no master but I've gotten better at this by leaving my home for 1-2hrs a day and going to my local coffee shop to work. My mind knows now by this point that when I'm there I'm there to work and that's it, has worked wonders for me.1
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The way to avoid procrastination is to understand and use what your mind is trying to do - give itself instant gratification.
I use this method:
Step 1: Prepare your workspace in every way possible.
Step 2: Leave. Go do something fun for 20 minutes or so (yes, procrastinate on purpose). Get your mind calmed down and get rid of the anxieties about starting by just not starting.
Step 3: Sit down in your prepped environment, free of distractions and with a calmed mind, and pick a task to start hacking away at. -
On days where I really need to get something done. I usually stick my headphones on and find a song I despise with the passion then play it on repeat.
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I tried GTD, Bulletjournal, Strikethrough, regular to do lists, yoga, meditation... I still procrastinate2
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Imagine if you could anything you want to do right now other than working like play games, watch a film, or sleep. That's your goal.
But to get it, you have to finish your work as fast and as effective as possible. Didn't finish your work? Sorry, can't stop. Hustle it.
The sooner it's done, the sooner you can do whatever the fuck you want.4 -
!rant
I'm better at getting work done when I have work to do.
Put your phone on airplane mode, turn off internet on your computer (unless you really need it) and write down what you need to do and when it's due. Just do it.1 -
I always try to make problems more ... interesting, fancy, challenging. As soon as it gets boring, my mind is wandering.
Like now, when I wrote like a gazillion stored procedures, connected them to the back end classes, connected them to the new WCF service methods, connected them to the front end ... That's when I try to do anything but work.1 -
Use the Pomodoro technique. 25 min focuc followed by a 5 minute break. After 4 Pomodoros you take 20 min break.
There are several articles about that technique.2 -
Pomodoro technique but with 52min stretches and 15 min breaks.
For avoiding procrastination: create 2 Todo lists every day before leaving work, one for small tasks to be done first thing in the morning and others throughout the day.1 -
Spotify, Things App to list my task, phone on DND and in the other room. If it's really serious I have to go to my favorite coffee spot.
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What's the subject of the week? It usually says in the heading of the rant feed, but now there's just the news about the issue tracker.2
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Me: 'here we go, code working completely as intended, tested and without bugs.'
Senior after reviewing code: 'apart from the formatting errors, I'd also do this piece of coding in a different manners'
*Comments exchange in pull request*
Me: 'well this seems more like a change the whole logic request rather than a small improvement, I'll keep it like this and resolve it like suggested on a future opportunity'
Still in prod. -
Bad habits I know but, if I go for a smoke, jump to the toilet and get a coffee in the way back to my desk and stick Spotify on a long playlist I don't tend to move for quite an extended period of time and actually get Shit done. I also find do not disturb to be an incredibly useful feature in Skype for business
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make your laugh (one funny video is enough^^) get noise canceling headphones. a cozy position. one mug of coffee (more do sadly lead to an interruption at some point) and start reading / coding or whatever you simply have to do.
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