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How Do You Get Work Done?
canuck asks: "I am currently a university student and have a major problem: being able to simply sit down and get work done. I can set aside a day to work, whether it is homework or contract work, and I will be lucky to have an hour done before dinner time. The only time I can actually get solid work done seems to be after midnight under a lot of pressure (ie. a deadline the next day). This has led to too many 5 a.m. nights and turning down too many invitations to go out only to stay in and accomplish nothing. I have stopped playing games, stopped watching TV, tried reading the Seven Habits book, and am currently seeing what classical music does for me. I don't think I have ADHD, and I am not sure what else to try. If it is computer work, the web is always a click away, and I can always escape to my imagination. I know many of you will have had the same problem. Can anyone please give advice on how to overcome this problem, be it a little trick, medication, or anything else?"
At the very least you should visit a professional therapist and have them give you a psychiatric evaluation. He/she can diagnose your problem--maybe you're just a really bad procrastinator--and perhaps prescribe some medication, if necessary.
Read this for more information about A.D.D. : ADD Foundation
And go buy this book, if you're interested: Driven to Distraction
Homestarrunner.net -- It's Dot Com!
It turns out I was depressed. I used to just aimlessly drag boxes across my desktop, lost in my imagination. Maybe not getting work done is just a symptom of a bigger problem. Just a though.
ender-iii
Exercise is an excellent suggestion, and I find it keeps me on an even keel. I walk 24 miles a week.
But what really motivates me are what-if scenarios about if I lose my job, my house, my wife, my family. I can't relax and forget how horrible it would be to lose what I have worked so hard to get.
You can try two things at the same time: Diet and self-hypnosis.
With diet, eliminate sugar & caffeine. Add lots of vegetables. Supplement with fish oils which are like a brain boost. Once I changed my diet around I started thinking clearer and my concentration improved.
With self-hypnosis (either by yourself or with a trained professional) you can train yourself to increase concentration and, more importantly, block out distractions, including distractions from your own mind.
In the end, the most likely cause of your procrastination is because you don't want to be doing what you must do. If you can find a way to better enjoy the work you've been assigned, then you'll find that you can sit down and work on it with ease.
If all else fails (and it shouldn't, as you're the one in control) unplug your network connection, and get someone to check up on you every hour to make sure you're not just sitting there sharpening your pencils or something.
You may be overwhelmed by the size of the task ahead of you. One way to help is to set a series of intermediate goals. So you say, "within the next hour I will have the data structures defined" or "by 9 pm I will have coded up the main input routine."
Then you can promise yourself that once that is done, you will give yourself X amount of time to goof off, surf the web, ask questions on slashdot, etc. Then it's back to the next goal. Or you can say that if you finish the goal early, then you will allow yourself to play for the unused time...if you fool around too much in the middle, you won't get the free time allowance.
This gives you a sense of accomplishment as you realize you have done *something* and you don't spend mental time stressing over your lack of results so far. Don't worry too much about trying to balance each goal to be the same amount of time, etc. just make it something that shows good forward progress.
Now of course setting goals takes time, so it will cost you some time to do this...but the overall result should be more productivity given the work habits you describe. The shorter the time period for the each goal (i.e. is it half a day's work or 15 minutes' work) then the lower your "work to planning" ratio is, but for some things you may really need to do some microplanning to get going.
You also should try to identify what part of the work you find the hardest to get done. For example when I am writing code I find actually typing in the code the first time to be the hardest part...I can design the algorithm/etc OK, and then once I have the first version typed in I can get it compiling no problem, then debugging is a cool mental challenge. But the part where I just type in all the variable declarations and for loops and whatnot is the hardest to avoid procrastinating during.
So if you can figure that out, then you can focus on getting over that hump (set goals of the shortest duration during that time).
- adam
'Code' can be a plural. Therefore, the sentence was correct.
Marxist evolution is just N generations away!
Okay, I'm sure that will get posted a hundred times, but here are some other ideas:
At least those are some of my ideas. Also, finding some way or time to calm down and reflect on life helps to. This can be when you exercise, or do your journal, or go to church (if you're into that sort of thing). Point it, every now and then you'll need to stop and remember why it is you want to be productive.
While you will probably get a lot of trolls responding to this, a good work ethic is important and not easily gained. It's something a lot of us could use improvement on.
Who said Freedom was Fair?
Yes, seriously. My answer is "don't read this". You're asking how to stop wasting time on the internet, but you ask the question on the one site that probably wastes more geek time than anything else.
This answer is probably five or six pages down the list of replies, so if you're reading this answer, you've already wasted way too much time here.
(Spudley Strikes Again!)
I would recommend pyDance or Stepmania for exercise in a fun, hasslefree and open source flavor.
You just need a dance mat and a PSX2PC adapter to start. You can do it at home, you can start on a slow and easy level and get better while seeing the success in your scores and a half hour can easily get your shirt soaked with sweat.
Jan
That's all.
Unplug your network cable, move to a place with no IP connectivity, put on some music, and get concentrating.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
The LD-50 is 10 grams:
And like the poster before me said, that would be 100oz.
Going to the gym can be both good and bad. Personally I go three times a week with at least one friend. The bad thing is that we usually go around 6 PM since it's hard to find a time suitable for everyone. Going at 6 PM is bad because when you get home it's 8 PM or 9 PM so you don't go to bed immediately but you're too exhausted to work or study efficiently - so the time before going to bed is simply wasted. Ideally I'd either go so early in the morning that you're still "waking up" afterwards and feel good working the rest of the day. Another alternative would be to go so late that you can go to sleep almost immediately afterwards (which would be good for your muscles too). The good thing about going to the gym is that you feel and look better. And if you go with some friends you get another advantage - competition! Not die hard competition of course but mutually beneficial for all of you. In my experience, even though I'm the one lifting the least on the bench, I'm motivated if I can make proportionally more progress than the others and in addition to that if I feel lazy I still go because I know that if I don't the others will make more progress than me. And in addition to the small competitive element, going with a few friends makes it part of your weekly/daily routine.
Karma. Moderation. Is my
I do know that a certain brand of soap always makes me think of Morrowind, because its fragrance is really strong and was always on my hands during the weeks I was playing that game.
10 x 100mg = 1g
100 x 100mg = 10g
Did you know you can fertilize your lawn with used motor oil?
I think this is a very common problem - I know I suffer from it at work quite frequently. I can't promise to give you a perfect response, but here are some random thoughts related to the topic...
:)
:)
:)
1) If you just can't get around to doing something, it maybe simply because it's an insanely boring task. We all have to do them for sure, but it can be difficult. First idea (and this isn't a joke) - can you get someone else to do it? If you're at work - delegate, swap tasks, do a deal, whatever. What's boring to you might be just what someone else would like to spend an afternoon doing. If you really have to do it yourself, I simply make a deal with myself - no ps2/tv/web/pron/insert fave poison here until it's done. I have some self control so that usually does it
2) Sleep. I tend not to sleep enough mainly due to having too many more fun things to do. I find my concentration wanders a lot more when I'm tired. A few good nights sleep can help my concentration at work (even with things I hate doing) a hell of a lot.
3) Give your mind a break. Rather than do something else on the sly and feel guilty - allocate some time and go and do something else on purpose. If you've got a long piece of work break it up in advance and allocate fun time during the day. I find my focus is better when I sit back down at something after maybe 30 mins off.
4) Music. Classical might work for you - certainly not for me. Where I work speakers are banned but headphones are fine. I've loaded my PC up with a big selection of tunes for different moods - the key for me is choosing the right tune. For full-on 110% rush coding nothing beats full-on (extremely loud) dance music. I'm a DJ so I've done a bunch of mixes which fit the bill. I find that when my head starts nodding and my feet start tapping, my fingers can't help but keep up
I dunno - maybe some of that will help someone
---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"
I used to be a university professor -- you might (or might not) be surprised to hear that I had the same problem as my students. If you think it's discouraging looking at a blank screen when you have to write a 10-page paper, imagine staring at a pile of several hundred ungraded exams or essays.
I recommend that you buy a cheap, digital kitchen timer, then set very simple goals. If you don't feel like working, set the timer for just ten minutes and then work (no Web or anything else) straight until it stops. Goof around for a while, then do another ten-minute stretch. When ten minutes gets too easy, bump it up to fifteen, thirty, or whatever, but *never* make it so long that you cannot get through without being distracted. It's OK to keep working after the timer runs out, but it's never OK to do anything else while it's running.
The other advice on this list is also excellent -- exercise always helps me work -- but the kitchen timer gives you a fallback when all else fails. Best of luck.
I guess schizophrenia is just a matter of self discipline as well? or altzheimers?
I agree sometimes ADD is self discipline related, but not in all cases.
Your attitude of blaming them for being weak or whatever is typical.
Several drugs, in double blind studies, have dramatically increased how well and the duration people can perform concentration type tasks.
How do you explain that?
Everything in our brians is checmicals: emotions, perceptions, feelings etc. To think that concentration, ann obviously physical activity chemically speaking, cannot be affected by the rate at which chemicals are produced by our bodies is just willfully ignorant.
Good for you if you dont have it, I am glad you don't, but for once stop making simplistic judements about other people when you obviously have no idea what you are talking about.
I dont have it either, and like I said, sometimes it is probably just a matter of self (or parental) discipline but I am at least open to the idea that some folks probably have a chemical variance that affects it.
I believe the same thing about weigh gain, some folks just process suger differently and some people over eat for emotional reasons, but it doesnt mean _all_ overweight people are that way for any single reason.
My advice to this gentleman is to see about trying non medicial solutions and practices that might help first. Meditation, mental self programming are both good to try and learn about, even if you end up also needing medication.
There are groups and books about good things that ADD folks can do to help, I am sure many of those techniques probably would help many non ADD folks as well.
Wax on, wax off baby!
(Another AC for the same reasons.)
I'm an ADD type, and the drugs make a difference -- but they're not a panacea. Rather, they help me endure the minor distractions and discontinuities in focussing on a project and getting it done. I was reminded of this yesterday when I forgot to take my meds first thing and my wife and I went to Home Depot to buy some items. Man, the irritations of trying to negotiate around people in the aisles and track down specific items in that warehouse-sized store seriously tempted me into an act or two of physical violence; but since I knew it was the ADD talking, I kept my cool, made the purchases, and took my drugs first thing when I got home.
On the other hand, the drugs didn't immediately make me as organized as Felix Unger. (Google for ``Odd Couple" if you don't remember the name.) Not only am I learning how to get myself organized, I am also UNlearning decades of bad habits.
If the problem is with your brain chemistry, there is no one solution. You're going to have develop a whole tool box of solutions.
IANAD either, but I find that caffine helps me in moderation. Moderation being what most /.'ers probably call insanely low levels ;-)
I drink 1-2 cups of green tea a day. This gives me a small level of caffine on a daily basis. If I miss a day or two, no problem, but if I miss a month or two, I start to see how my schedule slips.... I also try to get 8 hrs of sleep a night, etc.
Bear in mind, I do have ADD (official diagnosis), so your milage may vary.
I think too many people use Caffine as a way of staying awake when they should be sleeping. This is a big problem. Excersize also helps, but the caffine helps me too.
My general advice is:
1: Try to live a healthy lifestyle-- eat well, sleep well, excersize.
2: Small ammounts of caffine within this framework are not a problem but don't use it to abuse your body.
3: Experiment with avoiding things like tobacco, alcohol, caffine etc. and see how your body responds.
LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
I find that I worry about the work that I have to do, the thoughts bounce around in my head as soon as I get home, and I think about how I am going to do the work. Of course the work never gets done.
What works for me is being away from the computer, sitting in a room and just starting the job.
Start no matter what, don't plan it just start. You then find that it isn't as bad as you thought it was. (unless you procrastinated and its 12am with the paper due at 9am) The main thing is to stop analyzing and get to work, don't think you have a problem, few of us really have problems, the rest are just created by people who believe they have them.
I agree with the parent post about caffene is bad. I had the same prob as you and kept trying to be more alert/motiviated with caffene, it turned out to make me feel vacant and not as sharp, and then get headaches which totally killed my thinking.
:)
caffene is bad, just stop it now.
Other things to try is the ADHD drugs. cylert was super effective for me, but I only tried for a year when classes were hard and non-interesting. I used to be easily distracted, but while taking that medication, I could sit down, do the work, and finish. One task after another. It was nice. I have mild ADHD though, even ADHD varies between people so your milage may vary.
music - http://www.subatomicglue.com
I agree... I was going through a tin of penguins a week, along wiht coffee, dew, etc. Then I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux Disease, and one of the prohibitted foods to keep it in check was caffine. I've completely given up caffine aside from the (very) occasional after-dinner Espresso or the emergency Pepsi while driving, pulling an un-planned for all-nighter at work, etc. Probably no more than 30 caffine containing drinks in a year.
While it took a while (couple weeks) to get used to, and a lot of self control, it has made me much more energetic, I think largely because now things like enforcing a normal sleep pattern, exercise, etc. are much more important.
Also, my stomach is a heck of a lot happier (although the Nexium (wonder drug!) has a lot to do with that).
_sig_ is away
But I found the articles here http://www.dexterity.com/articles/ of great use, and they are written by a fello techy.
It's simple -- check the DSM IV. The DSM-IV is the fouth edition of the criteria professional psychologists use to diagnose mental disorders. It is essentially the bible of psychology. And according to the DSM-IV, ADHD does exist. The DSM-IV definition is apparently:
Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
* Persisting for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and immature, the patient has either inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity (or both) as shown by:
Inattention. At least 6 of the following often apply:
-Fails to pay close attention to details or makes careless errors in schoolwork, work or other activities
-Has trouble keeping attention on tasks or play
-Doesn't appear to listen when being told something
-Neither follows through on instructions nor completes chores, schoolwork, or jobs (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand)
-Has trouble organizing activities and tasks
-Dislikes or avoids tasks that involve sustained mental effort (homework, schoolwork)
Loses materials needed for activities (assignments, books, pencils, tools, toys)
Easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
Forgetful
Hyperactivity-Impulsivity. At least 6 of the following often apply:
HYPERACTIVITY
-Squirms in seat or fidgets
-Inappropriately leaves seat
-Inappropriately runs or climbs (in adolescents or adults, the may be only a subjective feeling of restlessness)
-Has trouble quietly playing or engaging in leisure activity
-Appears driven or "on the go"
-Talks excessively
IMPULSIVITY
-Answers questions before they have been completely asked
-Has trouble or awaiting turn
-Interrupts or intrudes on others
* Begins before age 7.
* Symptoms must be present in at least 2 types of situations, such as school, work, home.
* The disorder impairs school, social or occupational functioning.
* The symptoms do not occur solely during a Pervasive Developmental Disorder or any psychotic disorder including Schizophrenia.
* The symptoms are not explained better by a Mood, Anxiety, Dissociative or Personality Disorder.
Code Number is based on the symptoms during the past 6 months:
314.00 Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type. The patient has recently met the criteria for inattention but not for hyperactivity-impulsivity.
314.01 Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type. The patient has recently met the criteria for hyperactivity-impulsivity but not for inattention.
314.01 Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Type. The patient has recently met the criteria for both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. (Most ADHD children have symptoms of the Combined Type.)
Specify "In Partial Remission" for patients (especially adults or adolescents) whose current symptoms do not fulfill the criteria.
Tea is a stimulant, just as coffee is. It generally has less caffeine than coffee, but it also has theophylline which is another stimulant. Some beverages also have theobromine, which is also in chocolate, as another stimulant. There also seems to be a growing number of fruit flavored beverages with added stimulants of a wide variety, for example guarana, which are on the market.
No caffein, no alcohol, no eating while working, no non doctor ordered drugs, don't skip sleep exersize showering or any class.
Find a study partner.
Pray or meditate daily.
Seriously consider dropping out of college until you are properly motivated.
Visit a homeless shelter to see where all play and no work leads - i.e. provide yourself with some motivational shock therapy.
I'd recommend getting a copy of Mel Levine's "The Myth of Laziness" and/or "A Mind at a Time" and reading them for suggestions.
;). It looks at neurodevelopmental profiles in terms of attention control, memory, language, spatial and sequential ordering, motor systems, higher thinking systems, and social thinking systems. Each of these systems has several subsystems. For example, memory has short term memory (how many numbers can I remember), active working memory (how deep is my task stack), and long term memory (how much C++ or Perl syntax can I remember). Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses in all these areas. It's not unusual to find a person performing well overall who has a few specific stumbling blocks. The important thing is to identify which areas are weak and work on those areas instead of saying things like "if only he'd apply himself".
"The Myth of Laziness" is specifically about "output failure", the situation where someone learns much better than they produce. It analyzes 8 different contributors to output failure: language dysfunction, impoverished ideation, ineffective motor output, insufficient memory, weak production control, insatiability and/or social distractibility, low mental energy, and disorganization. Everyone has a different profile in these areas. It's important to identify the bottlenecks for a given individual and work out coping strategies that deal with the specific problem.
"A Mind at a Time" is more oriented towards K-12 education (although a lot of it applies to the adults I work with
My wife introduced me to these books. She works in special ed at a junior high school. When she was reading them, the cases from the books kept bringing back specific kids and situations from the previous school year. I work at an engineering company, and the descriptions of attention and social disorders ring a lot of bells. We're all dealt a mixed hand. The key is to recognize and exploit our strengths and to find ways to cope with our weaknesses.
Good luck
...on account of the processors not being able to get all of the hexane [3rd par] back out again [2nd par].
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
Steve Pavlina has some great articles about this issue.
E.g. You have to train. Sit down and work for 30 minutes keeping in mind that you will have a reward afterwards. Reward can be anything you like - watching a movie, having a dinner, playing a game.
I tried it myself. The result is that after some time you don't have to force yourself to sit down and start working. Your mind doesn't feel big pain to work because it knows that something pleasant is waiting afterwards.
BUT, NEVER DO IT OTHER DIRECTION. If you say "now I play a game and afterwards I will start to work really hard" - you are dead. Your mind will feel the pain if you finish a game and it will resist.
Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. Henry Ford
The obvious answers of course are exercise and turning off your fucking computer or at least getting off the Net and not coming to Slashdot. Rewarding yourself etc is great. BUT in college unless you are a CS major (are you?) you don't need a computer that much.
It is much more important to get the information into your brain and integrated than to get it into your computer. And, there are very few (any?) computer-based tools which will make your life easier now. Seriously. I can say this because I powered down 25 kanji a day for 9 weeks in my off time at Middlebury college one summer and it was just pencil, paper, and a 1 cm window I tore with my fingernail. People's brains just don't need computers except to manipulate big information complexes. You don't have that problem now. Also I remember (maybe I'm just wierd) that I could usually remember what part of a page an illustration or quote was on (a biology textbook), and in that summer of learning Japanese my head got so meshed with one book (Nelson's kanji dictionary, awesome) that I would be able to somehow turn to exactly the right section I needed the first time my thumb hit the edge of the book. Try being creative. At least it will be interesting, will save your eyes, and will make sure you are only looking at things you need for your work.
I will tell you that I had a wonderful time looking for quiet places to study. I found the beautiful law school library (at Cornell), carrels (little desks) deep in library stacks, the President's library, the ABC cafe, and other quiet areas successfully.
But here is some advice that might help you even after you've gone through everything else. I once spent a few days of a summer internship with a customer who happened to be a Billionaire with a capital B. I have to tell you, it made a big impression. Just being in close proximity to someone and understanding how they think makes you sharper. In your case, find a friend who is really good at studying and ask if they can show you where to study. Or find someone in the same shoes as you are and make a deal to beat each other up to get your work done.
Anyway if anything else I recommend trying to turn off the computer and using paper and pencil/pen and other paper-based technology. Sometimes I know you just feel too energetic or too zoned out to do anything. Those times I recommend doing exercise and working up a sweat. Your body metabolism will get charged and after you cool down your brain chemistry or whatever it is will probably be more crystal clear. Or, go for a walk by yourself in the evening with your books, find somewhere you don't know, sit down and just start working. If you post more about what your work is people might have more answers for you but the best answer I think is to remove all the barriers to learning you have, including low energy/blood sugar levels, distractions, visual input, muscular aches, and so on. Oh yeah, you can also go do your laundry at a laundromat.
I don't think the problem here is lack of energy, but rather procrastination.
You can view procrastination as a problem, or as a difference in work style. In college, I used to write almost all my papers in the wee hours before the deadline--before that point, I couldn't get much done. But it wasn't about not enjoying the work (I did, sorta, usually) and it wasn't about fear of failure. I just couldn't get it into gear until I needed to, and then I just thrived. There was a certain euphoria in completing an A paper at 4 in the morning...
In college it's possible to just adapt to this work style. Plan on late-night work. Go out or play games if you feel like it, if you're not up against a deadline. Stop beating yourself up about it, if you can consistently do good work at the last minute.
In the "real world" it's a little tricky. You wind up doing these intense bursts of fulfilling work when there's a deadline, interspersed with long stints of trudging along on longterm stuff. I work great under pressure. I get bored when there's no deadline in sight--I can do the work, but it's harder to do it then.
For me, the biggest problem posed by procrastination--by far--is that it makes you look like a slacker until you hit T-minus-1 and go into a working frenzy. Some people don't understand that your average output is at least as good as the guy in the next cube who's plugging away slowly every minute of the day. And for me that's where the stress lies. My ideal work pattern is to work like a maniac for a while, read Slashdot for a while, go talk to my buddies, repeat, repeat. My main stress at work is worrying about getting busted for steps 2 and 3 of that process.
The first thing to do is practice good "sleep hygeine".
t ml
Here's a starter:
http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/howto.h