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Ask HN: How to stay focused during micro-breaks?

4 points by bttrfl ↗ HN
I work with code and data and I'm having hard times staying focused due to tens or hundreds of micro-breaks that chop my day. When I publish a new code, or run a query, I need to wait - sometimes a couple of seconds, sometimes a couple of minutes. My mind instantly drifts away and I lose my flow. I quickly check HN or email and the break gets even longer.

How do you deal with this?

5 comments

[ 3.8 ms ] story [ 27.3 ms ] thread
PaulHoule
Have a second task which you always switch to. Set up your web browser to block hn.
bttrfl
There are not many tasks you can complete during such a short break, especially if you don't know if the break will last 20 seconds or 2 minutes.
PaulHoule
Have a physical book that you read.
g-b-r
It's probably much better to detach for a while (at most drinking, thinking, taking a walk/bathroom) rather than checking things (and to instead check mail etc. at pre-determined times).

Either moving for a while or resting (depending on how you feel), even taking a quick ("alarmed") nap if you're lucky enough to be allowed to do it, is actually a very good idea, in all likelihood; you might think that that would mean losing your focus but you'll get back to it much quicker (often instantaneously), and probably even a little refreshed, if you don't start another activity.

It's only tangentially related, but if you're worried about focus you should probably give a try to the Pomodoro technique, if you never heard of it before.

And if you can postpone some "intermitting" activity, and maybe group a batch of them half-an-hour from now and now instead carry on your coding or whatever you're focused on for a little longer, it's probably beneficial