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Ask HN: I am wasting so much of time, what can I do?

192 points by ahmedaly ↗ HN
Hi guys.. I am wasting so much of time, working few hours, although I have so much of work and pressure, but I am still just surfing the internet and waste time..

I hardly deliver jobs on time, and my clients are annoyed because of that.

What can I do to solve this horrible issue? Any tips pls?

96 comments

[ 5.9 ms ] story [ 159 ms ] thread
antoinevg
It's counterintuitive but try reducing the amount of work you take on until you start seeing a reduction in the amount of time you spend procrastinating.
ahmedaly
Thanks for the tip, but getting more work is giving me some positive result..

But I need to solve this issue permanently.. as I started to lose a percentage of my income because of failed projects.

maxhawkins
I find the same thing. My focus is much better when I remember to get away from the work take care of myself.

At a friend's recommendation I started going to the gym when I feel myself drifting into procrastination. I was skeptical of the benefits at first but now it consistently clears my mind and sets me on the right track. I think it has something to do with the dopamine release that exercise provides.

It might also be worthwhile to examine -why- you're procrastinating. In my experience, procrastination is caused by anxiety about the project I'm working on.

maxhawkins
If you're really struggling, I'd also look into Adult ADHD. It's more prevalent than many people realize.
nomdeplume
1) Force yourself into a position where doing your work will seem better than the alternative. Since you are at home, it is automatic for you to surf the internet. If you were working some part-time job where the other alternative would be to chit chat with the 30 year old ladies about their ex-husband, you would naturally adapt and find a way to do something more interesting to you (your work?)

2) Try using a program like VitaminR, http://www.publicspace.net/Vitamin-R/ which acts as a timer to keep you focused. You might find that working becomes a sort of game, and you will be less tempted to abort your work because you can see that you only have 5 min to go.

acangiano
Consider the following three steps:

1) Pomodoro Technique. Aim for something like 14-18 pomodori per day. (Assuming 25 minutes per pomodoro.) If you do the math you may think "oh that's not much" but you'll be exhausted by the end of it.

2) Install Rescuetime and religiously use it to track how your time is spent during the weekday. Use their "Stay focused" function when you are sprinting on a pomodoro.

3) Get a second device, like a tablet, which you use for surfing, reading, and leisure. Your laptop is no longer for that. It's exclusively for producing and for serious work.

ktrgardiner
I second the third point. My most productive times are when I have my iPad right next to my laptop ready and waiting for me to need the internet. If I need to look something up I'll do so on the iPad and keep it open if I need to refer to it or turn it off again when I'm done. I find that not switching between windows really helps me stay in the zone. As soon as that code goes out of sight behind a browser, it's so easy for it to go out of mind.
jergason
That idea is the first one I have seen that would justify the cost of a tablet to me. Not just a toy or a third or .*th computer, but a device to limit your distraction. I like that a lot.
JonnieCache
This is not so easy if you write code targeting browsers :(
squarism
Second on the pomodoro technique. If I had major deliverables no matter what the task is, I'd use it if I was serious. I've used it on hobby project and saw an obvious difference. If I was indie, I'd put all my discipline energy into following it.
Splines
There's also a StayFocusd[1] plugin for Chrome which will block sites for you.

I'm struggling with my own procrastination and it seems to be helping, although I find myself distracting myself via other means :-/

[1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/laankejkbhbdhmipfm...

gintas
Also try Crackbook [1] for Chrome which delays pages instead of banning them. Works much better for me that Stayfocusd, which I just disable after a while. (Disclaimer: I am the author.)

[1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nbgjmohekjolcgemlo...

potomak
I made Tomatoes[1] to track my pomodoros online.

It drive my work time successfully now that I work as a freelancer (and I was having your same issues).

[1] http://tomatoes.heroku.com

dpe82
That looks really great though I wish I could enter tasks in it...
jerf
Brilliant. Blocking the site makes the brain want to got around it, as others say. Delaying the site attacks the addictiveness directly, slowly weaning you off the feedback loop. Nice.
bennesvig
Great advice. I'll be checking out RescueTime. Do you use the pro version or just the free version?
lfx
Free version works just fine.
jaxn
I do 2&3 now. Maybe I will try pomodoro this week.
prawn
Is there a tool for using Pomodoro that incorporates music? e.g., assembles 25 minute blocks of music or noise with very subtle signals that you're nearing the end of a block (have found this gets me going faster).
whichdan
Are you in a position to set better deadlines? If you know you can work X hours per day, try to schedule around that, rather than assuming you can suddenly work X + 2 hours per day.
cletus
The first question I need to put out there is: are you bored or simply burnt out? This can often masquerade as an inability to concentrate. Fact is, if you like what you do it's a lot easier to just do it.

That being said, many (most?) people benefit (or even need) a relatively distraction-free environment. This means no TV near your computer (particularly relevant if you work from home), stopping distractions from other people and can go so far as cutting yourself off from HN and other prime sources of distraction (there are various programs, plugins and extensions for this kind of thing).

As for distractions from other people, this can take many forms. If you work from home, it means saying that certain time blocks are for work and you're not to be disturbed. It's easy for other people to fall into a pattern where they'll ask you for stuff or to do stuff simply because you're there.

In my case I can't stand people walking around me, particularly behind me. I position my monitors such that I don't really see people walking by and, where possible, position my desk such that no one walks behind me. If that's not possible, I at least ensure I don't have a thoroughfare behind me.

Other people can distract you by asking things they could easily find out themselves. Joel Spolsky talked about this [1] as a reason for giving engineers private offices. It's too easy to ask a colleague "where is X?" when you could find it in 30 seconds thus crashing them out of "the zone".

Headphones help a lot here. Some people are distracted by music. Many will argue they're not. Testing indicates otherwise [2]. Still I find the right music with its distractions, at least for me, tends to trump the distractions of other people so it's still a win. People tend to bother you less when you're wearing headphones (it's a psychological barrier).

There's also a certain "fake it til you make it" aspect here too, which is another way of saying that your inability to focus is the sum of many behaviours. You probably have many bad habits and you need to change them one at a time. Blocking distractions like HN, reddit, etc is one way of doing this.

Another is, well, just grinning and bearing it. This can take you far but could lead to burnout. Part of this is attitude though. If you're stuck doing something uninteresting (or simply an uninteresting phase of something otherwise interesting) finding little challenges and measurable milestones in that can go a long way.

[1]: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000043.html

[2]: http://www.quora.com/Does-listening-to-music-while-programmi...

gte910h
>In my case I can't stand people walking around me,

I've had people threaten my job because of my similar positioning of my monitor "What are you hiding", etc.

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kaybe
Just use the headphones without music to only get the wins from this. It's not like anyone except you can tell the difference.
ricardobeat
I do this all the time. Unintentionally - I start working and forget to hit "play" :)
[dead] cosmicman
Or you do hit play but the music stops and you don't even notice.
robertskmiles
I've experimented with different types of music while working/coding, and noted the following;

1. I am quite a verbal thinker. Anything with lyrics seriously damages my ability to think verbally about a problem.

2. Music that is too slow or relaxing is unhelpfully soporific. I don't drink coffee, so I need any non-chemical stimulant I can get.

3. Anything too catchy will encourage me to hum it in my head, which actually has a similar effect to lyrics, disrupting my internal verbal processes.

I've found the perfect thing that works well for me, which is soundtracks from RTS games. They're instrumental, vaguely electronic, and specifically designed to fade into the background and create a general sense of urgency and focus.

If you are a big starcraft player for example, playing the background music from starcraft can create a sort of Pavlovian Response, telling your brain "You are sitting at a computer carrying out a difficult task which takes a good deal of focus and mental exertion. This activity is fun and rewarding, and it is urgent that you do it as well and as quickly as possible."

Give it a try.

tl;dr Soundtracks from RTS games

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[dead] myearwood
I can recommend a procedure that has worked well for me . Leave your computer off an entire day(or 3 or 4 hours ). do all the work you would do on the computer on paper. If its coding, this is simple . Other tasks may be more difficult. If you come with something you can't do ,write it down on a list .after you've run out of stuff to write, turn on your computer and transfer everything from paper to digital . Repeat as needed.
Yxven
I downloaded the leechblock plugin for firefox to block certain websites during working hours. Now, whenever I load hacker news (or whatever) during working hours it forwards me to a failure motivational poster. It has actually helped me a lot.
janjan
In a first step you really have to find out _why_ you are wasting time!

I thought for a long time that I am kind of addicted to the internet and that this is the reason I am wasting a lot of time there. Over the years I tried a lot of stuff to cut down consumption but nothing really worked.

What finally helped was the realization that the excessive internet usage is really just a sympton of more underlying problems and not the problem itself . (For example if there is no internet, I use books instead):

I use (and still use) the internet as a way to flee from reality and all its associated problems. Especially at work when I have a difficult project I automatically open the browser to hide from all the problems which comes from the project.

So in order to get to work I have to make a list of smaller task I have to do for this project and then start with the one which is the easiest one because this reduces the likelihood that I distract myself.

Some more infos on my specific situation:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2886218

saadmalik01
Lots of great tips here. I'd also suggest taking the time out to talk to your doctor. I was in a similar position as you -- my productivity fell immensely within the last two years. After speaking with my doctor, I was diagnosed with a minor form of ADHD. Now that I'm on some light meds (20mg Ritalin), I feel I can focus better and get more out of my time.
kurtm
Forgive the plug, but give my blog a visit. I've been using it to document my struggle with procrastination and perfectionism since the beginning of the year. The main reason I put it out there was so what I've learned could benefit someone else. Drop me a comment if you find any of it useful. Here is the link: http://www.itneversleeps.net
dageshi
Go Start->Run type in notepad and press enter (or equivalent on your platform)

* begin bullet pointed list

       -break down steps to achieve each bullet point

       -some could be as simple as "google xyz"
As dumb as it seems this switches your mind from "meander mode" as I call it to "focus on work mode".
mkopinsky
You could even use (gasp!) a real notepad. The tactile effect of writing down (and especially, crossing off) the tasks and intermediate steps by hand is not to be underestimated. In addition, you get the benefit described by ktrgardiner above, that switching to your task list doesn't obscure your productive work. You always have that piece of paper staring at you reminding you what you're working on.
nosse
I find it relaxing to actually use my calendar. If I have stuff that I can schedule somewhere in near future, but I don't have the time to do it now, It's lot nicer looking at my calendar than my TO DO list.
mkopinsky
A calendar or a formal todo list are both too formal for me. I use Post-It notes, or a pad of paper on a busy day.
TuaAmin13
I use a kind of combination. I would probably be drowning in post-its scattered about my cube at the end of the day. Outlook ToDo's are kinda strange to use, so I picked up a steno pad and I write down all my tasks for the day every day in the morning. I go through and put +/*/- next to each one (after I'm done) for priority. As stuff comes up I add it to the list and assess its priority then.

When I start to work on a task, I open up onenote and break that task in to sub tasks that are more bite sized (a la pomodoro) that I can strikethrough when I'm done. Strikethrough you can add to your quick bar in Office 2010. Using onenote I can expand subtasks if I find they're too large, and if I have to stop working on task A to go to B I know approximately where I left off. Inserting text is difficult on paper.

When all the subtasks are done I delete it from onenote and strike it through on the paper.

Pomodoro is a bit too rigid for me in the office where anyone in the cube farm can interrupt you any time of the day, but it certainly did help me crunch through my 10 page paper during my last semester in college.

mkopinsky
Nice thing about post-it notes is that I can easily steal one from the boss's desk when he starts talking about "Can you please fix A, B, C, D, and do some research on E". If I don't write them down right there and then, I'll never remember all five items.
TeMPOraL
When I feel stuck I get a notepad or a piece of A3-sized paper, a pencil or a pen and start a "brainstorm" session with myself. I dump my thoughts on the topic, play around with them, trying to identify solutions for each subproblem until my feelings of confusion go away. Then I just rewrite those 'solutions' I identified as TODOs in my Org-Mode list.

The habit of fighting confusion with pen and paper is for me one of the biggest productivity boosters I've ever learned.

Also, I don't like to do this kind of "brainstorming" on computer - hardware&software are too limiting, both in input and spatial presentation. Free-form noting FTW ;).

badclient
Second this. I do the above when I feel scattered. When done with an item, I just tab it. And when I have tabbed them all, you get this sense of pleasure :)
radious
Actually Emacs has fantastic mode for such todo lists called org-mode. You can read more about it on http://orgmode.org/
[dead] redrising1
Thanks for the link. I'm new to Emacs and this is the first I've heard of org-mode.
georgieporgie
I'll repeat what I said the last time this came up: consider that it may be depression. Depression can cause ADHD-like symptoms. It can creep up on you slowly, so you don't even realize you've become depressed. And it can be very, very hard to get out of on your own.

Aside from that, the Pomodoro technique helps me quite a lot. Not only do the 25-minute stretches provide a clear, definite period of focus, getting yourself to think about tasks in 25 minute chunks forces you to more deeply plan how you'll spend your time. Often, we don't get started on tasks because we feel overwhelmed, because we don't have an actual plan or scope. As a side benefit, I'm seeing my time estimation skills getting better as I work on this.

jeffool
I recently lost my job (unrelated to work performance) and I have to say, I was so damn happy. Like cletus mentioned, I was burned out, and just generally unhappy in life because of it. Now I'm happier, job hunting, and learning Java because I want to make a game for the fun of it.

I don't know where my next paycheck is coming from, but god I'm smiling.

(Yes, that in itself causes some awkward feelings, but I'm dealing.)

Mz
My standard answer for these type questions: Look to your health. Eat right, exercise, consider that you may have hidden health issues. Getting healthier has done a lot for my ability to focus, be productive and all that.

Best of luck.

badclient
Is it a chronic problem or something more recent?

If you are thinking a lot and have unresolved issues in your mind, get a notepad and write out everything EXACTLY as your mind is thinking of them. You don't have to do any analysis just because you are writing. Keep writing until you have nothing else to write about. You should find yourself thinking a lot less about those unresolved issues now that you've taken inventory of them by writing.

mattm
I was recently in the same position.

I was bored and not doing what I really wanted to do. I was suppressing my dreams and taking the safe (and boring) path.

nosse
I've been struggling with my studies for years. I was supposed to graduate as civil engineer.

Now I'm finally getting better, but it took several things:

1. Baby steps. Spring 2010 was the first time that I understood that taking less courses means that I have more energy per course. So I started with one, then two, then three. Now I have five ongoing courses at the same time, and I don't (quite) feel overwhelmed. My studies progressed last year at modest speed that is about 1/3 of the speed usually recommended, but my grades improved significantly.

2. Seeing psychologist. She told me about the benefits of taking it easy at first. And my friends didn't have to listen to all of my troubles.

3. Doing something really interesting. I switched to mechanics. I'm particularly into product development. I really don't seem to mind a single course that is not so interesting if it gets me closer my goal (this was actually a big surprise to me).

4. No TV. But movies with friends is a big YES.

5. Getting good IRL friends. I don't feel the need to IRC anymore.

6. Clear shift between work and leisure. If I walk 800 meters to school and spend there 8 hours I can count that I get something done. I might check HN few times, but I just cannot browse the Internet for the whole day.

7. Might seem counterintuitive, but no work on Sundays. Jews we're right. Having at least one day a week when you just don't do anything productive can boost your productivity a lot. And it surprisingly helps to actually have really good time when you're not working, you might think that it drains your energy, but it doesn't.

8. I don't really know if it truly helps or not. But I often think about what I want in life, and how I'm going to get there fastest.

9. For some reason, it seems that getting older helps a little. Maybe it's because you get a stronger feeling about wasting your life.

10. There is no word "should". You either do, or you don't. Sometimes you might do something. Some stuff you haven't yet started, but it's stuff you're going to do, not something that you should do.

11. & 12. Make starting easy for yourself and plan what you're doing. I find it easiest to start by planning. So I plan what I do today and I actually start doing it tomorrow. Planning what I'm going to study tomorrow takes like 30min so it's not a biggie. I feel like I have started so it's easy to continue. And I get sense of control of what I do. Planning counts as doing!

13. Don't ever plan to grind through everything at one go. Those 14 hour work days are going to ruin your motivation to the next job.

14. Get a calendar and a clock. Use them. Then get completely rid of them when you have a day off.

Everything here actually just boils down to three things. Remember to have free time and make it good and remember to plan really well what you're doing.

[dead] MrJew
Saturdays. Jews don't work on Saturdays, schmuck.
[dead] tealtank
This comment is excellent.
pknerd
Read EAT THAT FROG by Brain Tracy, it would surely change your life.
gte910h
Read 2 books:

1.Getting things Done

2.The Now Habit

If it's just getting mired up in what to do, the first will help

If you have agreed to do silly things, the second one will.

gte910h
Think about an emergency vacation. Will fix things to just get away from it, no internet connectivity, etc. I love short cruises for this.
angdis
Procrastination and not getting work done can be caused MANY different things. There is no way that a few sentences exchanged with strangers will crack this problem.

You have to find the root cause of your problem in your own way. For some that means seeing a counselor or talking to a loved one or mentor who understands you.

Estragon
1) Sit down in front of your work

2) When you feel like stepping away from your work (which may be immediately), attend to the thoughts, emotions and physical sensations you are experiencing at that moment.

3) Report your findings here.

HSO
While every situation is different, I have some issues with my work style and concentration/focus too. Now I'm 2 weeks into an 8-week meditation program and starting to feel its effect. Without more information and expertise, I think this is a pretty safe bet for you.

Here are some links:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/14/magazine/is-buddhism-good-...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/health/15chen.html?pagewan...

some counterarguments: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/health/research/27budd.htm...

I am using (the first few chapters of) "Full Catastrophe Living" with the tapes.

Bon courage!

dadads
It is possible that you either secretly don't like the work that you are doing, or that you secretly don't believe you are capable of completing the work.