Workflow: Keeping focus on the task

> BeerW0lf | 2021-11-09

A good todo list is great to have. You can slice big tasks to smaller ones and set priorities. That's all good and well, but eventually it is not enough. Next you'll need to plan ahead, which tasks you're going to work on and when. I know this sounds obvious, but if you've ever had trouble focusing on the task at hand, or are prone to procrastination, you'll likely need to use a time scheduling method of some kind.

People tend to have a limited capacity for deeply focused work. This is why its a good idea to divide long tasks to smaller portions of "Getting shit done"-time, where you'll concentrate only on the task at hand. In between these focused time blocks, you're free to check whatever messaging service or random funny cat video of your choosing. Its the focused time that advances your important tasks, and once you're committed to your planned time, you'll get more stuff done.

Timeboxing

This planing and time scheduling method is known as "Timeblocking" or "Timeboxing". The basic idea is to plan your work ahead, by spreading your work time to boxes of focused time on the task. Cal Newport has written a good article with more detail, but I'll just summarize the idea and my own experiences with Timeboxing. Think of timetable with a pomodoro like timer slots.

https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2013/12/21/deep-habits-the-importance-of-planning-every-minute-of-your-work-day/

Schedule your work days

Make a schedule for your work week. You can use any tool that works best for you. This can be an online calendar, a paper notebook, a text file or something else. I'm currently using a Rocketbook. This works pretty nice, as I can make a nice timetable template with a permanent marker and fill it in. At the end of the week I'll just wipe it clean and start a new week.

https://getrocketbook.com/

Have each day as a column wide enough to place two task boxes on the same time. This is for revised plans or urgent interrupting tasks. Have each hour tall enough that you can write a task title and short note if needed. I can fit three work days on a single portrait A4 page. This works well for me, since I usually plan the next work week only up to Wednesday. By the end of Wednesday I usually have scheduled tasks on-the-fly on another page for Thursday and Friday. If not, I'll just schedule tasks off my todo lists with priority A.

Now that you have your work days as columns, mark in all mandatory events and meetings you'll need to attend (lunches and longer breaks too!). What you're left with, are blank spaces. These you'll fill in with boxes of "Get shit done."-time. The idea is not to have all the space filled with boxes. Leave empty space between the boxes. This unfocused empty in-between-boxes-time is for co-worker chats or email checking time. Maybe you have so much email, you'll need to have a box devoted entirely for emails?

You may need to revise your week plan when the need arises. Just cross over the box and make another one beside it. This works for interrupting tasks as well. Later on you can check what type of tasks are interrupt your work most often. These are things you'll need to take note of. If your week plan is full of crossed over boxes and constant interruptions, you'll most likely need to have a chat with your supervisor or have a look in the mirror. Perhaps both...

> "Sometimes people ask why I bother with such a detailed level of planning. My answer is simple: it generates a massive amount of productivity. A 40-hour time-blocked work week, I estimate, produces the same amount of output as a 60+ hour work week pursued without structure." ~ Cal Newport

Use a task timer and take focus breaks

Now that you've planned your work days ahead of time, its more easy to commit to the scheduled tasks. You will need to have a timer and some kind of alarm to snap you out of the "Getting shit done"-mode. I've found that the maximum focus time for me is 45 minutes. It can be shorter and often is depending on the task. 15m, 20m, 35m and so on. But you will need to take unfocused breaks regularly.

If you skip the focus breaks and push for a 3h focused timebox, you're gonna wear your focus down. Suddenly you're scrolling through the endless meme threads on Reddit or some such nonsense for the rest of the day. Do the 45m focused work and then scroll the meme threads for 5m and continue your work. You'll get much more focused work done in the end.

Any timer that has an alarm will do. Most phones have a clock & timer app, but if you want something more fancy, you might want to see what is available elsewhere. I tested a few apps out, but finally settled for a rather simple bash script, which lets you set a timer and a title for the task. Once the timer is up, an Xmessage notification pops up near the mouse cursor and I'll take a short break. The script also writes a line to a log file, which is useful later on, when I'll check which task have taken most of my focused time lately.

A Pomodoro timing method is similar to this approach. With Pomodoro you take 25m tasks at a time and a 5m break. After four Pomodoros have passed, you take a longer 30m break. I guess one could use a Pomodoro timer with Timeboxing, but I didn't seem to fit the tasks and meeting schedules with 25m+5m slots. Choosing your own intervals is way more flexible, but remember to honor the timer and stick to the plan. No cheating! Take a break, even if you feel like you're in the zone and need to just finish this one thing real quick...

https://github.com/susam/timebox

Take control of your work environment

These days there are so many things fighting for your attention it isn't even funny. Internet is the greatest tool realized in my lifetime, but it is also one huge distraction. When ever the looming presence of the internet is present, there are myriads of notifications and semi-interesting things needed to be googled. This is how I fight my inner procrastinator, and get the focus for my work tasks.

Limit distractions

On my Linux laptop, I set up 3-4 workspaces (virtual desktops in Windows talk)

1.

Email

IRC

IM apps

Monitoring dashboards

2.

A single tmuxed terminal window

SSH sessions and work notes (Vim)

3.

Firefox: Work stuff

Joplin notes

Terminal: timebox script

4.

Some random tool

PDF documentation

Firefox: leisure/break stuff

When I'm focusing on my task, I only look at workspaces 2 and 3. Some times the work stuff occupies the 4th workspace also. It is vital that I don't have any communication software visible in my task workspaces. I need to disable all communication notifications too, and that goes for my phone as well. Only calls or critical system alerts get through. If someone sends me a message, it can wait for 15 minutes or how ever long is remaining on my task timer. If it is truly urgent, they can call me.

In the past I didn't have any discipline over replying to messages. I constantly interrupted my tasks to reply to what ever unimportant message, just because... Can't keep the other person waiting. I was also switching tasks multiple times a day, just because... X said this is urgent!

Well guess what? Every fucking thing seems urgent these days. At least for the person sending the message... Which needs your attention... RIGHT NOW! READ! REPLY!

NO! STOP!

It can wait...

Finish your task, check the message after your timer has run out.

Commit to your week plan

What YOU need to do is assess what is IMPORTANT and URGENT for YOU! So, I don't check my messages when on task timer. On the break I'll check the messages. If there are truly important stuff needing my attention, I'll try to revise my work week plan or make a note to schedule it for next week. If the sky is falling, then I'll cross over the next timebox and make a note of the interrupting task that is demanding my precious time. One might think this approach as cynical. It is not. Its just necessary to "Get shit done.".

I do reply to messages and do small routine tasks in between focused timeboxes. The trick is to not let those small tasks drag on to the next focused box.

Kill the noise

Noise and especially overhearing other people talk can be very distracting. I often use music to block out noise. Ambient works extremely well. Background music helps my focus with or without headphones. Even if I'm working alone at home, I'll tend to but some background music on. If you're working in a cubicle farm, then headphones are a necessity. They must have good passive isolation or active noise cancellation. Just blast some music on and don't be bothered with chatter or other noises around you.

> "Ambient music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." ~ Brian Eno

Remember to take AFK breaks too

On the focus break I usually check my instant messages, email or IRC. If there is nothing needing my attention at the time, I might take a brief walk outside. If you sit in front of a screen for a living, you need to force yourself to get up and stretch your legs regularly. Skip that sick leave caused by back pains and neck cramps!

You should have a few longer breaks off your computer during the work day. Take a walk, preferably outside. Take a long coffee break. Play a round of Tetris if you need to, but get your mind off work for a while. After a pause in troubleshooting, you might overcome the obstacle with ease.

Proper motivation!

⏲️ 📦

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