Paul Graham is so sensitive to capture the small but important stuff in life – I call it Fengshui, but just my way. Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule.
Productivity
In the article, I started to understand why I am sometimes much more productive than other. By “some times”, I mean at least a quarter, some times a year. In blogging, for example, pre-2009 years are much more productive than 2010, and 2011. Why is that?
Paul’s maker’s schedule answered the question. For programmers, writers, strategist, and basically everything that needs some hard work, people need a block of uninterrupted time. It is especially so for programmers, and writers that requires a lot of inspiration, and rely on the flow of mind more than other type of work.
To allocate enough uninterrupted time is the key to serious thinking, writing and programming. Knowing that there are at least few hours, or ideally 4 hours uninterrupted ahead, or for some bigger project, few days uninterrupted greatly help to improve the productivity.
Peace of Mind
I tried in the last few days, and found it great. There is a status I call “Peace State of Mind”. It is just like the status of meditation, but mediating in a world of problem solving, not (well, this is just for me) a fore-play of sleeping.
When I get into the peace of mind status, my world is quiet, and I can start to capture the most sensitive difference in either coding or writing, or thinking. When I go to use the bath room, I say hi to people, but not actively seeking for recognizing their faces (a little bit impolite but it is my state of mind). A SMS arrives, and I just peaceful ignore it, and checking email is not attractive, not to mention Weibo. That is a beautiful state, and that is very productive state.
How to Get There
To get there, you need few things:
- Allocate enough uninterrupted time. Set aside meetings, and set expectation of the people around you. Ideally, morning or late night. (I prefer morning).
- Find a peaceful place. Refer to some Fengshui book to see where is best – facing entrance with nothing at the back. Ideally a wall or pole.
- Headset to keep noise away.
- A clearly defined task to start with.
- Relax and focus.
Hope this is helpful to you too.
Great suggestions, thank you. I think I am packed with all kinds of stuff recently, and desperately need time for “peace of mind”. What I found challenging though is to make the first step. Switching from busy life style to a sudden slow-down is a big change to me, but I believe I will be good after a while. I think will schedule some time every night and stay away from overwhelming emails, weibos and so forth, and enjoy uninterrupted time of self soon.