Calling BS on Flow State. I read a really interesting article this morning on flow state, that magical state of mind for developers where you're insanely productive and whip out tonnes of code. The author refers to it as nirvana, and he's right. However, he also states that isolation is necessary for flow state – that interruptions are poison to it. I disagree. I work in an open seating plan with intermittent interruptions and talkative coworkers. Yet I'm able to consistently achieve flow state. How? By choosing to. I make a mental choice to get into that headspace, and then I apply that choice to my work. As software developers, we're paid to think. #WorkCanWait. Meaningful work is a great thing. It’s a fantastic feeling to be productive, work with talented people, and build cool products.
And millions of people do it every day. But it’s not great when the idea of an always-on, 24/7/365 workforce permeates through companies. And it’s especially bad when 24/7/365 is used as a marketing tactic for a product. We don’t think it has to be this way. True work-life balance doesn’t have to be a myth. So here’s our Life 365 idea compared to Office 365. Work can wait. Download and share your own “life 365” vignettes Tweet your best image to @37signals with #WorkCanWait. The Myth of Passion and Motivation: How to Stay Focused When You Get Bored Working Toward Your Goals. 4.1K Flares Filament.io Made with Flare More Info'> 4.1K Flares × We all have goals and dreams, but it can be difficult to stick with them. Each week, I hear from people who say things like, “I start with good intentions, but I can’t seem to maintain my consistency for a long period of time.” Or, they will say, “I struggle with mental endurance.
I get started but I can’t seem to follow through and stay focused for very long.” Don’t worry. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone else. For example, I’ll start one project, work on it for a little bit, then lose focus and try something else. Maybe you have felt this way too. This problem reminds me of a lesson I learned while working out one day… The Myth of Passion and Motivation On this particular day in the gym, there was a coach visiting who had worked with thousands of athletes over his long career, including some nationally-ranked athletes and Olympians.
He briefly mentioned the things that you might expect. Working When Work Isn’t Easy. Want to Be More Successful? Change Your Mornings. The day may have 24 hours of equivalent length but author Laura Vanderkam says not every hour is created equal. Drawing on her own research, surveys of executives, and the latest science on willpower for her forthcoming ebook What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, Vanderkam argues that making smart use of the early morning is a practice most highly successful people share.
From former Pepsi CEO Steve Reinemund's 5 a.m. treadmill sessions, to author Gretchen Rubin's 6 a.m. writing hour, examples of highly accomplished folks who wring the most from their pre-breakfast hours abound in the book. What do they know that the average entrepreneur might not have realized yet? "Seizing your mornings is the equivalent of that sound financial advice to pay yourself before you pay your bills. If you wait until the end of the month to save what you have left, there will be nothing left over. "If it has to happen, then it has to happen first," she says. Track your time. Fluent – Making the future of email.
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