Coffee break #32. 14 simple ways to be more productive every day. How many hours a day do programmers actually work?

14 Simple Ways to Be More Productive Every Day

Source: Techtello Early in my career, I focused a lot on getting as much done as possible in a short amount of time. I considered myself very productive. But in reality, I was simply moving from one task to another without a clear understanding of whether my work was effective. I focused on the end goal - the result I wanted to achieve, without worrying about the process of achieving this goal. By unconsciously choosing and developing the best option to achieve the result, I achieved some short-term goals. But at the same time, I could not maintain high productivity for a long time. Over time, I realized that doing more means doing less, focusing on what matters most and being in complete control of the process. That's when it dawned on me what productivity is.

What does it mean to be productive?

Simply put, productivity is the development of a consistent and repeatable process that helps us get work done more efficiently and in line with our goals. At the same time, with less expenditure of resources, time and effort. Productivity requires a shift in focus from the obsession with the outcome to the system, the process of achieving that outcome. Once we learn how to properly manage this system, it will be much easier for us to achieve the necessary results.

How to Improve Your Productivity in 14 Easy Steps

To improve productivity and work efficiency, remember to “focus on the process.” This means you need to spend time solving problems that are within your area of ​​expertise rather than worrying about the impact of things that don't concern you. Each of the 14 steps that I have developed over the years of my career complement each other. Their effectiveness lies in small improvements made consistently over a period of time. By applying what you learn, you can spend less energy and effort doing important work.

1. Develop the habit of preparing for tomorrow.

Take a few minutes at the end of the day to prioritize the next one. It will be useful to divide the work into large segments and identify several key points on how to achieve results in each of them. Taking notes will not only boost your self-confidence, but also help protect you from the unexpected. When setting priorities, choose those that will help you move faster towards your goal, while avoiding time-consuming actions that do not bring you closer to the result. By applying the Pareto principle, the 80/20 rule, which states that 20% of effort produces 80% of the result, and the remaining 80% of effort produces only 20% of the result, you will be able to better set priorities. It is also useful to use the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to organize problems into a square divided by two intersecting axes into 4 sectors. The vertical axis is “importance”, the horizontal axis is “urgency”. Once you find the answer to the “What?” question, it will be easier for you to determine the optimal time during the day for each activity. And this brings us to the next question: “When?”

2. Use the time when you are most productive to work.

Each stage of work requires different physical and mental resources. Organize your work as efficiently as possible, matching your capabilities with your physical and mental needs. Use your peak productivity hours to get the most important part of your work done. It could be morning, afternoon, evening or night - you have to determine it yourself. For example, I usually get up early, and for me personally, the morning is the best time to work. Now that we know the “What” and “When,” we have a clear intent. Next you need to organize the right conditions.

3. Create a comfortable workspace that suits your personal needs

Many people don't realize that a poor work environment, such as a cluttered desk, can be a source of stress and reduced productivity. Designing a comfortable workspace is extremely important. I understand that not everyone has the opportunity to have an ideal work environment, but you can always improve it without even putting in a lot of effort. This can have a significant impact on the quality of your work. Do you think your chair is comfortable? Are you using the right headphones for you? Are you comfortable with the temperature in the office? Do you sit hunched over or with your back straight? Do you wear comfortable clothes? We become easily distracted and irritated under suboptimal working conditions, which impacts productivity and robs us of our ability to concentrate. Take control of where you work, get rid of the reasons that make you feel uncomfortable at work.

4. Your brain and body need rest.

At times, when we get stuck in a rut, a mental block that prevents us from moving forward, we feel overwhelmed and anxious. Rules limit our thinking to existing solutions. So sometimes we don't look for new ideas and don't try to achieve success. What to do in such a situation? Most of us continue to work feeling frustrated, irritated and even angry at ourselves for not being able to find the right answers. Working in such conditions is unproductive, and it can also lead to poor decisions with serious consequences in the future. Very often we come up with new ideas when we are not focused on thinking about them. Unload your brain. Get up, go have a snack, get some fresh air, just take a walk without thinking about the problem. It is very useful to restore your performance with short breaks after each stage of hard work (60 minutes, 90 minutes).

5. Don't let your thoughts take over.

David Rock describes this beautifully in his book Your Brain at Work. “I choose to take responsibility for my mental state and not be a victim of circumstances. The moment I make this decision, I begin to see more information around me and I can feel happier.” It's important to realize that we all tend to get carried away by our thoughts, and although it may seem like we have no control over them, we can actually learn to control them. Make an effort to stop constantly thinking and focus on your work. You can feel better by learning to say no to your own thoughts. You also need to learn to say “no” to other people when circumstances require it.

6. Learn to say “no” to things you don’t need.

Being productive means saying no to work that doesn't align with your goals and objectives. Saying no can be hard sometimes, but it's the only way to focus on the work that really matters. Remember that productivity is not just about doing the right thing, but rather about doing the right thing. Once you overcome your fear of saying “no” and let go of your desire to please everyone, you will stop worrying that your “no” will upset someone. A carefully crafted “no” will allow both parties to engage in a more productive discussion and agree on the outcome.

7. Your email can wait

Reading email can reduce your productivity if not handled properly. Even one small glance at an incoming message can distract us from doing important work. Therefore, it is better not to open emails before noon. Schedule a dedicated time to read your emails half an hour or an hour before lunch, and then again in the evening or late afternoon, whichever works best for you. Don't let a false sense of urgency ruin your work schedule. If something really urgent happens, they will find a way to contact you much faster than by e-mail.

8. Eliminate distractions

Focused work requires avoiding distractions. Checking social media, looking at messages on your phone is a waste of time and can prevent you from achieving your goals. When you acknowledge that you have your own distractions, consider that you have taken the first step towards eliminating them. When I'm doing important work, I don't just forget about all my social media accounts—I purposely log out of them. This simple barrier helps eliminate the temptation to check social media too often. If this doesn’t suit you, set aside special time in your schedule for social networks.

9. Come up with your own “templates” of work

Worrying about running out of time or lacking the necessary competencies can prevent us from making progress. Overcoming a barrier requires motivation. Motivation can be increased by performing actions in a pre-planned sequence. By creating your own work patterns, you can overcome mental blockages. I always start by outlining the key points for a new article or reading what I wrote the day before. This simple step creates motivation to continue and do more. Identify what might be affecting you and use it as the hack you need to get started.

10. Doing many things at once = doing nothing

For important activities that require deep thought, we need mental discipline. It will help you focus only on this task. Carrying out many tasks at the same time will lead to our brain being overloaded with unnecessary information. This will prevent you from generating useful ideas to get the job done. Constantly switching between tasks can be a great excuse for leaders and managers, but without learning how to manage their time, even they will not be able to do their jobs effectively. A useful trick that improves productivity is planning your actions step by step. It allows you to make progress much faster, since the result and input data from the previous stage directly influence the next task. If we master self-discipline, we can better focus on one task at a time.

11. Doing less yourself = doing more

Delegating tasks has many benefits - scaling, building trust, empowering colleagues. Proper delegation improves productivity. Focus on what you can do best and delegate the rest to others. Delegation can only be effective if you set clear expectations and agree on results. This may seem like a difficult task at first, and you may find yourself doing it all on your own again. But if you learn to resist this temptation, you will achieve long-term performance improvements. When you learn to delegate some of your responsibilities, you will have more free time to do more important things. You also don't want to involve people in work that can be handled with automation. Technology can do a lot now. Determine which parts of your work can be automated and make the most of technology to automate them.

12. Establish communication principles

If your job involves a lot of communication and collaboration with others, you won't be able to be productive unless you establish communication rules. Determine the method you can use to solve various problems (email, phone, instant messenger), and the time when you will be available to answer requests and help your colleagues.

13. Don’t strain your brain by trying to remember everything.

Our brain can't store too much information at once. If you want to improve productivity, don't overload your brain with reminders. The best way to organize everything is planning. Make notes on your calendar and set reminders on your phone. Scheduling saves energy by removing decision making from the work process.

14. Good habits improve productivity.

Good habits are the key to achieving your maximum potential. Learn which habits energize you and which ones detract from your performance. Without learning to change your habits, you will, of course, be able to continue working, but it will be done much worse than what you are capable of. Find out more about yourself: healthy eating, good sleep, constant learning - these are the basic needs of a healthy mind and body. In addition, doing something you love, even for a short period of time each day, can restore your tone and improve your mood. Once you change your mindset to focus on the process rather than the outcome, you will find many new ways to improve your productivity.

How many hours a day do programmers actually work?

Source: Hackernoon Most programmers actually work from 2 to 4 hours a day, says the founder of the Codequickie and WhistleX projects. Seriously?) If you ask programmers how many hours they work, most will answer 8-9 hours. Some claim that they work 12 or even more hours a day. Of course, these words are true, but do not forget that many people consider a simple search for information on the Internet to be a work process. So, in this article, I will tell you how much programmers actually work every day. By “work” I don’t mean sitting at a desk and surfing the Internet all the time. Additionally, I will try to explain what factors influence how long someone works. Let's start.

How long do programmers work?

Most programmers work 8 hours a day, but those 8 hours include not only desk work, but also lunch breaks, meetings, and conversations with teammates. Let's say you work from eight in the morning. Many programmers start their day with coffee and conversations with other employees. Once this stage is completed, depending on where your workplace is located, you will likely spend some time just browsing the Internet, reading email and reading the news. Then you'll probably start working in your development environment until your lunch break. You finish your meal, say, at 13:00. After that, you will probably think for another twenty minutes and then continue working again. Another two hours will pass, after which you are scheduled to participate in a work meeting. It will end at approximately 16:00. With nothing left until the end of the working day, most begin to patiently wait until 17:00 to gain the legal right to go home. This is what a typical workday likely looks like for at least 25% of all developers in the world.

What determines how long programmers work?

There are many factors that determine how much time programmers actually spend working. The first factor is where your desk is located. If you work in an office where desks are in parallel rows—say, 10 desks in a row—this complicates things. After all, then everyone can see your monitor screen and what you are doing. That is, it will be more difficult for you not to work and just browse the web. But if you have your own office or you sit at some desk in the corner, then very few people can see you. Unless, of course, they are specifically looking for you. In a situation like this, many find it difficult to remain productive. The second factor is timing. If you have a tight deadline, you will have to work harder than if you have no deadlines. Sometimes there are tasks with very strict deadlines that need to be met, and there are tasks where the deadlines can be more flexible. The final factor that determines how much you actually need to work is your boss. If your manager joined the company relatively recently, then it may be a little easier. On the other hand, if your boss is one of the founders or someone who has been with the company for many years, this complicates the situation.

Most programmers don't work 8 hours a day

The question remains: why don't programmers work 8 hours a day? The answer to this primarily depends on motivation. If you're working for someone else on a project you don't particularly enjoy, your motivation won't be very high and you'll probably spend more time reading on the internet than working. On the other hand, if it is your own company or you are promised bonuses, then you are likely to work even more than eight hours a day because you are interested in a successful outcome. How many hours a day do you really need to work to be productive?