[adrianmonk]

> start thinking about other things, running flow.

I've found it a helpful practice as a programmer to be intentional about this.

With a little awareness, you can identify situations where it really would be best to busy-wait while something compiles. (If the wait is not all that long and switching tasks harms focus.)

And with a little mental discipline and practice, you can train your mind not to wander. You don't totally blank your mind out, but you also don't let unrelated thoughts distract you. Just continue to think about the same thing you were when the compile started. Don't shift gears mentally, just ease up on the mental gas pedal.

It's so easy to let anxiety or guilt about wasting 2 minutes lead you into giving up focus, which is more precious. It's a false economy, and thus doing something else with those 2 minutes is actually more of a temptation than a smart idea.

(Of course, it's better if the tools are just fast! But sometimes you can't have that.)