[gregwebs]

When I started doing the pomodoro technique I learned to jot down some notes before taking a break from programming. If there’s more complex things going on it’s worth writing down more in a specification, ticket, etc.

For me, the context switching issue can often be mitigated by dumping my brain into written form. Much like testing, it often feels like things are being slowed down, but usually pays itself back.

With this approach, I usually find that an hour of uninterrupted time is sufficient.

Of course, this doesn’t somehow mean that meetings are an effective use of time. In my experience, most meeting time is wasted because people are not writing down and organizing what is in their head.

[nickstinemates]

I do something similar. Along every repository I keep a thinking.md where I do some light planning, notes/references for items I have had to look up, etc.

Makes getting back into the flow of a project pretty quick

[loloquwowndueo]

The “leave it broken but easily fixed” technique sounds somewhat similar / complementary to this. Apologies for the LinkedIn url, it’s the only reference I could find. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leave-broken-easily-fixed-shö...

[gregwebs]

I have a really hard time doing strict Pomodoro because I do find there are better and worse times to stop at for focus. I like this article and it's idea of being intentional about the stopping and starting point for the break. Often I take a break when I have the feeling I need to change my approach- stepping away for a bit and coming back a little fresher with some subconscious thinking having gone on. Forced interruptions are harmful, but intentional ones can be very productive.

[tajd]

I also arrived at this approach too! Totally agree with the thoughts here.

Writing things down really helped give me a better perspective on the process I use to organise work as well.