| > Like our literally job is about optimization. You think we'd be able to at least optimize a work day, or maybe a month? There is lots written about this. Whole careers built on advice about it. It seems what works for some people does not work for others. My outline won't help you if you're in the valley but I'll write it out anyway, some people live elsewhere. 1/ Wake up early. Like daybreak early. 2/ Do not look at email, slack etc. No admin stuff at this point. 3/ Leisurely breakfast letting your mind wander. Historically cooked by wife, ymmv there. 4/ Spend the morning walking, thinking, writing things down. Especially write ideas down before lunch. 5/ It's midday. Optionally eat things. Open email. 6/ Entire afternoon is spent doing whatever "work" one found in the email. Put out the fires. Do the code reviews. Write whatever simple stuff seems to be required. 7/ It's evening. Try to forget the fires. Exercise helps. 8/ Spend the evening on research or socialising. Aim is to have interesting context for dreams. 9/ Sleep time. That is relatively new to me - couple of months or so - and working really well. Note the complete lack of family activities - either that overlaps the afternoon fires or the morning creativity, or both. Opportunity cost is rough. No creative work for you if there's a toddler or an unsupportive partner present. This morning-creative afternoon-productive split works really well if most of your colleagues are five hours west of you. They wake up in time to light things on fire. If they're five hours east, maybe swap the two blocks of time over. If they're in the same timezone and expect to talk to you all day, no creative work for you. Opportunity cost again. |