[jcla1]

Do not underestimate the urge to procrastinate (by still doing productive things, like learning Mandarin) while pursuing a PhD.

I am not sure if this will be the author's experience too, but pursuing a PhD will often leave you exhausted without any hope of ever finding "the final missing ingredient" to solve the problem you are currently tackling. So turning to entirely unrelated problems, however productive they may seem to outsides, suddenly becomes an attractive alternative in order to procrastinate.

[TheEzEzz]

I wrote my own dynamic keyboard layout to optimize typing speed while procrastinating on my dissertation.

15 years later I'm still using it. My dissertation not so much.

Procrastination is (sometimes) awesome.

[andai]

>I find that when someone's taking time to do something right in the present, they're a perfectionist with no ability to prioritize, whereas when someone took time to do something right in the past, they're a master artisan of great foresight.

-xkcd 974

[AlchemistCamp]

Structured procrastination is highly underrated.

[PaulDavisThe1st]

It is so underrated, that I have been led to put off doing more structured procrastination until I have more time. If more people had told me how great it could be, I would be doing it now!

[chairmansteve]

Dynamic keyboard layout?

What is that? The keys change place?

[pabloescobyte]

Probably using a QMK firmware-based keyboard where you can access different layers and shortcuts.

I'm using one right now (though mine runs off ZMK which is similar but wireless) which is a split with just 42 keys. The rest--numbers, symbols, function keys, etc. are all under layers. The layout is dynamic because holding down different keys makes the layout 'change' as you do so. Holding down the left spacebar and pressing 'Z' sends 'F1' to the computer while holding down another key on the right half turns my WER/SDF/XCV keys into a Numpad, etc.

[b112]

Side effect, no one knows your passwords, even if they watch you type!

[layman51]

I have never heard of "left spacebar" before. Sounds very interesting. So there can be two different spacebars on your keyboard?

[leereeves]

Some ergonomic keyboards are split between to the two hands (usually attached, but not always) and have a spacebar key for each hand.

But I always thought both keys sent the same signal to the computer.

[volemo]

Yes, both keys send the same key code to the computer, however, pabloescobyte said they’re using ZMK, so the left/right space bar distinction is happening on the level of the keyboard controller.

[fivestones]

Can you share this keyboard layout with us? Sounds amazing

[FrustratedMonky]

Sounds like custom hot-keys in a video game

[niek_pas]

I am currently learning to color grade, am an active bedroom musician, enjoy cooking and learning about food science, and am training for my first half marathon alongside my PhD. The side project thing is definitely real.

[shepherdjerred]

Having something to procrastinate on is half the reason I’m going to grad school while working full time.

It truly is an excellent hack.

[accurrent]

Same here. I don't know how to fix my PhD, so let me just make my sponsor's code run faster and make a hundreds of open source PRs...

[Agingcoder]

I’m not sure it’s procrastination. Years ago, when struggling with maths , I learned juggling ( 5 balls, tricks etc ) and ended up spending quite a bit of time on it every single day.

In practice, it made me feel very good, more relaxed, because I was able to learn something new and make progress rapidly - self confidence was back. The maths soon got unstuck and life became good.

[leemailll]

haha, so true. I had the same experience while in graduate school.