It’s Flow Time
September 22nd, 2006 (9:18am) Liz Gannes 8 Comments
Om recommended I read a blog post by Michael Buffington on getting things done. I would say that’s a bad thing, coming from my boss… except lately he’s been bugging me about working too much. Anyways, the post seems like a good topic for us web workers, though we aren’t able to control our work environment quite as well as Michael, who prefers a cold office.
His other must-haves: sound-isolating headphones, familiar music, Pepsi, competition, and deadlines. His commenters add green tea, Vitamin B, and exercise, as well as a long list of books.
Michael talks about flow as a transitory, elusive state — so his objective is to control his environment enough to foster that state. I find that’s a big challenge for larger projects, but since so much of my work now consists of quick and time-sensitive spurts of research and writing, I don’t have to be quite so deliberate about my surroundings and caffeine intake. Or maybe that’s just because this is a new job for me and I haven’t stalled out yet!
It’s interesting to compare a worker to an athlete…reminds me of a college friend’s obsession with Phil Jackson and his modified-Zen coaching philosophies.
So what’s your productivity secret?
8 Comments Post your own comment
T-MobileWeb on your Laptop says: September 22nd, 2006 10:17am
Well I find this a little confusing. The “Getting things done” forwards you to what looks like a page for a motivational speaker?
OH!!!! We can purcahse a blog post. Got it.
Please let us know how much a blog entry talking extensively about our services cost. There are a couple of us that wouldn’t mind paying.
Xavier Casanova says: September 22nd, 2006 11:01am
I try to “recharge” my batteries once a day - personally there is nothing like a good 50-minute run to purge all negativity and go back to work with new ideas and renewed energy. Lately, I’ve been running after dinner (yes, at night) they I get 2-3 hours of very productive work from home.
Adam Lindsay says: September 22nd, 2006 11:11am
Gettings Things Done (GTD) is one of the most popular books of its type. In short it is about getting organized with lists of actions so that you don’t spend time dwealing on them. (That is about the shortest description ever of GTD) I read the book recently and strongly recommend it to all.
There have been mountains bloged about it and apps and processors to support it. Backpack has become a big tool of GTD’rs.
Phil says: September 26th, 2006 3:41am
Hey guys!
I found a new blog: http://chrisgoestomiami.blogspot.com
Check this site out, it`s so awesome!
Greets,
Phil
Rex Dixon says: September 26th, 2006 1:35pm
I think I’ve already “sponsored” web worker daily in my podcasts and blog! hahaha.. I think soon I will get feedback saying “Why are you harping that web worker daily web site and that dude Om all the time!?!?” Cuz Om pays me too! NOT! :)
Rex
Technically Speaking (blog) - http://rexdixon.wordpress.com/
7 Minutes with Rex Dixon - (cyberears.com) - http://www.cyberears.com/index.php/Show/audio/157
7 Minutes with Rex Dixon - (clickcaster.com) - http://www.clickcaster.com/rex-dixon
GigaOM » What’s on WebWorkerDaily? says: September 29th, 2006 3:58pm
[...] Its Flow Time [...]
Travis R says: September 30th, 2006 4:10pm
I think the best way to get into the “flow” is to just decide exactly what you are going to do. Some small deliverable task that you can finish in your “flow” session. For example, “I am going to write a blog post about X”. Once you’ve made that decision and it’s in your head, then it’s easy to stay focused until the task is done. If you get distracted by something like checking your email, you can get back into the flow easily because you already decided what your current task is.
http://www.neverdone.com
Never Done » Blog Archive » Get into the Zone says: October 29th, 2006 12:16pm
[...] I was reading this post on Web Worker Daily about “flow” (aka productivity) and I thought I would share how I get into the “flow” or “zone” as I like to call it. [...]