Being Watched +4-7 - This can depend on who the other person is and the situation. I don’t like paired programming since I’m an introverted thinker, and I find it really distracting. When there is someone else in the room doing work, it motivates me to do more work. I find the reverse can be true as well. If I’m around a bunch of people who are slacking off, I become less motivated.
Cripple your Internet +5 - This is a pretty effective technique, but I have a hard time being consistent with this at all.
One thing I’ve noticed is that my akrasia, as well as productivity, seem to have an inertia. Its not necessarily that I always have an urge to procrastinate, but if I am not being productive, it is always easier to open a browser and start procrastinating than to start working.
I try to arrange my tasks in a way that I can keep a productive inertia.
Make sure all tasks are well defined with clear starting points and goals.
Try to break a task up into smaller tasks that can be completed in less than a day.
Arrange tasks so they build off of the work I just completed, I try not to switch between unrelated work more than a few times in a single day.
When starting a project, I start with a few easy tasks that I know can be completed quickly. This helps frame my mind for work.
Similarly, before I stop working for the night, I try to set leave myself an easy problem to solve than would lead into something larger. When I know exactly how to accomplish something, there is less resistance to starting the task. A lot of times it is easier to continue working than to start working.
By far, what I’ve found to be most motivating is to be working with people who themselves are very motivated about the work. I am a very competitive person. This can be a good thing with the right group.
Being Watched +4-7 - This can depend on who the other person is and the situation. I don’t like paired programming since I’m an introverted thinker, and I find it really distracting. When there is someone else in the room doing work, it motivates me to do more work. I find the reverse can be true as well. If I’m around a bunch of people who are slacking off, I become less motivated.
Cripple your Internet +5 - This is a pretty effective technique, but I have a hard time being consistent with this at all.
One thing I’ve noticed is that my akrasia, as well as productivity, seem to have an inertia. Its not necessarily that I always have an urge to procrastinate, but if I am not being productive, it is always easier to open a browser and start procrastinating than to start working.
I try to arrange my tasks in a way that I can keep a productive inertia. Make sure all tasks are well defined with clear starting points and goals. Try to break a task up into smaller tasks that can be completed in less than a day. Arrange tasks so they build off of the work I just completed, I try not to switch between unrelated work more than a few times in a single day. When starting a project, I start with a few easy tasks that I know can be completed quickly. This helps frame my mind for work.
Similarly, before I stop working for the night, I try to set leave myself an easy problem to solve than would lead into something larger. When I know exactly how to accomplish something, there is less resistance to starting the task. A lot of times it is easier to continue working than to start working.
By far, what I’ve found to be most motivating is to be working with people who themselves are very motivated about the work. I am a very competitive person. This can be a good thing with the right group.