Mindset
Concentration for Software Engineers
How to be more effective in less time
Note: also applies to similarly work which requires more heavy concentration
You don’t have to be “visible” all the time
A construction worker for example could say I build this house in X days (or weeks or months). And it’s clear for everyone the worker build this, it’s completely measurable.
But for code developers (or engineers), it’s slightly different. They also produce stuff, but it can also be technical debt and other not visible or completely measurable tasks. Because of this, developers can’t really show how much they deliver.
So some of them will be doing a certain thing:
Being visible as much as possible to managers. They answer their email instantly, attend every meeting, always burst with (unnecessary) information in meetings, and constantly have the newest ideas in the office.
With this approach, you have the idea you are doing really well. But most of the time, you are not. All the concentration required for writing code is constantly interrupted by these events. I’m not saying you shouldn’t read your email or not attend meetings anymore but only do it if it improves your actual work. Not just to be visible in your company.
Have focus time
Plan regular time for yourself to fully focus on tasks that require heavy concentration, in this period you should not be interrupted. When you really have the concentration for let’s say two, three, or even four hours, you will be more fulfilled. In the time you should aim for a “flow” state.
An empirical study showed that if you have more flow experiences, people seem more satisfied with their life. This of course is not applied to everyone. It’s the state of mind where you lose track of time and really produce much in a short time.
Some offices have closed cubicles, if your office doesn’t have one, then I would recommend seeking an empty meeting room and locking yourself for some hours. Or if you are working remotely, seek a place where you can sit alone and don’t have excess noise.
After this focus time, when you will be able to produce more, you will enough time to socially engage with your co-workers or put the time into the “lighter” tasks which doesn’t require much thinking.
Best of both worlds, but separated instead of mixed.
Detox from instant pleasure
A phone call, a text message, an email, your favorite social media timeline, even a laugh with co-workers, or some other “instant pleasure” will keep you from concentration, focus, and so less effective production. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be doing this thing entirely, but keep them outside your focus time.
None of these will contribute when you are in a state of flow. But when you are finished with focus time, You can do what you want as long and as much as you like.
You need to have the ability to not admit to triggers and endlessly scroll through social media.
Email, Teams, WhatsApp, Signal, or your favorite podcast, put them on ‘do not disturb’ mode. If you lose concentration, then you will focus more on what’s going wrong than what’s going well. A not-in-depth workday is neurologically an exhausting day, even if some tasks sound good or innocent.
So for concentration, have regular focus time, don’t admit to instant pleasure, and stop being visible all the time. Have a good day! I hope you have learned something new today. If you found this post useful, please tap 50 times the 👏 button and follow me for more content.
