Posts tagged balance
On Teleworking, Attention, and the Cost of Distraction
Aug 6th
I never really provided any closure to my three days of Telework posts. Those days were definitely the most productive days I’ve had as a developer in a long time. In my role I am often more than just a developer so shunning all responsibility to write code is not possible. The key to successful teleworking for me is still being reachable and responsive and I think I was able to achieve that during those three days. Over the next few weeks I’ll be continuing to work 3-4 days from home through the end of this current project.
Thus far we over-delivered on what we originally promised and found ourselves in good shape on the project. From the project manager’s perspective he was extremely happy with the results and is a supporter of project based teleworking (he already supports it on another project). One of the senior developers I worked with was also at home on a day or two and we were able to effectively work via e-mail and a few calls on land lines. Our tasks required lots of collaboration and we were very successful in that.
Which leads me to the real crux of why I would want to Telework at all. Yes, I like the people in my office and I do enjoy being there. But it is very difficult to control my environment and my attention. I do not have a door on my cube. I have not found a good hiding spot where I can take a laptop and disappear. Other than putting on headphones or hanging a sign, I cannot control access to my attention which leads to distractions.
At the end of the day my "job" is to ensure that we deliver quality software that works for our customers. During a real time crunch, thorough documentation and other process items may get left in the dust because the end result is a system that works for our customers. Some things can be documented after the release. Late software is not useful for customers.
In order for a developer to effectively deliver quality software it requires a lot of attention. Programming itself requires extensive use of short-term memory. Disrupting that is like clearing the ram on your PC, its lost and it will take time to get it back (hang on while I load Lotus Notes again). Large uninterrupted blocks of time are a valuable resource to developers. When those are attained productivity can easily double or more. 4 uninterrupted hours is easily equivalent to 8 hours at the office with distractions.
While these thoughts were floating around in my head Merlin Mann posted this gem about author Neal Stephenson. Stephenson is admittedly a bad corresponder when it comes to answering fan mail. Merlin’s commentary sums up what is at issue here and that is access to a person’s attention. If Neal Stephenson answered all his fan mail, he would never write another novel.
When you can control access to your attention I believe you can achieve more faster but still allow time to people who need your attention. How you do that will make all the difference in the perception of your responsiveness which is the real key to making this successful.
By teleworking I am controlling access to my attention, letting me focus solely on deliverables. Part of my balancing act will continue to be maintaining a level of responsiveness to satisfy even the most demanding of my attention (like my two-year-old daughter).
The Empty Mind
Jun 28th
When I was in high school I spent quite a bit of time studying martial arts and some eastern philosophy. Some of the concepts taught are truly counter-intuitive to what the we in the west are used to. Our minds are truly the most powerful tool in existence. Minds can also be very busy. Quieting the mind is perhaps the most difficult but rewarding skill to master.
In addition to my day job I also am consulting with my previous employer on their new web site and other technology matters. I have two kids, a wife, a house and I think I can honestly say just about every minute of my day can be filled with things I need to do and even some things I want to do. Since my son was born in May I have spent the majority of my time with my 2-year-old daughter, working, or traveling to LLF seminars. Most of us won’t argue with some extra income but the fact of the matter is that there is a point where the money and the time are not reconciling.
Today I had some real bonding time with my son. He fell asleep in my arms and I sat back in our easy chair (for a 6 week old that is probably as much bonding as you can get…other than changing diapers). The first impulse was to think about all the stuff that I ’should’ be doing. The dishes. my time sheet. the kitchen floor. I need to call someone about our siding. Finish the remaining administrative sections for LCLS’ web site. And on, and on. I did this for about 10 minutes when I finally had a little moment of clarity. The things I need to do are all written down in a notebook with my work bag. They aren’t going anywhere. I decided for the next 15 minutes I would do absolutely nothing other than provide a comfortable spot for my son to sleep. He slept and I actually zoned out for a bit myself.
My wife came over to see if I wanted to set him down on the couch to let him sleep. Often times this backfires but it seems to be working for now. Which leads me to this post.
What if I could do this on command, whenever I needed? What benefit could I see when I’m struggling with the next gray area in a new architecture or trying to achieve a little balance? Sometimes when things are at the most hectic a little clarity may go a long way.
I use music a lot in daily activities and I think I’ll give this a try. Music already helps my focus and I think in combination with an empty mind it could really help give my brain the break it needs to solve the next problem.
