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Cutting away Distractions

Ryan Norton on July 21, 2017

At the time of this post, I wouldn't call myself a developer. My experience in coding involves one Python, SQL, and two Java courses so far. At bes...
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Jean Bernard

The world is very noisy right now, notifications everywhere! Best tip is to only open the browser tabs that you need for work/study and put down that damn phone.

The world isn't going to end if you just take 45 minutes of pure concentration.

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Cristiano

Tip: Try to get into a relaxed mood before study, use affirmations and let your purpose clear, e.g. "I am studying this lecture to understand better the java structure." This little tip shall help you a lot.

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Ryan Norton

Sweet! I'll try that today! Thanks!

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Denis Borisevich • Edited

I have this distraction problem too. I have found some sort of a cure for it — pomodoro technique. It's much easier to find willpower to fully concentrate for a short period of time (25 minutes by default) than for some undefined prolonged period. And these 5 minute breaks between working sets could be treated as 'rewards' when you can read Twitter, Reddit, etc. or even better stand from your desk, stretch a little.
Good luck!

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Ryan Norton

I'll be trying this tonight! 👍

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Jimmy

I'm surprised it's just your phone. I face all kinds of distraction from my laptop, and the most prominent are emails, Youtube and Twitter. Hard to run away from that. And various things work for me at various moments. Sometimes I just block these sites and news sites, and I can mostly work in peace. Yet not always, and then my concentration is usually doomed. Sometimes for the whole day. So I'm really glad that you found something that works for you!

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Ryan Norton

Thanks! I think the phone is the strongest source of distraction simply because I'm in such a habit of having in in my hands all day long, regardless of whether I'm near a computer. Youtube used to be a big weakness for me as well, though not nearly as bad as the social media traffic that seems to compel me to just scroll and scroll.

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James Hood

Great post and totally agreed! Just recently read this interview where Christopher Nolan says he doesn't even allow phones on set.

esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a...

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Ryan Norton

"The illusion of multitasking"
Boy is this a true statement! I have found that multitasking is such a downfall for me, especially in my journey of learning code! It requires all your attention!

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David Prothero

Nice post! Really good personal insights here and definitely worth sharing. I've learned similar strategies to trying to maintain focus, but it's so easy to fall back into old habits. Thanks for the reminder and encouragement.

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Ryan Norton

I appreciate all the feedback. I've only joined DEV for a short while. Definitely a fantastic source of encouragement!

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Jonathan Boudreau

Biggest distraction for me is background noise. We have an open floor at my work and even with headphones I have a hard time to focus.

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alt (Guna)

good luck :)

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Andy Zhao (he/him)

Thanks for sharing! It helps me a lot to hear others having similar problems like distractions, and motivates me to get less distracted.