Unlike almost every other geek, I want only one monitor. When I sit down at a desk with a monitor, the laptop’s lid gets closed. For me, it works better to keep things simple. In fact, there’s usually only one window showing on my one monitor. I’ve found through a few months of experimentation that the fewer distractions I have visible, the better I’m able to focus. It seems obvious now that I write it out, but it was a hard thing to figure out in a culture of pervasive multitasking.

This discovery has prompted a lot of changes in my workflow. I installed Spirited Away and use it almost constantly so I don’t have to think about only keeping one window open. Instead of using Freckle’s built-in timer for tracking my work, I use Tictoc so my timer is visible. That’s one thing that should stay in my face! Last but not least, whenever I can, I use paper.

When I’m meetings with clients, I’m taking notes in a paper notebook. I find it easy to write and listen at the same time, but switch to typing and I’m lost! While I’m working, I’m constantly taking notes: how wide each of those columns needs to be, questions to ask the client, potential bugs I’ve found. It’s all in the notebook. I’ve even been known to write code on paper when I’m trying to plan out a solution to a bigger problem.

These techniques are things I’ve discovered by constantly iterating on how I work. I pick something to try, and I run with it. Sometimes I discover a great new way to work and sometimes it flops. But without constantly seeking ways to improve, there would never be any progress.

What techniques do you use to help get things done?

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I came to Highgroove from a fairly large corporation and it seems like every time I turn around, I’m struck by the difference between my work now, and my work as it was before. So, I started trying to answer the question “what makes it so different?” I come in to the office every day, I sit down at my desk, I write code, and then I go home. But, because Highgroove is a ROWE I realized there’s something different about every one of those steps.

I come in to the office every day. I used to have to be in the office by 9 o’clock every morning for a meeting. Now, I don’t actually have to come in to the office every day. I like to come in to the office, though. There’s lots of good stuff here: awesome Arden’s Garden smoothies, good music playing, and good company. But if the weather’s bad, or I need to be home to sign for a package, or I’ve got some errands I need to run during the day, I don’t have to go in.

I sit down at my desk. It used to be I’d sit down at a shared pairing station every morning. These days, I have a desk of my own again. This is one thing that was a much bigger adjustment than I was expecting; I hadn’t realized how much I’d come to rely on pair programming. It struck me the most while trying to learn a new framework. I would be looking at the documentation, looking back at my code, and the whole time feeling like I was missing half my brain. Now that I’ve figured out it’s the external brain I’m missing, I can start training myself back into my solo programming habits.

I write code. I used to work off of a big task board. Everyone on the team did the same. We’d start at the top, and work our way down. Now, I have to balance my time between different projects. My first month, I was swapping off working on three different projects and trying to balance my time between them, and in some cases planning what work needs to be done as well. I love the flexibility and variety I get working this way, but it also takes a lot more forethought and self-discipline.

And then I go home. The flip side of getting in at 9 every morning was walking out the door at 6 every day. When there’s no time you have to be at work, it’s very easy to fall into a habit of having no time when you’re not at work, either. These days, it’s not unusual to find me working at home in the evenings, or on the weekend if there’s a lot of work to be done.

I’m learning how to give myself just enough of a schedule to know when I’m working, but not so much that I can’t adjust it when I need to. I’m learning to balance my time between projects, and make sure I still find time for the non-client work (like this blog!) and for just having fun with my coworkers. There’s still a lot to figure out, but I’m having a great time doing it!

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