On motivation, efficiency and time control - a view from the non-obvious side
A great number of articles have already been written about the motivation and efficiency (or inefficiency) of the work. Let's try to look at it in a new way. More scientifically and at the same time practical.
Let's start with the obvious facts. So:
The brain, though not a muscle, but to draw an analogy of mental work with the gym is very appropriate. Jumping in front of the rope with a rope is one thing, doing the maximum amount of exercise with maximum weight is quite another (and it hurts). And let's not forget that the brain consumes 20% of the body's energy and the amount of this energy depends on whether we are sleeping or writing code.
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And the most important point. The fact is that the brain “does not know” what you are busy with at the moment. From the point of view of the “brain muscles” there is no division into programming, watching a movie or reading a book. Thinking about the algorithm of a program can be similar to studying a foreign language grammar, refactoring to have a similar pattern with a detective reading, and finding bugs for the brain is similar, for example, driving a car (of course, in fact the fragmentation of functions is smaller, and the analogies here are very individual).
What conclusions do I see? The most important thing is to plan the work taking into account these features of the brain. No one will do a workout in the gym with push-ups, a press and a boxing bag in a row, especially if immediately after this you have to solder the microprocessor to the board. It is not necessary to plan abstract actions like “work” or “program”, but to take into account the states of consciousness and the brain necessary for this work specifically for you. Not at any time of the day, and not at any day you can do any work. It is necessary to reconcile with this and not to swim against the current, but to engage in competent planning, taking into account not your formal external classification of activity, but your individual physiological brain sensations. A person must be aware of when the process is proceeding efficiently and on autopilot, and when it is necessary to turn on the "fast and the furious". And to track when, instead of the brain “afterburner”, World of Tanks or News vk is turned on by itself as a safety device.
It is possible that “motivating” articles and detailed plans do not work precisely because they trigger a brain pattern - calm, repetition, cozy orderliness, while the work requires us to learn the unknown and painfully create new connections in the brain. For really effective motivation, you need to prepare yourself not to “learn English verbs,” “HTML layout,” or “comment the code in the GIT.” Understand what brain mode is needed and what causes the problem. You can either replace the mode of operation with another one, or consciously prepare for the “pain” in the “brain muscles”, after which a pleasant phase of relaxation begins. If the hand hurts from the monotonous sawing of firewood, then it is necessary either not to cut, but to chop fun, or to consciously dose the same painful movements, increasing the load day by day.
And finally - there are modes of the brain that cause the depletion of the resource after a minute or two. That is, after a minute of work, we have to make a choice - a ten-minute shift in activity or a painful procrastination.
Perhaps the article will seem controversial to many, especially due to the lack of statistics and links, but here we must either provide each phrase with a link, or not at all. Immediately answer - no, I'm not a psychologist. Yes, I have long worked exclusively as a freelancer in a complex and creative profession that requires long-term (for months and years) planning. Yes, I not only read about the brain and engaged in self-observation, but also, for example, took an electroencephalogram from my own copy in various stages of creative work, which I warmly recommend to everyone.
Let's start with the obvious facts. So:
- We have one brain.
- The brain works differently, depending on what you do.
- There are “pleasant” processes (for example, habitual actions, communication with benevolently adjusted people or something connected with moderate physical activity).
- There is an “unpleasant” activity of the brain that causes almost painful sensations (for example, the initial period of studying a completely new foreign language or programming language for you).
- We strive to minimize discomfort.
- Dreams and Wishlist are basically a desire for certain forms of the brain and states of consciousness, and not at all situational achievements (although we usually think differently).
The brain, though not a muscle, but to draw an analogy of mental work with the gym is very appropriate. Jumping in front of the rope with a rope is one thing, doing the maximum amount of exercise with maximum weight is quite another (and it hurts). And let's not forget that the brain consumes 20% of the body's energy and the amount of this energy depends on whether we are sleeping or writing code.
')
And the most important point. The fact is that the brain “does not know” what you are busy with at the moment. From the point of view of the “brain muscles” there is no division into programming, watching a movie or reading a book. Thinking about the algorithm of a program can be similar to studying a foreign language grammar, refactoring to have a similar pattern with a detective reading, and finding bugs for the brain is similar, for example, driving a car (of course, in fact the fragmentation of functions is smaller, and the analogies here are very individual).
What conclusions do I see? The most important thing is to plan the work taking into account these features of the brain. No one will do a workout in the gym with push-ups, a press and a boxing bag in a row, especially if immediately after this you have to solder the microprocessor to the board. It is not necessary to plan abstract actions like “work” or “program”, but to take into account the states of consciousness and the brain necessary for this work specifically for you. Not at any time of the day, and not at any day you can do any work. It is necessary to reconcile with this and not to swim against the current, but to engage in competent planning, taking into account not your formal external classification of activity, but your individual physiological brain sensations. A person must be aware of when the process is proceeding efficiently and on autopilot, and when it is necessary to turn on the "fast and the furious". And to track when, instead of the brain “afterburner”, World of Tanks or News vk is turned on by itself as a safety device.
It is possible that “motivating” articles and detailed plans do not work precisely because they trigger a brain pattern - calm, repetition, cozy orderliness, while the work requires us to learn the unknown and painfully create new connections in the brain. For really effective motivation, you need to prepare yourself not to “learn English verbs,” “HTML layout,” or “comment the code in the GIT.” Understand what brain mode is needed and what causes the problem. You can either replace the mode of operation with another one, or consciously prepare for the “pain” in the “brain muscles”, after which a pleasant phase of relaxation begins. If the hand hurts from the monotonous sawing of firewood, then it is necessary either not to cut, but to chop fun, or to consciously dose the same painful movements, increasing the load day by day.
And finally - there are modes of the brain that cause the depletion of the resource after a minute or two. That is, after a minute of work, we have to make a choice - a ten-minute shift in activity or a painful procrastination.
Perhaps the article will seem controversial to many, especially due to the lack of statistics and links, but here we must either provide each phrase with a link, or not at all. Immediately answer - no, I'm not a psychologist. Yes, I have long worked exclusively as a freelancer in a complex and creative profession that requires long-term (for months and years) planning. Yes, I not only read about the brain and engaged in self-observation, but also, for example, took an electroencephalogram from my own copy in various stages of creative work, which I warmly recommend to everyone.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/315066/
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