- Jumping-jacks. Everyone thinks this sounds really lame, but it works. 5-10 jj's when I'm getting sleepy perks me right up.
- I take a short walk around my building. Moving around, getting a little fresh air, and most importantly, getting a little sunshine really wakes me up.
- I almost always go to the far-away bathroom. My legs start to fall asleep if I'm at my desk too long, so it's good to get frequent "exercise snacks".
- No reading bloglines unless I'm eating, which is how I define an official break. I think keeping focused on a single task rather than flitting among distractions is a good thing, but it's so hard. I haven't decided if this one really helps or just makes me bored.
- Having my breaks really be breaks, and making myself wait for them until a specific time or I've met a specific goal.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Butt in chair, eyes open
Alice Academic posted an interesting question: How do you stop yourself from ramping up the coffee when you have a deadline? She has increased her coffee intake in recent months, wants to cut back, yet worries that she'll need it to get through her summer writing goals. Personally, I only drink coffee first thing in the morning, at which point it is the most delicious substance I can fathom, whereas later in the day it has the appeal of sewage sludge. But the core problem -- needing a boost to make the writing happen -- is common. When I'm not working in the lab, I do suffer from the antsy pantsies or, conversely, drooping eyelids. Here are some ways that I deal with it:
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9 comments:
I try not to amp up my caffeine intake, but I usually don't do so well. What I do is try to substitute something with lower caffeine content for my afternoon fix (like tea or half-caff coffee). But I might try the jumping jacks thing. At the very least it'd amuse Labmate and Advisor. :-)
I'm with you on the coffee - I love it in the morning, and hate it any other time of day. More than 1 cup and I just feel icky.
I set a timer, literally or on my computer, and make myself sit there for at least 30mins. Usually by the time I get one 30 minute chunk down, I can keep going.
If I'm really unfocused, after 60mins I take a 20 min break and do something "fun"
One trick is to eliminate all excuses to get distracted - respond to all urgent email, eat if you are hungry, go to the restroom, get a glass of water to sip on. Try to get people to stop interrupting you (this is a big challenge for me since I share an office and don't like to write without a full-sized screen). Clear your screen of anything other than the document you are writing, and start outlining, doodling, throwing down keywords, reordering, filling in sentences.
I also find it easier to focus on the days I have already gone to work out and had my morning coffee (I try to abstain the rest of the day or substitute with tea).
I do word counts (or slide counts!). Goading myself towards a goal forces me to keep moving forward on a writing task, whether it's a lecture prep, thesis, or grant proposal.
I take a gingko supplement (as a pill or in the form of Think-O tm tea). Using a timer works for me most consistently. I can work for 1 hr straight with it. Otherwise, I convince myself to take a break after 20 minutes. Discipline is not my best quality. The timer is nice because I can quantify how much work I've really done, instead of "I worked all afternoon...' and took breaks all the time.
I think your last point about breaks being real breaks is really important.
I've been working seven days a week lately and burning out. Sunday, I took a whole day off and went on a day trip to Oxford with some friends where we may or may not have proceeded to have a few dozen pints a piece. I felt a little guilty, but then today I was SUPER productive.
Also, as far as the coffee, I can't help. I would like an IV drip to administer caffeine and chocolate in regular intervals.
It sounds like we're all in the same boat, and using many of the same strategies.
Isn't it weird how we can be working on something that we find totally compelling and really fulfilling, and yet it is a struggle to get through each 30 min of it? I'm always counting down how much I have left to do of something, even when it's stuff I like. That paradox drives me crazy!
Two words: cold room. By which I mean a walk-in refrigerator. Five minutes in there and I'm too cold to be sleepy! :-)
I also promise myself little rewards if I get X amount of stuff done--chocolate, a break to chat with labmates, reading a few blog posts.... Did I mention chocolate?
Thanks for this post, EGF. I've been trying some of the different strategies in your post and the comments here this week! I'm still hopelessly addicted to coffee, but I have managed to cut back quite a bit this week. Your points about jumping jacks and walking around made me pay a bit more attention to the exercise component of my week, which I have upped to once a day, with some amazing results. Good luck with your summer writing!
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