DEV Community

Cover image for Frank - How are you so productive?

Frank - How are you so productive?

Frank Rosner on January 23, 2025

Introduction Friends and colleagues often ask me: "Frank - How are you so productive?". While I don't have a silver bullet, I developed ...
Collapse
 
jess profile image
Jess Lee

These are great strategies, thanks for sharing!

Collapse
 
bbkr profile image
Paweł bbkr Pabian

I'd make one addition: Don't try to work against your biological clock.

I'm a nocturnal type. For me best deep focus work time is between 23:00 - 03:00. If your company allows to split working day as long as you get the job done - do it. There is no point of torturing yourself with coffee to do coding in zombie mode during typical work hours.

Collapse
 
frosnerd profile image
Frank Rosner

Totally! I'm also a nocturnal type, however, having kids made it impossible for me to work at these times. I found that I'm also productive in the morning though, so that's fine :)

Collapse
 
jonnyeom profile image
Jonny Eom

I appreciate how detailed it was!
Do you workout everyday after work? or is it a mid day thing?
Pomodoro. what do you do during your breaks? do you run your day based on timers if using pomodoro?

Collapse
 
frosnerd profile image
Frank Rosner

I am moving every day, not necessarily lifting weights or doing body weight exercises. I often use a timer with Pomodoro, to hold me accountable.

During my breaks, I empty the dishwasher, talk to my kid(s) or wife (she's working from home as well), stretch, do some push-ups or pull-ups.

I don't always use Pomodoro the entire day, but it helps to keep a consistent schedule wrt taking breaks.

Collapse
 
joeschr profile image
JoeSchr

Yeah, I found the hardest thing with pomodoro is to fill the breaks without losing focus or getting completely distracted

Thread Thread
 
frosnerd profile image
Frank Rosner

True! Before entering the break I am writing down what I will do in the next session (e.g. in my editor or google doc or on my ToDo list). That helps me get back into it right away.

Collapse
 
sailendhran_paramanandhan profile image
Sailendhran Paramanandhan

Thanks for sharing these techniques. Some of these are really helping me. I also see that few quick physical exercises during pomodoro 5 min breaks help us think more clearly and stay fresh and focused for another 25 mins.

Collapse
 
frosnerd profile image
Frank Rosner

Totally! I like doing some push ups or pull ups and stretching in the breaks :)

Collapse
 
urbanisierung profile image
Adam

Very useful insights, thanks a lot!

Collapse
 
rajeshroyal profile image
Rajesh Royal

This is what I do "Don't over-engineer. First, make it work, later make it right (if it has proven its value)"

Great article 👌

Collapse
 
frosnerd profile image
Frank Rosner

Yeah it's a very common productivity killer that I see. People tend to make things beautiful or highly performant before they have market fit.

Collapse
 
msnmongare profile image
Sospeter Mong'are

Thank you for sharing

Collapse
 
samuelfaure profile image
Samuel-Zacharie FAURE

Very good article, great work

For me a major productivity tool is to be mindful of stress, as it depletes your reserves quite fast for no gain.

Collapse
 
shotvpro profile image
Ankit Jain

Amazing and in-depth work! Thanks for sharing it with the community.

Collapse
 
rodrigo_castro_75fb1f532c profile image
Rodrigo Castro

agree with all the facs

Collapse
 
dark_mods_98bd256f134db46 profile image
Dark Mods

Frank Great article Man. The tips are practical and easy to implement. Definitely inspired to boost my productivity—thank you for sharing!

Collapse
 
frosnerd profile image
Frank Rosner

I'm glad you liked it! Please let me know how it goes :)

Some comments have been hidden by the post's author - find out more