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Discussion on: The distraction's killer

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Karan

The problem I see is that your "break" still involves an electronic screen (either your laptop or mobile). This is one of the most common mistakes I see at work.

Electronic screens are distracting - especially social media. So even though its technically not working - it still leaves you drained at the end of the break.

My suggestion is to keep the way you are taking your breaks but instead physically move to a different space while on a break. This could be going on a balcony/play area etc.

Its important to not use a mobile phone or any such thing. Look outside at trees, people watching etc. get lost in your own thoughts. It allows your mind to unwind and rest and do whatever it wants.

You will surprised at how effective it is.

If you need any more help - feel free to reach out to me here or on twitter.


PS - I am all about applying such mindfulness techniques as above to workplace in order to become a more productive engineer. I am writing a book (self.debug) about it and I think it will help you as you start your software engineering journey. You can download it here. It has a free option if you want to use one - but I absolutely love it when readers pay for it - nothing encourages an author more than people willing to pay for their work.