Analog and digital desks
Two work surfaces, with nothing electronic allowed on the first one
Split the workspace in two. One desk holds pens, pencils, paper and scissors, and nothing electronic goes on it. The other holds the computer and whatever else the job needs. Rough work starts at the first desk; editing, publishing and sending happen at the second. People who work this way say the barrier is physical rather than a matter of willpower, since checking a feed means standing up and moving to different furniture.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Austin KleonDoes it
Writer and artist · Steal Like an Artist
Two desks in the office. The analog one holds markers, pens, pencils, paper and newspaper, with nothing electronic allowed on it, which he says is how he keeps himself off Twitter. Editing and publishing happen at the other one.
Source: AustinKleon.com: A look at my office and some recent interviews“The analog desk has nothing but markers, pens, pencils, paper, and newspaper.”
AustinKleon.com: A look at my office and some recent interviews (opens in a new tab) · 11 Jun 2011
Aimed at the same thing
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Environment design
Change the room instead of relying on willpower
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Time blocking
Give every hour of the workday a job before the day starts
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Deep work blocks
Long, scheduled, distraction-free sessions on one cognitively hard task
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Deliberate wandering
Unplanned, inefficient exploration kept on purpose as the counterweight to efficiency
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Digital declutter
A 30-day break from optional tech, then reintroduce deliberately
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 recommend it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Hard thinking before lunch
Book the mentally demanding work for the morning and stop making big calls late in the day
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it
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