{"id":29347,"date":"2024-08-27T12:27:38","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T10:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/?p=29347"},"modified":"2024-11-05T13:00:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T12:00:15","slug":"time-management-for-developers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/dev-life\/time-management-for-developers\/","title":{"rendered":"Got the Time: How a Dev Organizes Their Day While Trying to Stay Sane"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Time management for developers is a real challenge\u2014something we constantly strive to improve but struggle to measure. Where there\u2019s a need, someone is trying to fill it, although seldom<\/strong> for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Developer\u2019s Dilemma<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Agile, lean, scrum<\/a>, kanban\u2014they seem like components of “The Seven<\/strong>,” the antagonists from “The Boys.” From the outside, they look like superheroes promising to solve all problems, but as we know, some barely manage to solve their own. In contrast, others become schizophrenic nightmares with dictatorial rules that end up hurting anyone who crosses their path. And that\u2019s just team management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to solving a dev\u2019s problems, aside from therapy, you could read hundreds of books teaching you how to organize your life with manuals with quirky titles <\/strong>or mix the experiences of stay-at-home moms with those of Silicon Valley CTOs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that\u2019s what fascinates us about these Anglo-Saxon manuals, which are often copied here too. Fortunately, a European dev tends to be more cynical, despite sharing common problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Struggle with Distractions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These days, no task goes uninterrupted. Anyone who\u2019s tracked their phone usage shudders at the weekly screen time reports. The worst part is that the time spent on the phone multiplies with the time it takes for the brain to get back to what it was doing before posting that picture of the neighbor\u2019s cat. Neuroscientists estimate a recovery time of about 30 minutes. And that\u2019s not counting the quality of work, which suffers significantly when constantly interrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re like me and spend about three hours a day on your phone, your guilt is directly proportional to the mountain of work piling up<\/strong>. Usually, I react with drastic measures, like removing all social apps from my phone (except LinkedIn, which I “need” for work), reactivating the Pomodoro app to block distracting sites during focused work sessions, and cursing spam calls. I even have a picture of Cal Newport on my desktop as a reminder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once I calm down, I try to do things right and review my notes on how to clean up the mess. Naturally, Cal, staring from my desktop, points me back to his “deep work” principles: working in a state of distraction-free focus to maximize productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cal, who lives without social media and therefore writes books as if there\u2019s no tomorrow, summarizes everything in four rules:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Work Deeply:<\/strong> Newport provides strategies for building deep work habits, like setting aside dedicated time blocks and creating a distraction-free environment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Embrace Boredom:<\/strong> Train your mind to resist distractions and tolerate boredom, improving your concentration ability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Quit Social Media:<\/strong> Reduce or eliminate social media use to minimize distractions and maximize work time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Minimize Shallow Work:<\/strong> Cut down on time spent on activities that don\u2019t significantly contribute to your professional goals.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Time Management and Priorities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    So, out go the social apps, the notifications, email checks every 30 minutes, and ruthless cuts on unnecessary calls. In the office, be the first to take the coffee break and decline all others; your liver will thank you. If you work from home, fend off your spouse and lock the fridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re bored, you could watch old national team matches or read condo notices\u2014anything will make a training video on YouTube feel like “Fast and Furious.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Franklin Matrix<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The infamous Franklin matrix helps prioritize tasks. Cillian Murphy could demonstrate the four quadrants with different moods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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