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Disk maintenance small boost to productivity?
Merlin Mann | Nov 3 2005
Whenever I run DiskWarrior (starting-up from a CD), do an Applejack repair, or otherwise cause some event that renders my PowerBook temporarily unusable, I often find a few things happen:
There's any of a dozen reasons for all these, but I suspect there's commonality. My "mode" was disrupted, so on the one hand, I don't have access to Quicksilver, tab sets, bookmarks, scripts, and all the other things I've added to make my Mac more suited to my style (and theoretically faster for me to use). But, by the same token, forcing myself to abandon all that recursive familiarity winnows my distractions in some novel ways. I imagine I'm not the only one for whom this is true; I know Danny has at least one other account on his PowerBook for interruption-free writing mode. I've always loved writing in cafes -- I get to drink coffee, plus my brain seems to run a little differently when others are around. I dunno. Nothing earth-shattering to note, except that while constant modal change absolutely kills my day, an occasional shift can be just the smack I need to get something good happening. I wonder if a really hot-rodded setup sometimes serves just to help me blow time and practice bad habits more efficiently than I would without them. All I know is I enjoy the change, and I often return to the freshly-maintained PowerBook feeling more energized than I did when I left it. Maybe it's just the unexpected "sunshine" and "movement." You ever get anything like this? 12 Comments
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 My situation isn't the same...Submitted by Darren Chamberlain (not verified) on November 3, 2005 - 8:16am.
My situation isn't the same as what you're describing, but I understand how a change in environment can precipitate productivity. Until a recent cross-country move, I had a commute of over 1 hour in both directions, on a comfortable train. I would bring my laptop with me on every trip, and the time while un-networked was some of my most productive ever, without exception. I found it very easy to get into Deep Hack Mode for the entire length of the journey, and it would happen every single time I got on the train. I never quite figured out what it was that helped me, whether it was the lack of network connectivity (no distractions), lack of interruptions (again, no distractions), or the lack of expectations (I could work on whatever I wanted to). » POSTED IN:
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