this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2023
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[Outdated, please look at pinned post] Casual Conversation

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I can't multitask very well. But I can pipeline very well.

Lineup tasks so that they're very efficiently done. Exploit geographic locality. Plan out the day so you know what can be batched together.

I brush my teeth in the shower, simply because it's easier. There's already water there. And you have to let your shampoo soak in any way. That's just pipelining

Having a task list is great, you can use Google tasks, or a calendar app, or just a notepad. You don't have to respond to every message as soon as it comes in. You can batch up all your instant messages till the end of the day and respond to them once a day. That's fine.

Don't let your email inbox be a task list. Keep your inbox empty at all times. Read it and then decide if it needs to be dealt with, make a task. The needs a response send the response immediately even if it's I'll get back to you if the data later. Then you'll have a workable task list to batch and pipeline for day.

Don't let other people's asynchronous communication interrupt you. Unless there's a phone call, it can wait. And if people are calling you you better make it clear to them it has to be an emergency.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Thx for the term. Is there a guide, a wiki with principles and examples of scheduling? I do SRS review before sleep and exercise right after studying to aid memorization (via 2 different mechanisms), but I'm sure missing something else.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

There's a million guides. I can't recommend anyone specific. All my ideas of pipelining come from computer science books.

If you're constantly evaluating your life, or your day, and thinking about how you could have done something more efficiently. You're on the right track. Don't over-optimize don't overanalyze, but if you see easy wins take them.

Don't overlook the power of no! You don't have to do everything. There's a lot of things you probably can just cut out of your life with no real quality of life impact. So figure out what you don't have to do, which requires you having clear goals about what you want to do, but once you have those goals. You can prune your life so that you're not doing a lot of stuff that's not impactful for those goals

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Same with me. Cannot multitask well, but am good at planning. I didn't know about "pipelining", that term was new for me. I generally depend on calendar reminders. My phone and PC are always on do not disturb. My phone rings only if I get a call or there is a reminder. Good for productivity and peace of mind.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm the opposite, I can multitask and jump between tasks easily but can't plan for shit. Or rather can plan but not stick to it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm the same way. I love multi tasking and I'm very good at it. It's also a skill that gets me jobs.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It wouldn't for me. Idk if it's just the place I live in, but for jobs everyone is just looking for very specific skillsets you're meant to do exactly to specifications in a 9-5 job. Even when it's like IT work where nothing ever goes to plan.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I mean that's not the only skill getting me jobs lol - but most places I have interviewed at want their people to be able to do more than one thing at a time because its much more efficient. You get more work done that way.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I treat meals as ETD massage. Chewing, swallowing, head rubbing. All to relieve sinus pressure. Also helps with doing it consistently 3 times per day

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

You rub your head while you eat?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

As a single brain person I avoid that. Every multitasking in my life is done entirely by my many multi core machines.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I try to avoid it, to be honest. I'm usually better at one thing at a time.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Same for intellectual tasks. But isn't it better to listen to podcast while exercising? Or cook while listening to music and dancing? And making poem while brushing teeth in a cold shower ;D