> Commit to getting something done every day. [...] Stay as late as you have to in order to finish.
This is a really good tip. I find external commitment works better for this. If I commit to self, there is a chance I might flake out at the end of the day (due to being tired or lazy after lunch/dinner), but if I make the promise to an external "authority" I don't seem to "get tired" after dinner and I'll push through until the day's task get shipped. You would think the next day you'll be tired because I worked until late, but I noticed the opposite—I'm feeling more energized because of the momentum of having shipped something.
For the last couple of months, my friend and I have been exchanging progress reports on our work (we're both writing) and it seems to help with productivity. Once in a while I'll flake out and be like "sorry, I've failed and I will miss this deadline" but most of the time it works.
But it's a fine line between "pushing yourself" through the difficult uphills once in a while, and pushing yourself all the time getting burned out... I've been writing/coding for many years, and I still can't quite tell the difference.
This is a really good tip. I find external commitment works better for this. If I commit to self, there is a chance I might flake out at the end of the day (due to being tired or lazy after lunch/dinner), but if I make the promise to an external "authority" I don't seem to "get tired" after dinner and I'll push through until the day's task get shipped. You would think the next day you'll be tired because I worked until late, but I noticed the opposite—I'm feeling more energized because of the momentum of having shipped something.
For the last couple of months, my friend and I have been exchanging progress reports on our work (we're both writing) and it seems to help with productivity. Once in a while I'll flake out and be like "sorry, I've failed and I will miss this deadline" but most of the time it works.
But it's a fine line between "pushing yourself" through the difficult uphills once in a while, and pushing yourself all the time getting burned out... I've been writing/coding for many years, and I still can't quite tell the difference.