You have to organize the world so that you get a series of small successes. And be prepared to take any success as a success.
Make it easier for yourself to accomplish things. If you can remove parts of your task list (punt for now or remove entirely) it can help -- a long todo list is demoralizing. I find that people generally try to build very large systems; this the enemy of productivity.
Choose a design that will allow you to arrive at as minimal a system as possible as quickly as possible, such that the system still retains conceptual integrity (that is to say, it is whole.) Then, afterwards, each time you sit down and do a bit of work, you'll have added a function or whatever instead of slogging along towards your first working system, which could be quite distant.
Finally, don't thrash when the working isn't happening. Instead, go goof off or go for a jog. This really helps. You can't work all the time, and if you've been pushing too hard your productivity gets diminished rapidly.
> Finally, don't thrash when the working isn't happening. Instead, go goof off or go for a jog.
Very true. Boils down to better time management overall. You're just as productive and a lot happier if you make work time and fun time separate, and you can be very generous with the fun. What you want to cut is "I intend to work but do something else instead" time.
Make it easier for yourself to accomplish things. If you can remove parts of your task list (punt for now or remove entirely) it can help -- a long todo list is demoralizing. I find that people generally try to build very large systems; this the enemy of productivity.
Choose a design that will allow you to arrive at as minimal a system as possible as quickly as possible, such that the system still retains conceptual integrity (that is to say, it is whole.) Then, afterwards, each time you sit down and do a bit of work, you'll have added a function or whatever instead of slogging along towards your first working system, which could be quite distant.
Finally, don't thrash when the working isn't happening. Instead, go goof off or go for a jog. This really helps. You can't work all the time, and if you've been pushing too hard your productivity gets diminished rapidly.