How are you most productive?

[DigitalAR]

I suppose there is an Apple device element to this question, but overall am very curious as to how the wide array of people here, specifically within the MacRumors forum, approach their best productivity self.

id imagine for some people it’s as simple as a cup of coffee, while for others it may be a 3 monitor desk setup with 2 iPads or something crazy or absurd (but hey, if it works).

It may be a standing desk for you… or it may be a deeper answer like I know one person that has told me that if they don’t meditate before sitting at their desk then they’ll be in a subtly mentally frantic mode all day. Or maybe you need to shower before getting stuff done. Or breakfast.

Or maybe, just maybe you don’t need any of that and consider them distractions and instead when it’s time to get it done you don’t care whether youre sitting in an ergonomic chair or are using the latest iPad Pro. If so, I’m even more curious as to the mentality behind getting you to, “okay enough distractions, I gotta sit down for the next hour and just type or etc etc”.

 

[coffeemilktea]

I remember the deep doo-doo I'll be in if I don't get my rear in gear, and that usually helps. 😅

 

[Madhatter32]

Mornings (before work hours so no distraction) and coffee. That is the secret.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Evenings for me (and yes, afternoons, too).

And coffee. Always coffee.

And solitude.

 

[chown33]

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.

I must say that I like the way your mind works.

 

[Herdfan]

When my phone is OFF.

As a kid, I wondered why my dad would go into the office on Saturday mornings. He always said he could get more done then because no one was bothering him.

Now it probably doesn't matter since we are all connected 24/7. But I now understand what he was talking about.

 

[KaliYoni]

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.

For me, it's more like Drugstore Woman.
;-)

 

[myscrnnm]

For me, I need to have a clean workspace. I focus a lot better when I don't have clutter around me. When it comes to the Apple aspect of your question, I am also a lot more productive when I have a large, high-resolution, and/or multi-monitor setup. It's too much hassle for me to work on a small screen. I like to be able to have multiple windows open at full size so as not to interrupt my workflow.

 

[fanboy-ish]

I need to be able to stick to my plan, I don't want interruptions and I need silence, sometimes I listen to music with AirPods Pro so I can block any external noise, but silence is better. I need to stay in the "flow", I start one thing and I want to finish it before moving to the next one.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Always a duel monitor set up for me. A pair of 27”.
Silence is best if I need to concentrate. But I spend about 50% of my day on the phone or in teams meetings with colleagues. I work around 50-60 hours most weeks.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

For serious writing, that is, writing that calls for some thought, I require solitude (and loathe open plan offices as a consequence, they are the spawn of Satan).

Re computers, I will use work computers, - if supplied - but also use my Apple MBA a lot.

 

[eyoungren]

I suppose there is an Apple device element to this question, but overall am very curious as to how the wide array of people here, specifically within the MacRumors forum, approach their best productivity self.

id imagine for some people it’s as simple as a cup of coffee, while for others it may be a 3 monitor desk setup with 2 iPads or something crazy or absurd (but hey, if it works).

It may be a standing desk for you… or it may be a deeper answer like I know one person that has told me that if they don’t meditate before sitting at their desk then they’ll be in a subtly mentally frantic mode all day. Or maybe you need to shower before getting stuff done. Or breakfast.

Or maybe, just maybe you don’t need any of that and consider them distractions and instead when it’s time to get it done you don’t care whether youre sitting in an ergonomic chair or are using the latest iPad Pro. If so, I’m even more curious as to the mentality behind getting you to, “okay enough distractions, I gotta sit down for the next hour and just type or etc etc”.

Firstly…the ONLY reason I might care about productivity is that not being productive will have a negative impact on my status of employment. Other than that, working gets in my way. I resent work, I have always resented it and I will resent it until I die. I want to do what I want to do - not what others want me to do. If it were not for the fact that I need to eat and pay bills, I'd do what I want all day.

Now that that's out of the way, I'll mention how I like to work (because I have to). TV on in the background for background noise. As many and as large of screens as I can get. Pre-pandemic neither was entirely possible, but post-pandemic I work from home so I've got my own setup.

I prefer an older Mac keyboard and a wired Mighty Mouse (no, not the Magic Mouse, Mighty Mouse).

As for displays…two 30" Cinema Displays, two 23" Cinema Displays (vertical), one 20" Cinema Display and one 55" HDTV.

Click on the "6 displays" part of my signature if you want to see.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Firstly…the ONLY reason I might care about productivity is that not being productive will have a negative impact on my status of employment. Other than that, working gets in my way. I resent work, I have always resented it and I will resent it until I die. I want to do what I want to do - not what others want me to do. If it were not for the fact that I need to eat and pay bills, I'd do what I want all day.

Now that that's out of the way, I'll mention how I like to work (because I have to). TV on in the background for background noise. As many and as large of screens as I can get. Pre-pandemic neither was entirely possible, but post-pandemic I work from home so I've got my own setup.

I prefer an older Mac keyboard and a wired Mighty Mouse (no, not the Magic Mouse, Mighty Mouse).

As for displays…two 30" Cinema Displays, two 27" Cinema Displays (vertical), one 20" Cinema Display and one 55" HDTV.

Click on the "6 displays" part of my signature if you want to see.

If I won the lottery tomorrow I think I’d still work. What else would I do with all my time.

 

[eyoungren]

If I won the lottery tomorrow I think I’d still work. What else would I do with all my time.

If I worked at all it would simply be because I'm helping people I like.

But other than that…

I have roleplaying games to attend to (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Rolemaster, etc, etc), dungeonmaster stuff to write and a bunch of other related but personal stuff.

I have the internet to browse, forums to engage in, tech to work on/with, movies to see, places to visit, places to go eat out at, and so on and so on. Since I was a kid I've been quite capable of filling my time with all the stuff I want to do and none of the stuff I have to do or should do.

And I could take my time at all of it while using the skills that keep me employed.

I am not my work, never have been and will always refuse to be beholden to it.

I know that all probably sounds arrogant, but the reality is - I hate working. Playing is far more interesting and engaging.

 

[unrigestered]

- don't overthink things and just get it done, whatever you might have at hand
even very old devices can be used productively perfectly fine, you don't need the next i9-14900 or M3, or three additional monitors for that

 

[Huntn]

Answer: Not be tired, have solitude (my office), probably a coffee mixed in there and a functional computer running unreal engine (editor). The only other productivity I know these days is managing the garden, caressing the good plants and escorting the weeds to the back gate, when not participating in my bi-annual battle of the vines that takes place in the green belt behind our property.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

If I won the lottery tomorrow I think I’d still work. What else would I do with all my time.

But, would you work at the same thing, or in the same job? Would you choose to work at something else if you had the choice?

@eyoungren's ideal domestic set-up (TV on in the background, etc) would be a personal nightmare, - when working, I like solitude and silence - (apart from some music, in the background, at times) but he has written some really interesting and thought-provoking posts on personal preferences re choosing to work (or not), if choices exist.

 

[eyoungren]

But, would you work at the same thing, or in the same job? Would you choose to work at something else if you had the choice?

@eyoungren's ideal domestic set-up (TV on in the background, etc) would be a personal nightmare, - I like solitude and silence - (apart from some music, in the background, at times) but he has written some really interesting and thought-provoking posts on personal preferences re choosing to work (or not), if choices exist.

My skills are in graphic design, specifically 19 years in newspapers. Then the last business I worked for gets sold and I end up landing at a company that produces golf scorecards and yardage books for golf courses worldwide.

Same skill set, different application

In the previous job, there was one person whose personality was so toxic that dealing with her was an exercise in managing acid reflux. My boss at that job was a coward and after 14.5 years working for him, he is nowhere to be found on my last day there.

In this job, I like both my bosses and nearly every person I work with. It's a small business, but so niche it makes it hard to find talent. I wouldn't leave them in the lurch - especially after all their generosity to me and their faith in me. I'd stay for a time.

As to background noise, that's down to how I grew up. I lived rural and the school my mother taught at was 15-20 mins home by bicycle. I got a door key when I was 12. My sister would stay with my mom and I'd ride home. I was alone from 3pm to around 6pm. My dad worked 30 minutes away.

Background noise helped me cope with the emptiness of the house. I'd have the TV on low and eat dinner while reading a book. It kept me connected to the outside world.

So, that's why I have it on. Most of the time it's the news, stuff I can either easily ignore or that won't take up my time like a movie or tv show would. I keep it low enough to ignore but loud enough that if I pay attention I can hear it.

And now that I work from home, it's again a connection to the outside world.

 

[Apple fanboy]

But, would you work at the same thing, or in the same job? Would you choose to work at something else if you had the choice?

@eyoungren's ideal domestic set-up (TV on in the background, etc) would be a personal nightmare, - when working, I like solitude and silence - (apart from some music, in the background, at times) but he has written some really interesting and thought-provoking posts on personal preferences re choosing to work (or not), if choices exist.

Don’t know to be honest. It’s not like I play the lottery, but I think I’d need to do some type of work.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Don’t know to be honest. It’s not like I play the lottery, but I think I’d need to do some type of work.

The reason I asked was because - to me, at least - what I work at matters; I want to be able to enjoy what I spend my days doing. When I was a university teacher, I have to say that I loved teaching - and I loved the idea that people were prepared to pay me (granted, not an awful lot) to talk about, and research, and write about, the sort of stuff that interested me.

And, a lot of what I have done since then has been extraordinarily interesting and challenging.

So, while I like to work, - and like the identity and independence that it brings - not to mention intellectual and other challenges which I also seek out - what I work at must matter, and must be something that I find fulfilling, and interesting and challenging (and yes, rewarding); work for work's sake has no appeal whatsoever.

 

[eyoungren]

The reason I asked was because - to me, at least - what I work at matters; I want to be able to enjoy what I spend my days doing. When I was a university teacher, I have to say that I loved teaching - and I loved the idea that people were prepared to pay me (granted, not an awful lot) to talk about, and research, and write about, the sort of stuff that interested me.

And, a lot of what I have done since then has been extraordinarily interesting and challenging.

So, while I like to work, - and like the identity and independence that it brings - not to mention intellectual and other challenges which I also seek out - what I work at must matter, and must be something that I find fulfilling, and interesting and challenging (and yes, rewarding); work for work's sake has no appeal whatsoever.

Unfortunately for me, I do not love what I do enough. I like it well enough that it is a career, but the things that actually interest me and that I do love I don't get paid for.

Things are different now, but back in 1989 when I graduated highschool, there was no business/person I knew of that would pay a living wage to play roleplaying games all day.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The reason I asked was because - to me, at least - what I work at matters; I want to be able to enjoy what I spend my days doing. When I was a university teacher, I have to say that I loved teaching - and I loved the idea that people were prepared to pay me (granted, not an awful lot) to talk about, and research, and write about, the sort of stuff that interested me.

And, a lot of what I have done since then has been extraordinarily interesting and challenging.

So, while I like to work, - and like the identity and independence that it brings - not to mention intellectual and other challenges which I also seek out - what I work at must matter, and must be something that I find fulfilling, and interesting and challenging (and yes, rewarding); work for work's sake has no appeal whatsoever.

I don’t always enjoy my job but I’ve been at this company for a lot of years and have seen it change and grow and have been an integral part of that.
As part of the senior management team I would not want to walk away and leave them in a difficult position.

 

[sunapple]

Working from home it's; clean desk setup with dual-monitors. Good gear, little annoyances. Standing while working, keeping some movement. Getting enough sleep. Going for a walk outside before work and during lunch. Keeping distractions down (Focus mode for personal phone, no news during day time). Music in the background depending on mood. Temperature. Lighting. There is probably more ways of looking at it.