As a programmer, or anybody else that tends to work every hour they can, how do you find that sweet spot for being most productive? So many different things can affect our ability to concentrate and either enhance or completely destroy our productivity.

I constantly find myself evaluating the methods I use to learn and work, hoping to identify elements that can I can improve. One of the most hindering elements of my own productivity is one which I think many of us share.

The Distraction

It’s far too easy to play a game, sign into messenger or read the news in order to distract away from the task at hand. From my experience, any task I have tends to require some level of concentration and sometimes it seems easier to simply ignore the task for a few minutes while I distract myself with something else. In these instances, why are we afraid to apply ourselves completely?

I think the unwillingness to completely channel our focus comes from a growing culture in which we are concerned constantly with many different ongoing things. I have tweets to think about, emails to concern myself with, instant messages coming through and maybe even an IRC channel ticking away in the background. Jack of all focuses, master of none?

The Time of Day

How does the time of day affect our productivity? A study from 1978 by Folkard, S. & Monk, T.H. looked at how the time of day affects our ability to recall things from memory in the short and long term.

In the first experiment, the material used was a factual article from a New Scientist magazine. Short-term memory (as measured by 10 multi-choice questions) was best if the article had been read at 8am, and lowest if it had been read at 8pm. Surprisingly, there was a slight, short-lived improvement after lunch (during the post-lunch dip in arousal level), and another one after 8pm (at a similar dip in arousal). Long-term memory (as measured by performance on a category instance task) was apparently not affected by time of day.

These findings are interesting as I’ve always believed that I am most productive during the evening or late into the night.

In the second experiment, the subjects listened to a story, at either 9am or 3pm. Their recall was tested immediately and again a week later. It was found that short-term recall was better if the story was heard at 9am but long-term recall was better if it had been heard at 3pm.

The conclusion drawn from the first experiment is refined by the results of the second, but begs the question: Is short or long term memory more useful for being productive and successful. Surely both are equally important overall.

In the third experiment, the subjects were shift workers. The subjects, who were nurses, were shown a ten minute film on the use of radium therapy. The times used were more extreme this time: 8.30pm and 4am. Long-term recall was tested at four weeks. Long-term recall was consistently better if the film had been seen at 8.30pm than if it had been seen at 4am, but there was no effect on immediate recall.

It would appear that long term memory works better at later points during the day - but there is a more subtle point I feel. The third experiment was performed with shift workers. Shift workers train themselves to live at different times than the rest of us. To a shift worker, 8.30pm is effectively their morning. So, are we more likely to be productive in terms of memory retention in the morning?

The Weather

Does the weather affect our ability to concentrate? To be clear, I mean normal weather conditions – I’m sure a flood or bush fire would probably distract anyone. I find that I can concentrate much better on a very rainy day and conversely very hot days have adverse effects on me.

Other Factors

For me, there are other factors that influence when I prefer to work. I find that inspiration to work comes from various places but frequently I get the desire to work when I should least want to. As an example, I prefer to work when other people are going to bed – I like the feeling of being alone and isolated.

What makes you most productive? Does the weather appear to affect your mood and hence your productivity? Do you have any quirky tricks to get you into the right mindset to work effectively? I’d love to hear feedback regarding this – so leave a comment if you’ve noticed any of these factors affecting you.