Image of frames Framing the conversation

I wanted to have a place on the web to talk about writing code and building web and mobile apps. When I think about my best experiences writing code, it’s when the world around me fades to the background and goes quiet, I feel calm and focused on what I’m doing, and time seems to fly by. During these times, my work is at its best and most productive.

This is known as the state of “flow”1. It’s not always easy to attain a state of flow, but when it happens, not only do I get a lot of good work done, but it feels good, pleasant. So naturally, I tend to seek to have more time spent in a flow state during work sessions.

Aside from writing code, many of the activities I enjoy in my personal time such as riding bikes, scuba diving, and playing games, also may induce a state of flow. Then it struck me: maybe the common thread in activities that I enjoy is engaging in states of flow.

So I wanted to explore and expound on that theme a bit: the ways in which states of flow occur, the ways they don’t, how they unfold, what are the pre-conditions that make it more likely to enter a state of flow, and what are the differences in my experiences in and out of states of flow.

So thats the basic premise of this website. I’ll talk about writing code and building apps, including some technical articles, and also some non-code stuff that I believe enhances my work or that I care about.

Code

Image of code in an editor React code in an editor

When I’m writing code by myself and not pair programming, I will often play music lightly (not too loud) in the background. Instrumental music is best, wihtout lyrics to avoid engaging my mind’s language center. A favorite of mine is internet radio SomaFM’s2 GrooveSalad radio station and DEF CON radio station. SomaFM is commercial-free which is great.

Ride

Image of squirrel on a mountain bike A squirrel hopped on my mountain bike

Stepping away from work and doing something physical is something else that I’ve noticed seems to help get into a state of flow, or back into it. Overdoing effort seems to detract from the quality of my work. My favorite activity recently has been mountain biking. I’ll often head out for a weekday mountain bike ride. Currently in Pittsburgh PA, part of Appalachia, the single track of Frick Park is my go-to for a quick midday riding session.

Flow

Image of musical instruments Musical instruments

Now that I see how states of flow come and go, and that other states of flow seem to support each other, I pay attention to what else I can do to enter a state of flow.

Image of paint brushes Paint brushes in an art studio

Playing a musical instrument, writing, and painting all are examples of other activities I have tried.

Footnotes

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) ↩

  2. SomaFM do have station identification breaks so there is some talking, but its minimal and brief. ↩