Add 10 hours to your week! Routine for Dress, Food & Commute.

For the startup inclined. This article will save you 3 hours of your time weekly, and add 10–13 hours to your week if done properly.

Software Engineering is a unique discipline. One becomes better by combining academia with experience. Therefore, it goes without saying, it is not enough to simply read a book, or watch a video. The Engineer, will have to program as well.

This leads to a very interesting lifestyle where time becomes integral.

Balancing the nature of time as an engineer.

Therefore, there are four dilemmas an engineer has to overcome, from a technical perspective. That would be:

1. Discovering — Finding out new information about algorithms, languages, and frameworks, one is not aware of.

2. Maintaining — Memorizing algorithms, languages, and framework concepts, one already knows.

3. Learning — Perusing algorithms, languages, and framework concepts, one is aware of, but has not had a chance to acquire.

4. Programming — Actually sit down in front of computer, and implement as an application what one has learned, so as to gain experience.

Reclaiming your Time

The above four dilemmas translate to needing considerable time to read and code by one’s self. It therefore becomes advantageous as a software engineer, to do two things:

1. Streamline re-curring tasks.
2. Find ways to be productive, during unconscious activities. [As humans, we have the ability to do both conscious and unconscious activities at the same time. Let’s take advantage of that.]

The two single greatest ways of saving time involves food, and clothing.

Buy Online & Buy the Same Food

This might seem a bit monotonous, but this will most likely save you two hours a week. By buying the same food online, one has the option to simply click a button weekly. An added benefit, is cooking is the same, as well as diet is under control. It is a win on all fronts, and should not be under estimated. It is a secret weapon.

Choose a Style & Buy the Same Clothing

Choosing what to wear on a daily basis is mentally taxing, and takes time. By choosing the same clothing/brand, and buying the same of that brand/cloth(for instance, 10), it makes that part of the day seamless.

The next step is finding time to put into one’s already existing daily schedule.

Commute

As a New Yorker, I take the subway on a daily basis. In addition, there are days wherein I work from home(generally once a week). Take advantage of the days that you work from home. Those are days spent programming in those extra hours. During the other four days, a tablet, and audio are your best friends. Here is how I would recommend splitting one’s weekly commute.

1 Day Discover — 1 Day Maintaining — 2 Days Learning

1 Day Discover

One might think, spending one whole day of commute, on discovering, which translates to 1.5 hours — 2 hours, might be over kill. However, it is not. This includes, learning new syntax, finding new frameworks, new approaches towards everyday problems. Discover should be split between audio, social media, and 2 blogs posts.

Sometimes discovering might surprise you.

1 Day Maintaining

I use this time, to just pore over books on languages. I bring a tablet with me and try to crank out as much reading as I can. I should note that on Friday, when I code with the extra hours I get from working at home, I am maintaining as well. Generally on algorithms to stay sharp.

2 Days Learning

This is expanding your knowledge, by learning aspects of a language, or framework which you are aware of, but have not acquired. For example, picking up a a good technical book (yes using a tablet), and reading through it multiple times.

[Note: This part of the process, only brings value if you follow through with writing tangible code. Think somewhere along 12–15 hours weekly].

Bonus Tips

Cardio

Ideally one should exercise. Doing cardio on something such as a compound bike, allows one to read during cardio. Depending on how many times a week you workout, this can translate to an extra 1–2 hours per week. Other sorts of cardio(e.g. jogging, elliptical) tend to make reading difficult to the point of exasperation.

Walking

Depending on where you live, you either take public transportation, or you use your car. Being that I use public transportation(New York City), there tends to be a quite a bit of walking. I actually do not use my smart phone, and instead have an mp3 with audio specifically to increase my own personal self(These days learning Mandarin using Pimsluer). Depending on how diligent you are, this technique can add a good three hours of productivity to your day.

All things considered, if all of the above is something that you can take advantage of, you will find an extra 16 hours being added to your week! This will allow you to be extremely succesful in your career.

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