People are creatures of habit (mostly). This means that we have some ingrained rituals, which we adhere to when doing certain tasks. These may simply be the need to have a coffee before “serious work”, check Facebook, Slashdot, _insert_your_favorite_page_, to get into the zone, etc. I see these as time wasters. Why? Imagine one phone call or email taking you out of your “into the zone ritual”. Almost everyone will have to repeat the “get into the zone ritual”, having wasted more time. Why don’t we Just do it? Or, how to make it easier to get into the zone when doing multiple tasks per day?

Speaking personally, I noticed I need to physically switch machines or even rooms.

This means that I do the majority of the work on my Macbook Pro.  That is, work that can be switched in between, mangled, interrupted, but logged and tracked. The MBP is hyper connected, has installed Chrome with the right profile, Toggle, all the Microsoft Office tools, etc. A proper swiss army knife, trusty and fitting to practically any situation.

Now, when I need to contemplate, make new plans, think deeply, write, read – I employ my ThinkPad Carbon X1. Minimum set-up, just some writing tools, different Chrome profile, no work email, basically no messaging programs (meaning no connectivity, no interruptions). The battery lasts forever, it has a GSM module and I can go out in the woods, research the internet and basically, work on things that need to be explored, set and ultimately, explained to everyone else (who usually enjoy poking holes in such plans or strategies, hence – watertight is a must).

And then comes play. Old Lenovo T420 (best keyboard ever), maxed out specs and SSD disks. No Office software. Minimum connectivity with Sublime/Atom and terminals. Battery life shot, but it is used as development machine, in the basement, connected to Deep Bass Sony headset. One can do *whatever*, from Prolog to Go on that machine.

Switching between these three and kitchen/living room table or basement office puts me in the zone immediately and makes sure I actually stand up during the day. Funny creatures humans.