Legitimating the Developer's "Groove"
In:
14Aug2008
I'm not the only one who knows about it...
"It is clear that interruptions are a major cause of low productivity among programmers. Why? The problem is not the time needed to handle the interruptions themselves, but the time needed to get back into the programming problem. Everybody, no matter what they do, face a reorientation time when they return to their work after an interruption. When you are reading a magazine article and look up to answer a question, it takes you longer to read the next paragraph than if you had been reading continuously."
From Are developers people? by Jakob Nielsen.
It was quite an enjoyable little read. I recommend it, even if you just wanna know a little more about how I think. 
Comments
#1 Man, doesn't that hit the
Submitted by Eric (not verified) on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 13:43.
Man, doesn't that hit the nail on the head. I am constantly shifting gears at my job. Programming one second, helping users the next or answering the phone, answering email. My orientation periods seem to be getting longer.