When you learn anything new or push yourself to do extra, you need to work on abstraction. You have to get out of your comfort zone and cope up with decreased productivity. However, this doesn’t last long.

I faced two similar situations where I targeted doing extra and my efficiency went down. What I found that it was only for a certain amount of time. Once I got the hold of it, my schedule went back to normal with these “extra items”.

Morning runs

The first situation is something I recently experienced. After starting the morning runs, the initial days were full of fatigue and affected most of my productivity. Gradually, the pain went away and I went back to my normal productivity. The sleep cycle got better, my days started early and finish more items.

Gerald M. Weinberg, in his book Becoming a Technical Leader, described these as ravines and plateaus. He mentions that there is always a dip when you’re trying something new. It takes more effort and shakes the entropy. But in the end, you reach higher than where you were.

Mentorship

Another situation was during an internship. Along with my day-to-day deliveries, I mentored the interns and ensure their progress is up to the mark. Daily discussions, code reviews, and testing cycles increased. This affected my work & routine. I realized I am working for longer hours, sometimes in a rush. Finally, after multiple iterations and help from others, the process was in place. In the next internship, this process helped me to get it right from the beginning.