Re: Will this shite never stop?
interesting point - I started reading that and saw this: "What drives me crazy is that ever since my first job I’ve realized that as a developer, I usually average about two or three hours a day of productive coding".
It is generally my own practice to bill one of two ways: a) I'm on site and it's "on site time"; b) I'm at home and it's "when I'm productive" time. I can generally get a full week in with 'b' but sometimes must do 'a' to satisfy a client''s need. So I end up working "in spurts" when doing 'b' and it's quite effective to go for 2-3 hours, play some video games, get back to it, etc. until you've done your hours... but I digress.
So this is a typical "productive day" for a Micros~1.DEV ? And the article might say it all, it took him WAY too many paragraphs to get to the point. "A little every day" is interesting, but if his day starts with web surfing while "on the clock" his manager should restrict his browsing hours (or NONE at all).
There must be a ZILLION alternate projects at Micros~1 that people could volunteer for during those "think about it" periods that we all get. A prioritized list might help. Go down the bug list and submit a patch. That's a good start. Audit a function from the list of things that need an audit. Then get back to your normal assignment and you might have NEW inspiration. But then again, that's how I try to do things. Juggle mutliple projects so you can "stay manic" and pound out code all day long.
Even better, hybrid office/home work. Go in for 4-5 hours, to beat the traffic but make the meetings, then take it home with you for 2-3 hours a day. [that works VERY well for me when I need to be on site]. Surf the web while you drink coffee at the start of the day, check mail to see if anyone has a particular issue, drive in with MUCH lighter traffic, maybe think about stuff from morning mail, arrive, do meetings and get things done, leave before 4, drive home in relatively light traffic, then arrive home, read 'The Register' and comment on a few things, then finish up your day while eating your dinner and don't spill it on the keyboard....
A nice PRODUCTIVE day, where you're actually doing WORK for the hours you're being paid.
(pirate flag for being such a PRIVATEER, harrr)
Admittedly with the 'work at home' part, the ability to collaborate on documents now becomes a LITTLE more important. but chances are that you could do that BETTER by sitting in a room at lunch, with plates of sandwiches and with 2 or 3 people standing behind the fastest typist (or with the monitor contents on a projected screen), going over the collab document one part at a time and letting "that one guy" do the typing and combine things, fix it, etc. while you discuss the contents and "collaborate" the old fashioned way.