Soft SkillsConference - Short25min
A sandbox environment for our minds: An engineer’s point of view on 10 days of total disconnection
A developer shares lessons from a 10‑day silent meditation retreat, exploring how disconnecting from constant distractions and overstimulation can restore focus and clarity. The talk applies these insights to modern work culture, suggesting mindfulness as a remedy for lost productivity, excessive meetings, and anxiety about AI’s growing role in coding.
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Michał PoczwardowskiPerspectiveship
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Wednesday, June 17, 09:00-09:25
Room 4A
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I spent 10 days at a meditation centre, completely disconnected from the world with nothing but my own thoughts.
No phone. No books. No talking. The brain module responsible for planning and social interactions was completely shut down. I became a monk for 10 days, so you do not have to.
In this talk, I will share the insights and lessons from this experiment that are needed more and more in the "production environment" of our world. Constant distractions, unnecessary meetings, a lack of focus, and perhaps too much fear of AI taking over coding are killing our productivity.
No phone. No books. No talking. The brain module responsible for planning and social interactions was completely shut down. I became a monk for 10 days, so you do not have to.
In this talk, I will share the insights and lessons from this experiment that are needed more and more in the "production environment" of our world. Constant distractions, unnecessary meetings, a lack of focus, and perhaps too much fear of AI taking over coding are killing our productivity.
Michał Poczwardowski
Google Summer of Code student turned engineering manager. 8 years leading teams and entire tech units.
Now, I'm mentoring and teaching engineering leaders in live cohorts about decision-making and proven problem-solving approaches.
For the Perspectiveship newsletter, I've written 100+ articles on mental models, thinking concepts, and decision-making.
Now, I'm mentoring and teaching engineering leaders in live cohorts about decision-making and proven problem-solving approaches.
For the Perspectiveship newsletter, I've written 100+ articles on mental models, thinking concepts, and decision-making.