Reducing the noise..

Eliminating Distractions..

When writing code it is important to be able to enter into a state of deep work and concentration, so reducing distractions from all sources is important, and every small improvement adds up.

I am starting to experiment using the Full Screen mode in Visual Studio. To enter full screen mode press [Shift + alt + enter]

The same key combination is sued to exit full screen mode, or the Full Screen mode button which appears while you are in full screen mode can be clicked.

While it is still not as zen as the zen mode in Visual Studio Code, the mode automatically hides open tool bars and windows, and provides the maximum space for viewing of the open code file.

Tool bars and windows such as the Solution Explorer, debugger and Team Explorer, can be opened while in Full Screen Mode.

Team Explorer [Control + \, Control + M]
Solution Explorer [Control + W, Control + S]
Error List [Control + W, Control + E]

To quickly close any of these windows again, put the window in focus and use [Shift + Escape] to close the tool window and return to full screen mode.

It makes a lot of sense to have windows closed when you are not actively using them, but it is very easy to leave them open, because a lot of windows are difficult to close, especially if you have to put your hand on the mouse and click the X, only to have to open it again soon after..

I think it would be better if the shortcuts for certain windows such as Team Explorer [Control + \, Control + M] toggled the window open and closed, instead of opening it, and the focusing to it, required a different key combination [Shift + Escape] to close it. I am going to experiment to see if there is a way to do this.