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Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

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Re: Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

#101

Post by AbstractH24 »

thorin wrote: post #4

Have kids or get a hobby. I'm in the same boat tbh, I don't find interesting things with programming anymore, maybe when I did it was just that I had less other stuff to do. I'd rather learn something new now e.g. last year I started doing some home music recording/production. What is your goal - if you want to upskill for your career or to start a business, fine, if not find something else to do.

I frequently see people respond to those struggling with feeling empty in life or lost by telling the person “have kids” and it always disturbs me.

(I’m a 35 year old childless married man)

Re: Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

#102

Post by Tade0 »

kleiba wrote: post #48
Tade0 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's not like you wake up one morning and decide, "I'm going to start a family", and boom! out come the rug rats. Takes less time than getting good at a hobby really.

But not than _picking up_ a hobby.

Arguably the very beginning of this process is also satisfying.

Re: Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

#103

Post by Yawrehto »

I mean, I'm biased, as I enjoy writing. But when I stopped trying to come up with an idea and just read good fiction books, written in a style I hadn't really tried out before, voraciously, gobbling them up, I got a fair number of ideas that I was actually excited to write about.

Stop thinking about ideas. Do what you like to do in your free time; read, doodle, whatever. Read good books, learn interesting things.

You reflect the media you consume. Consume good media - stuff that makes you happy, stuff that makes you think, stuff that makes you feel. But stop trying to come up with goals, stop waiting for an idea to hit you. I did that for a while with writing, then I couldn't use electronics for a bit and I gulped down those books and I had cool book ideas, weird acronyms that suggested evil organizations, stuff like that. I don't know what the programming analog of that would be - or the nonprogramming analog that doesn't involve writing.

But just find something you enjoy, doesn't have to be related to coding, and do it.

Also, stop thinking about stuff being "worthwhile". Something you like that doesn't hurt other people is worth doing, and if it happens to be something weird, like gardening while hula-hooping, or pretty much anything and a unicycle, that's okay.

Re: Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

#104

Post by hju22_-3 »

ecjhdnc2025 wrote: post #88
hju22_-3 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

It's not a matter of "I didn't technically say". I didn't diagnose . I made a suggestion. Full fucking stop. I didn't imply a diagnosis. I suggested the possibility (I even used that fucking word). That he might want to think about it. Because the entire tone of the OP's question suggested it to me. Based on my own miserable lived experience of the last two years , for what it is worth. So fuck off with this po-faced…

[flagged]

Re: Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

#106

Post by andoando »

jimbomins wrote: post #70
andoando wrote: post #63

Ideas do not come from nowhere. They are the conglomoration of thoughts and feelings obtained through experience. If you lock yourself in a room having done nothing you will be left thinking about how you're locked in a room doing nothing. Go do something else entirely, you have no idea what will grab your interest or what will come out of it. You could for example start going to music shows, end up really interested…

My variation of what you say is read lots, look at what people are doing, then make sure you have a big space that lets you stop thinking. Once I'm in that "hey I'm not distracted by a million things" space ideas and solutions just pop to mind as I manage to focus on one thing.

What do you mean by "a big space that lets you stop thinking"?

Re: Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

#108

Post by lcall »

blowski wrote: post #8

Looking at people's GitHub or blogs, is similar to looking at people's lives through the lens of Instagram. So much of it is manufactured and fake. If you can just write some basic software, you're probably in the top 1% for computer skills in the global population. There are people in every niche of the world crying out for such help. Find something you're passionate about, and volunteer your time. I help my local p…

One place to find volunteer opportunities is at https://justserve.org , if available in your area. It is free and connects available volunteers with organizations who need the help.

Re: Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

#109

Post by lcall »

Doesn't it depend on the purpose of your life? I have written about this at my web site (in profile, nothing for sale, no stylistic ambition). You can email me if you can't find it in there. For me, it is to have joy, by glorifying God through learning and service to others. And he gives us all, in return. We all have to choose.

(I agree; it is an interesting challenge.)

(Thoughtful comments appreciated with any downvotes.)

Re: Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

#110

Post by [deleted] »

hju22_-3 wrote: post #104
ecjhdnc2025 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a matter of "I didn't technically say". I didn't diagnose . I made a suggestion. Full fucking stop. I didn't imply a diagnosis. I suggested the possibility (I even used that fucking word). That he might want to think about it. Because the entire tone of the OP's question suggested it to me. Based on my own miserable lived experience of the last two years , for what it is worth. So fuck off with this po-faced…

[flagged]

[deleted]
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