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Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

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Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#211

Post by kls »

wufufufu wrote: post #184
kls wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is it's not about the productivity, it's the clarity and it's profound for someone with ADD/ADHD. So I started abusing nicotine at a young age (a very common ADD self medication) and I quit several times over the years and every time I quite my mind would be in a fog and never come out. I am not talking about 5-30 days, I am talking about 5 years later and I wake up every day feeling foggy. I tried everyt…

What other stimulants did you try and which ones worked the best?

pretty much tried them all, dextroamphetamine and methamphetamine work the best for me. Adderall has too many physical side affects for me due to the levoamphetamine which stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. Examples being twitching, tachycardia. All of the fetamine's do the same e.g Vyvanse. Dextro and methamphetamine are the most effective at targeting the CNS, with methamphetamine crossing the blood brain barrier in higher amounts at lower doeses. Therefore methamphetamine in the form of Desoxyn has the least amount of side affects, for me while providing me with almost super human clarity.

Keep in mind that if you are taking ADD meds and looking to switch meds, some doctors can be pretty funny about Desoxyn, it's an old drug, not many know about it, and some docs see Meth and freak out. That being said, it's no more dangerous of a drug than Adderall is.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#213

Post by thirdsun »

notacoward wrote: post #147
thirdsun wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I still don't enjoy the activity itself, but I'm sure glad for the results. I don't think that's a sustainable or worthwhile approach. Exercise and training can be found in many forms and countless different activities - pick those you actually enjoy.

> I don't think that's a sustainable or worthwhile approach. I have several thousand miles of evidence to the contrary. There's a lot of "exercise" not worthy of the name. For many people, especially at my age, the very heart/lung exertion that characterizes true exercise is at least mildly unpleasant regardless of how it's attained. Fortunately, one can harness competitive or goal-oriented impulses to make up for it…

That's fine. I didn't mean to say that you only should do fun things, but I think there's a middleground. Personally, I think running is a very boring activity - road biking however, while similar in nature, is something I look forward to and it comes with the same benefits (goals, tracking, comparable stats) you seem to actually enjoy.

I can also recommend team sports - for me it's football (as in soccer), but specific sports are beside the point as those are very subjective. I'm just trying to say that I see no point in engaging in a sport I don't enjoy when there are so many options available that offer rewarding goals and provide enjoyment while you get there.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#214

Post by username90 »

mkl wrote: post #150
Xelbair wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would actually prefer that label early on. I learned from my parents that back in preschool and early primary school i was math genius. Supposedly i astonished the ones administering preschool tests by doing stuff from two grades above effortlessly. Sadly later on I was stripped of my potential by math teacher in primary school. I solved all exercises by writing the result outright, and she forced me to write down…

I have a PhD in maths. Writing down every step is the only way to get things right and be able to verify that (essential for anything that actually matters). The best maths advice I ever got was a high school teacher (not even my teacher) looking at my work and telling me to write down more steps; suddenly my accuracy and speed got way better. Maths ability varies widely, and I don't think being able to do things a c…

Different people need different advice.

I love solving problems and am very good at it but writing things down makes me hate maths, the act of moving the pen is much more effort than the problem itself. I used to stump my professors by solving the problems they were explaining in my head long before they would have gotten to a solution. But then I got diagnosed with ADD after I completed my masters, I can write down things no problem when I'm on medication, but if people forced me to write down everything in school when I were undiagnosed I likely would have dropped out of middle-school and maybe even committed suicide. Several of my siblings dropped out of middle school so that is not an exaggeration.

I don't think that not writing things down held me back, I think it forced me to become creative and learn things properly since I couldn't just follow algorithms blindly like my classmates. So maybe I should be grateful that I was diagnosed late and thus forced to invent my own maths throughout college. I likely would have gotten perfect grades with medication, but I'm pretty sure the things I learned and the intuition I built are way more valuable than grades.

But if someone like you came around and thought I did things wrong then you would have ruined my life. Please don't force that on someone else and when they inevitably fail you just say something like "I guess he wasn't that good after all, nothing I could've done!".

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#215

Post by WnZ39p0Dgydaz1 »

Realizing how much incentives matter. Everything around you is driven by incentives: Coworkers, your boss, customers, personal relationships. More importantly, everything is driven by "personal incentives" more so than "business incentives", and those two aren't usually aligned. For example, if you are talking to a potential customer (who may represent a company), it's invaluable to understand what incentives drive this person (not company!). What is he or she trying to get out of working with you? A promotion? Recognition from his boss? A story to tell his family at dinner? What are his current life and career goals and how does that align with choosing you? What is his decision making progress and why? And so on. The same can be applied to your coworkers, or anyone else you're working with. Even to you friends and family, whose incentives may to be simply have a good time, feel loved and accepted, or have someone to listen.

There are rarely true "irrational" decisions. If a decision looks irrational to you, it's most likely because you don't truly understand the incentives driving that person.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#216

Post by notacoward »

thirdsun wrote: post #213
notacoward wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't think that's a sustainable or worthwhile approach. I have several thousand miles of evidence to the contrary. There's a lot of "exercise" not worthy of the name. For many people, especially at my age, the very heart/lung exertion that characterizes true exercise is at least mildly unpleasant regardless of how it's attained. Fortunately, one can harness competitive or goal-oriented impulses to make up for it…

That's fine. I didn't mean to say that you only should do fun things, but I think there's a middleground. Personally, I think running is a very boring activity - road biking however, while similar in nature, is something I look forward to and it comes with the same benefits (goals, tracking, comparable stats) you seem to actually enjoy. I can also recommend team sports - for me it's football (as in soccer), but speci…

Anything that requires a specific time and place to do it with others is a non-starter for me as a primary form of exercise.

If I lived near a body of water, kayaking would be a good alternative in summer (or more if I move to a different part of the country). That could still happen some day, but not now. Cross-country skiing is an alternative, and one I intend to pursue more this winter since I now live near some good places for it, but of course that's only in winter.

Cycling is the kind of obvious alternative, but I'm not really sure I'd enjoy it any more at the same intensity. As I said, it's the intensity itself that creates discomfort, and I've seen too much mayhem involving intense cyclists too. Seems like that focus on results can have pretty serious consequences at bike speeds.

It's great that you feel like you have tons of options that both meet your goals and provide enjoyment at the time. Consider that it might not be the case for everyone, and some might still put the goals first.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#217

Post by bakuninsbart »

deanmoriarty wrote: post #32

If you're interested in seeing financial returns for your time/work, don't work as a startup employee, ever.

Friend gave up probably one of the best tech jobs in the world because it was too boring. The company is owned by a foundation, so they think very long-term and have their employees welfare as one of the highest priorities.

Well, for him that was too good a deal, so now he's working 60 hours for half the salary.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#218

Post by Arubis »

algaeontoast wrote: post #208
Valk3_ wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would you say are your biggest take-aways from that course?

I’d recommend asking Tim Ferris.

Mr. Ferris certainly has a lot to say about the process of learning, but I haven't run across him saying anything about this particular course.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#219

Post by bakuninsbart »

* Bouldering: Could be generalized as "a sport that fits you". Bouldering changed my life, as it is the perfect balance to a desk job. I met a lot of great people, improved my self confidence and am much healthier now.

* The power of routine: I never liked routine and thought it stifles creativity. In some ways it actually might, but creaitivity without productivity isn't worth that much.

* To not take myself so seriously: Life is so much easier and more fun if you can laugh about yourself, if you don't try to uphold a self-imposed picture towards others, and if you can accept that sometimes things go wrong, and sometimes it's your fault. - Not only am I happier now, I think it also made me a better person.

Re: Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?

#220

Post by Arubis »

rezeroed wrote: post #157
otras wrote: post #5

Learning How To Learn ( https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn ) and Barbara Oakley's book A Mind For Numbers . Completely changed my approach to studying and learning, and my academic efforts after taking it were tremendously better than before. Also related: highly recommend Anki. It feels like magic when the spaced repetition works!

Which tools do you use for anki? Make your own decks?

The act of creating a deck is part of the practice. A really great illustration of this is (the book, haven't tried the app) Fluent Forever as referenced at https://fluent-forever.com/.
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