Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

261–270 of 785 posts

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#261

Post by andrepd »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #247
andrepd wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a hobby, and like any other hobby, it's profoundly stupid. How stupid is it to build model railways? How pointless is it to collect stamps. How dumb is it to fix cars? All "stupid" things we do for pleasure and for accomplishment. I suggest not being so focused on what should be stupid or not, and instead remember that time enjoyed is not time wasted.

>> "How dumb is it to fix cars?" With that one you're learning skills which will benefit you IRL. Car breaks down? Don't have to pay a mechanic. Skills may applicable to other machines too. Plenty of hobbies have real benefits. Sports for example - health & fitness.

Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it (much like sex :)). We do hobbies in our spare time, for their own sake, and for our own gratification. Whether they accomplish anything is totally irrelevant, in my view.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#262

Post by KhalilK »

cookiecaper wrote: post #158
ecliptik wrote: post #104

Using GPG more. After all the recent email leaks and privacy breaches, encryption and verification of plaintext communications is more vital than ever. If only it didn't have such a steep learning curve.

I spent about 2 years harping on everyone I know to use this, including clients, bosses, friends, colleagues, and everyone else I would send more than 2 or 3 emails. I was only able to get a couple of people using it (and that was probably mostly because they were worried I would be able to get them fired if they didn't keep me happy). I eventually gave up. Crypto is super important, but it's way too hard to get prac…

I have some spare Keybase invites. Drop me an email if you want. Maybe it'll help.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#263

Post by markus2012 »

adam12 wrote: post #166
ChuckMcM wrote: post #122

How about stopped doing? There was a weekend where I had spent close to 20 hours playing World of Warcraft to farm materials and reagents for the epic engineering mount. After I had finished it, and spent the requisite time showing it off in-game, I looked around and realized that all of thrill of lifelong learning and making things in the "real" world has been subsumed when all my spare time was consumed in a virtua…

I'm trying to get myself to enjoy gaming again. I can't seem to just relax and play a game without thinking I'm wasting my time. It's also hard to get the same high in a game that I do when I solve a bug or add a feature to whatever project I'm working on.

Yeah, I can't help but feel like I'm just 'walking the spreadsheet'.

I do find helping my kids to 'save the world' is still enjoyable!

Losing to my 12 y/o daughter at Rocket League (seriously trying my hardest) makes me wonder WTF is wrong with me.

Lol... sometimes I think 12 year old kids should be tasked with figuring out the hardest problems.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#264

Post by andrepd »

davej wrote: post #240
andrepd wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not a hippie, but you do meditation and fasts... Okay, that came out a bit incisive. Do you have any scientific backing to support those claims? I'm especially interested in fasting. Not eating for 3 days a month does not seem especially healthy. Then I see the claim that it cures cancer and forgive me if all my alarm bells go off.

> Do you have any scientific backing to support those claims? Not OP but this is a good summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3946160/ > Then I see the claim that it cures cancer and forgive me if all my alarm bells go off. I think OP was implying that it may decrease your chances of getting cancer not cure it. Everyone will get cancer if they live long enough (based on the current state of medicine, t…

This was precisely what I was looking for. Thanks, I'll look into it.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#265

Post by eslaught »

andrepd wrote: post #224
ChuckMcM wrote: post #122

How about stopped doing? There was a weekend where I had spent close to 20 hours playing World of Warcraft to farm materials and reagents for the epic engineering mount. After I had finished it, and spent the requisite time showing it off in-game, I looked around and realized that all of thrill of lifelong learning and making things in the "real" world has been subsumed when all my spare time was consumed in a virtua…

It's a hobby, and like any other hobby, it's profoundly stupid. How stupid is it to build model railways? How pointless is it to collect stamps. How dumb is it to fix cars? All "stupid" things we do for pleasure and for accomplishment. I suggest not being so focused on what should be stupid or not, and instead remember that time enjoyed is not time wasted.

> It's a hobby, and like any other hobby, it's profoundly stupid.

I profoundly disagree with your definition of hobby. My "hobby" is writing a science fiction novel. I don't get nearly as much time to do it as what I do for my day job, but I try hard to approach it with the same degree of seriousness that I bring to my work. So far, I don't think I've written anything anyone else would want to read, but I've managed to get to the point where I actually enjoy the process of writing.

Even better, I can sit back after I've written a chapter and say, "yeah, that actually embodies what I wanted to say". There is a very profound satisfaction in being able to do that.

I agree that many things we do in our free time might not have the qualities I describe above. I do such things too. But I would suggest that hobbies can be serious endeavors, and that the very fact that we love to do them makes them powerful.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#267

Post by dotsamuelswan »

curiousgal wrote: post #250
microDude wrote: post #113

Using a daily planner (on paper, not a app). I figured this out about 2 months ago. Being able to write down the tasks and scan back through my backlog has helped me be more productive. For me, using a calendar service or task manager app just does not work as well... BTW, I am a millennial. edit: I am 10 years younger then everyone else at my company and get questioned all the time about "why I use a day runner" whe…

Silly question but what exact notebook are you using?

Could not possibly agree with OP more. I'm using a Field Notes 56-Week planner.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#268

Post by filoeleven »

Walking alone in the woods. I only started doing this regularly a few years ago, and although I do not regret how I spent my time previously, I instantly realized that I had been missing out on something wonderful.

Whenever I take a walk, even if it is a place I have been to dozens of times, I always find something interesting that I hadn't seen, heard, or noticed before. I have literally never gone on a walk and later wished I hadn't. I spend a lot of time alone anyway but there is a huge difference between being surrounded by a static, simple rectilinear enclosure and being surrounded by a living, breathing dynamic ecosystem. It is incredibly soothing. I do not regularly meditate, but I will often find myself sitting quietly in one spot outside and letting the sights and sounds wash over me along with the thoughts and feelings they evoke.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#269

Post by munchbunny »

sdegutis wrote: post #212
adam12 wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm trying to get myself to enjoy gaming again. I can't seem to just relax and play a game without thinking I'm wasting my time. It's also hard to get the same high in a game that I do when I solve a bug or add a feature to whatever project I'm working on.

I'm on the other side of that wall. I never got into WoW or any similar game. So last year, my wife and I tried getting into WoW one weekend. It was awful, so utterly boring for both of us. That said, we did get into Minecraft for a few weeks. It was a fun little way to build a virtual world together. But after an hour straight of playing, I would just get this deep sense of loneliness and depression, and have to tur…

Have you tried substituting with board games or tabletop RPG's?

I suggest this because they preserve the "game" aspect and give up a bit of the virtual world feel in exchange for having a strong social aspect (hanging out with friends in real life).

Either one is actually very conducive towards socially drinking with friends while doing something that isn't trying to hear each other at a loud bar.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#270

Post by sdegutis »

munchbunny wrote: post #269
sdegutis wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm on the other side of that wall. I never got into WoW or any similar game. So last year, my wife and I tried getting into WoW one weekend. It was awful, so utterly boring for both of us. That said, we did get into Minecraft for a few weeks. It was a fun little way to build a virtual world together. But after an hour straight of playing, I would just get this deep sense of loneliness and depression, and have to tur…

Have you tried substituting with board games or tabletop RPG's? I suggest this because they preserve the "game" aspect and give up a bit of the virtual world feel in exchange for having a strong social aspect (hanging out with friends in real life). Either one is actually very conducive towards socially drinking with friends while doing something that isn't trying to hear each other at a loud bar.

Yeah we do games as a family, like cards or scattergories or pictionary, that kind of thing. Very fun for us all.
Post reply on HN