11–20 of 51 posts
In the "removing small frustrations" category: getting a second power cord for my laptop. It makes me happy twice a day when I don't have to fish my cord out to bring it to work/home.
having one just for home, maybe I can attach it to my lapdesk and reduce the wear and tear.
I'm proud to say I've done all of these. I think the "drink with co-workers" is a super-good point and I wish more people were more honest about it!
I understand the logic about the strategic importance of drinking with coworkers but I have always felt it imposed some kind of obligation that I was somewhat uncomfortable about while I was single but much more so since I got married. The burden of the obligation for me is such that it outweighs any benefits I feel it could have in relation to my happiness. Those times when I have gone out with coworkers it has prod…
On drinking with co-workers: point taken, but if you are actually having mood problems, watch the alcohol intake. It's a depressant.
In the "removing small frustrations" category: getting a second power cord for my laptop. It makes me happy twice a day when I don't have to fish my cord out to bring it to work/home.
Though syncing stuff might be a pain, depending on the nature of your work. Source code might be easy to share with git.
I very much like the point about 'removing small frustrations'. So often, the temptation is to pass the opportunity by, perhaps because it is small compared to everything else we are worrying about. But add it up, over a year or two, or take them all as a set, and the cumulative effect is quite significant. The satisfaction of addressing even one is a real, immediate boost and sense of accomplishment.
Finally, to return to the drinking. I find, especially as I get older, that I enjoy a cup or two of coffee in a cafe as much or more than a drink in a bar. The caffeine elevates dopamine and thereby seems to open up conversation, but the results tend to be more interesting and don't culminate in a hang-over.
From the article:
"... economic and professional success exists on the surface of life, and that they emerge out of interpersonal relationships, which are much deeper and more important."
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then you're not drinking enough. Seriously. Alcohol is a great evolutionary adaptation, since it allows people to be extremely dour and responsible most of the time, while being able to loosen up with chemical assistance. Countries that are known for their seriousness and work ethic often have a strong drinking culture (e.g. Germany, Japan). There's a Steve Sailer article about this; I can't find it, and the domain i…
When I have gone drinking with my covorkers, everyone has restrained their drinking very strategically. No one has ever gotten drunk.
In the "removing small frustrations" category: getting a second power cord for my laptop. It makes me happy twice a day when I don't have to fish my cord out to bring it to work/home.
Some examples: - owning extra power cords, batteries, memory cards, etc. for electronic devices - setting up a power strip and various charging or connecting cables where they're easy to reach (consider the recently-circulated pic of the cables clipped to the edge of the desk.) - own the right cooking utensils, pots, pans, maybe a slow cooker or rice steamer, and so on. There's no sense in frustrating yourself day after day because it's harder than it needs to be to make dinner. - have appropriately-sized and located garbage cans, recycling bins, clothes hampers, toy boxes, file cabinets, and other types of containers. - repair or replace broken stuff that regularly causes annoyance, like sticky file cabinet drawers.
One tip that's helped me: when something makes you feel good, add it to feelgood.txt. Over time, you'll start to see patterns (vs. the random, fallible memories/ideas we have about what makes us happy).
Every few days or so I'll have a random entry [7/23/09: felt good to chill with Andreas. played games, chatted, had bfast, etc. hospitality. nice to catch up. 7/15/09: Felt good to 1) post to BE and 2) exercise today].
Looking back, I can see what actually worked in making me happy.