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Why are Adults so busy?

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Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#171

Post by EGreg »

Think of it a different way. We fill up our time, subconsciusly, to avoid the existential angst. Especially if you are an atheist.

Many religious people find time to pray three times a day and still be very productive.

Today, corporations have happily made this situation they own your time for 8 hours a day and you are afraid to lose your steady paycheck, so in many jobs, you pretend to work those 8 hours, refuse to build anything of value for yourself or others for fear of getting fired. It is a bit of an infantile mentality that's conditioned for 40 hours a week. Sweden has just moved to a 6-hour day!

In the past, people didn't have netflix or facebook. You'd see photos of people chilling outside, and in real life. More people were out. Playing sports etc. That's not on your list!

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#172

Post by sridca »

agumonkey wrote: post #135
sridca wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, this is called "social conditioning." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_conditioning To get back to being a kid, one can decondition all that (while retaining adult sensibilities).

Please tell us more.

> Please tell us more.

To decondition oneself out of all of the social conditioning naturally involves giving up both cynicism[1] and pride[2] (they are socialized feelings).

[1] Urban Dictionary defines "Tell me more" as an expression of put-down: "When someone say something stupid or simple. It's used to annoy people by asking them to tell you more when the statement is final." http://tell-me-more.urbanup.com/6108370 And it takes the simple naïveté of childhood to dislodge the sophisticated cynicism of adulthood.

[2] such as pride at "being a fair social agent" (your words) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12496092

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#173

Post by carrier_lost »

ericdykstra wrote: post #50

"I'm busy" is really just an excuse for not taking productive action. You know all those people you look up to that seem to be 10 times more productive than you? Whether it's Elon Musk running multiple blue ocean companies while being a technological innovator or Richard Branson leading over 400 companies, or whoever it might be, they all have the same 24 hours that you do. In the end it's up to you whether you find…

"The most time-consuming things often can't be totally cut out, but they can be systemized or delegated."

This is a big part of it, and it makes the comparison between Musk or Branson and an average Joe a bit disingenuous. They have the wealth afford to delegate many things that consume an average person's time. I doubt Musk does his own grocery shopping, and Branson likely doesn't scrub his own toilets.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#175

Post by OwlsParliament »

coldtea wrote: post #118
dazc wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am from Yorkshire. Take the point though.

Heh, didn't know it, no offence meant. Was mostly referring to all the urban poor, crime, domestic violence etc that goes on in large parts of the UK.

Well, those are ways of keeping yourself busy.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#176

Post by codingdave »

I think we have full control over how busy we are. But we also have full knowledge of the consequences of our actions, or lack thereof. So we choose to do more. Maybe we work more to have a nicer home, which takes more work to maintain. Maybe we hire out maintenance to have less money, but more time. Maybe we choose to have children and a spouse, which takes time. Maybe we choose to have a nice yard. Maybe we choose none of those things, and sit in a low-maintenance apartment playing games, or maybe we ditch it all and hike the Appalachian Trail. The point is that we make those choices. If anyone feels they do not have that control of their life, that is a problem I would suggest be fixed.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#178

Post by cdubzzz »

sagischwarz wrote: post #37
cdubzzz wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say free time is your priority, but even with this ideal list (it makes some very unrealistic assumptions) your free time is only 50% of your responsibilities time.

Yes, it could be more. I'm actually thinking about reducing my working hours. Could you elaborate on which assumptions seem unrealistic to you? I tried to list them as honest as possible, but for sure I might have overlooked something. The estimated free time aligns quite well with my daily perception (also, I could see 'staying healthy' as free time, because I go rock climbing and thats just something I love to do a…

On second thought, "very unrealistic" was harsh. I (or anyone) could nitpick a few hours per week here and there but nothing significant. You are right that it's really just about current life situation. As a married homeowner, my responsibility time is much higher, hah.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#179

Post by cdubzzz »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #142
cdubzzz wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say free time is your priority, but even with this ideal list (it makes some very unrealistic assumptions) your free time is only 50% of your responsibilities time.

If you include sleeping as a responsibility.

Absolutely. I definitely would not do if I didn't have to!

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#180

Post by petra »

teekert wrote: post #31
allengeorge wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, to do it at 20:00 may involve a chain-reaction of related decisions that affect your behavior "now". - When should I leave to get there by 20:00? - Can I do something else along the way? - What can I get done before then? etc. etc.

But if you can manage to not think about it until say 19:50, you will feel less busy. Working on your current task with 100% dedication, spending your breaks looking out the window just watching the birds land on the branches of the cherry tree will make you feel less busy, I guarantee it. Edit: Not that I ever manage that myself of course but the theory is sound.

That's the problem with the whole eastern philosophy(which i like very much) - it's strong in theory, but it's not practical for most people.

A more practical thing might be to do your chores with music - so you'll focus on it and not on your next chore.

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