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Ask HN: Weekend wasted again

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Re: Ask HN: Weekend wasted again

#11
Genuine question here. Why is it that some lack the discipline to just do things that they want to do?

Its a common theme that appears in most books (heck Just Fucking Ship is a whole book on this) and I have noticed this over time with different people but never understood it.

Is there a psychological reason behind this? Is it something that needs to be overcome with the ways listed here? I guess what I am asking is why is that many cannot just decide to do something and do it without trying to hold themselves accountable using techniques.

Re: Ask HN: Weekend wasted again

#14
post #4

We all require some sort of forced schedules. Don't beat yourself too much about this. Next weekend try this: For every 55 min of YouTube/Facebook etc, put in 5 min of serious work. Just 5. But be disciplined about this schedule. Time yourself so that you don't do a minute more of the work! Learn the schedule habit first.

I would reverse the times... limit 5 mins of facebook/youtube for every 30 mins spent on side project.

Re: Ask HN: Weekend wasted again

#17
post #11

Genuine question here. Why is it that some lack the discipline to just do things that they want to do? Its a common theme that appears in most books (heck Just Fucking Ship is a whole book on this) and I have noticed this over time with different people but never understood it. Is there a psychological reason behind this? Is it something that needs to be overcome with the ways listed here? I guess what I am asking is…

There's plenty of reasons. They can range from things like Depression, Anxiety, ADHD or Executive Function Disorder.

It can also just be a matter of not encountering tools or techniques that they can apply to their daily life. As great as a book or system can be, it doesn't really do any good if you can't figure out how to apply it to your own life.

Saying that people lack discipline can even be counter productive. It is incredibly exhausting to hear that you're undisciplined while you're simultaneously fighting to accomplish a fraction of things you want to do, much less need to do. Once you've heard this enough, it can seem futile to even try, and you can start to wonder if there's something wrong with you.

I've personally experienced this while dealing with ADHD and Depression in my life, but, as my grandfather used to say "Different strokes for different folks"

Re: Ask HN: Weekend wasted again

#18
post #11

Genuine question here. Why is it that some lack the discipline to just do things that they want to do? Its a common theme that appears in most books (heck Just Fucking Ship is a whole book on this) and I have noticed this over time with different people but never understood it. Is there a psychological reason behind this? Is it something that needs to be overcome with the ways listed here? I guess what I am asking is…

> Why is it that some lack the discipline to just do things that they want to do?

If I find myself unable to do the things I want to do, I have to ask: do I really want to do these things, or do I just want to want to do them?

Let's say I'm convinced I need to learn a new programming language / library, and study to interview for a new job. But is this new language or new job really the thing that's missing in my life?

Maybe what I really want to do is make some music, or explore my neighborhood. Maybe part of me knows I should be going out, meeting girls, getting married, and starting a family.

When you try to make yourself work on things that don't address your real needs, you end up with priority inversion. If you find yourself saying "I can't do anything until X is done, yet I can't make myself do X", that could be a sign to say "Fuck X, what I really want to do is Y."

Re: Ask HN: Weekend wasted again

#19
Get up early, and try not to do anything before getting started on what you wanted to do. If you have a place you can go to that is not your home to go do it, go there and avoid staying home. If you are depressed like now, because Sunday is already gone, plan to get up at least a couple of hours earlier than you normally would tomorrow, and use those two hours to at least start doing some of what you wanted to do.

Re: Ask HN: Weekend wasted again

#20
I'm going to answer this two-fold and relate it to what I'm going through. Feel free to shoot me some advice as well.

On the surface, you clearly don't have passion driving what it is you want to do. I can relate to this because I'm learning to code. It was a struggle until I found Codewars, at which point I was able to easily turn on some music and sink hours at a time solving coding challenges. Turns out that the skill of solving these things doesn't transfer to.. anything. I struggle to sit still going through any tutorial and I still have no idea how to build things. So, on the surface, find something that motivates you.

Digging deeper, this inability to finish anything I start seems like a personal issue. I've worked a lot harder than this before. I think there are facets of my life, and probably yours, that need to be put into order first.

There's a satisfaction with life that I've had before and currently it's missing. I'm unable to stick with anything because I immediately seek cheaper forms of satisfaction. I think attaining a more genuine satisfaction with myself would eliminate this urge. Maybe you feel similar.

Also it obviously sucks to do things alone. Meetups, even when they lead to nothing, are still a big source of motivation. Personally I notice my productivity correlates with how often I'm going to meetups.

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