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Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#141

Post by trevyn »

paintnp wrote: post #138

I can definitely relate to this. Here's how you do it. You just do it. Period. If you have two videos ready, make them public. It's the intention that counts. If you want to help people learn, or contribute, don't get bogged down by how people will judge you. It is an extremely exhilarating feeling when someone reaches out to you and lets you know that they found your content useful. The moment you make the switch fr…

Also, it's actually better if the videos are not polished, because they're more authentic. Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber's manager, has talked a bit about this. For reference, Justin's first YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQOFRZ1wNLw

Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#142

Post by jorblumesea »

marvin wrote: post #27

I'm going to say something that might be wildly unpopular among ambitious people: If you have a full-time job, you are by far not a passive consumer. You presumably contribute >40 hours every week of creatively demanding, high-quality labor to society. For most people, the premise of this question is wrong. Procrastination, when you don't obviously have a lot of available time and effort, is a symptom that most of yo…

I really appreciate this comment, mostly because I feel an immense amount of pressure to use my remaining time to do something "amazing" or keep up with the insane rate of frontend changes. I feel the core issue is that as developers/engineers, we spend a lot of time doing things that companies want, which can be at odds with skill growth, professional development or other things that are actually really important to making ourselves better. If I want to learn something new or improve myself, it's done on my time, not the company's. I guess this does make some sense, because they hired me to build things, not to study, although allowing me to spend some free time doing interesting things is known to provide large dividends.

I think the solution to this is the 20% time rule, but Google only really does this.

Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#143

Post by [deleted] »

marvin wrote: post #27

I'm going to say something that might be wildly unpopular among ambitious people: If you have a full-time job, you are by far not a passive consumer. You presumably contribute >40 hours every week of creatively demanding, high-quality labor to society. For most people, the premise of this question is wrong. Procrastination, when you don't obviously have a lot of available time and effort, is a symptom that most of yo…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#144

Post by Arete3141 »

marvin wrote: post #27

I'm going to say something that might be wildly unpopular among ambitious people: If you have a full-time job, you are by far not a passive consumer. You presumably contribute >40 hours every week of creatively demanding, high-quality labor to society. For most people, the premise of this question is wrong. Procrastination, when you don't obviously have a lot of available time and effort, is a symptom that most of yo…

I also second the joys of a part-time job. One of the most productive periods in my working life was when I had a job that was 30 hours a week. I worked 6 hours a day -- so that forced me to get out of bed, shower, and become fully human -- and then in the evenings I had enough time and energy to make real progress on my artistic goals.

I even found that the pay cut wasn't a 25% pay cut, but more like a 10% pay cut, because with the extra time I had, I did more shopping and meal planning, and spent less money overall on conveniences. I could afford to do things the "inconvenient" way.

I wish more companies in tech considered offering part time jobs. I know there would be a lot of people interested in those jobs, and they would be super loyal employees because they would be psyched to have the chance to have a real life.

Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#145

Post by rdiddly »

UnpossibleJim wrote: post #85
cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The guy wants advice on "how", not some words to make him feel better about not doing stuff, so let's give him that. > for most people this is an exercise that will in the long run lead to burnout. Your mind is already subconsciously telling you this. I want to point out that this is one of the reasons why people never start things. Let me share my experience as someone who has started, AND burned out, multiple times…

I will counter with one (older person's, I guess) observation of a bunch of my friends who are now in their early to mid fourties and late thirties. The one's who focus on making a career and accomplishments, be they for social value or greater equality for all or the justice in society being more balanced, etc. etc...... anyway, they end up at my age, when naturally, the larger group starts to drift apart a bit, loo…

I, for one, wish I'd spent more time working, earlier in life, so I could've saved enough to make work optional now. Nothing like having a whole day free, to give you that "I wanna start a project" feeling.

Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#146

Post by rak00n »

awl130 wrote: post #88

I made one change that made a difference: Cancel all-you-can-eat subscriptions, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. When you must opt-in every time to consume content, it makes it easier to instead dedicate your time to creating content.

I disagree. Some of the series I consumed through​ Netflix/HBO Now changed my perspective​. That's a fair exchange of my time.

Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#147

Post by smaddox »

ThrowawayP wrote: post #99
cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The guy wants advice on "how", not some words to make him feel better about not doing stuff, so let's give him that. > for most people this is an exercise that will in the long run lead to burnout. Your mind is already subconsciously telling you this. I want to point out that this is one of the reasons why people never start things. Let me share my experience as someone who has started, AND burned out, multiple times…

> Another mistake people make is thinking that burning out is like dying, and you can't recover. Speak for yourself, buddy. I'm still trying to overcome medical issues from my last bout with burnout, including sleep disturbances and stress-related gastritis, and so far the medical profession hasn't had much luck in dealing with any of them. Burnout and the stress that goes along with it can absolutely do lasting dama…

I highly recommend "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie. It's helped me manage stress.

Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#148

Post by floydtom2 »

Control devices remotely hack + Burner Numbers hack + Verified Paypal Accounts hack + Any social media account hack + Android & iPhone Hack + server crashed hack + Text message interception hack + Twitters hack + Skype hack + Credit cards hacker + We can drop money into bank accounts. + credit score hack + blank credit card sale + Hack and use Credit Card to shop online + Monitor any phone and email address + Tap into anybody's call and monitor their conversation CONTACT:ftom9856 via kik Or email blackspothack@gmail. com

Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#149

Post by ZenoArrow »

cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #103
ThrowawayP wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Another mistake people make is thinking that burning out is like dying, and you can't recover. Speak for yourself, buddy. I'm still trying to overcome medical issues from my last bout with burnout, including sleep disturbances and stress-related gastritis, and so far the medical profession hasn't had much luck in dealing with any of them. Burnout and the stress that goes along with it can absolutely do lasting dama…

Just curious. How long has it been?

cocktailpeanuts, one question, how would you describe the feeling of burnout?

Re: Ask HN: How do I switch from being a passive consumer to an active producer?

#150

Post by floydtom2 »

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