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Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

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Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#41

Post by sprafa »

eeZah7Ux wrote: post #18
strawcomb wrote: post #16

Some things I'd recommend, off the top of my head: - Do not grab phone/computer etc. and mindlessly browse first thing in the morning. (Or before bed. Or at any time really.) But doing it first thing really starts your day on the wrong foot. - When seeking to relax, do not mindlessly browse the internet/social-media/tv. Read an enjoyable book. This is an order of magnitude more fulfilling and beneficial to you. And g…

> already flexed your self discipline muscle ...what? Is there any evidence that self discipline needs to warm up?

Current understanding of willpower is that does, indeed, function like a "muscle".

I got this from reading a few books and articles and it might be wrong, but it's my impression.

Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#42

Post by danesparza »

strawcomb wrote: post #16

Some things I'd recommend, off the top of my head: - Do not grab phone/computer etc. and mindlessly browse first thing in the morning. (Or before bed. Or at any time really.) But doing it first thing really starts your day on the wrong foot. - When seeking to relax, do not mindlessly browse the internet/social-media/tv. Read an enjoyable book. This is an order of magnitude more fulfilling and beneficial to you. And g…

Strangely, this sounds like adults that I observed as a teenager. I always wondered how they could survive in such a boring existence.

Now I know they were just more evolved than I was :-)

Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#43

Post by [deleted] »

bitL wrote: post #38

Well, think twice if you really want to go that way. From my own repeating experience, you spend years working on some insanely difficult problem, making you feel miserable all the time, then once you accomplish it you have your 15 minutes of chemical euphoria in your brain; in a week or so everybody around you starts treating it as nothing interesting anymore, and your bosses induce themselves even daily a similar f…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#44

Post by charsifood »

brango wrote: post #31
matt4077 wrote: post #8

Several thoughts, somewhat unsorted: - There could be an underlying medical problem. Mild depression often has low willpower as the most noticeable effect. If it's not too much of a hassle, maybe get your thyroid checked. And whatever works for depression should usually work for your problem as well, exercise unfortunately being the most effective - If what you're doing really doesn't interest you, it doesn't make mu…

> Somehow get your hands on ADHD meds Are you a qualified medical doctor?

> Are you a qualified medical doctor?

You don't need an MD to know that stimulants increase focus.

Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#45

Post by mrleinad »

napperjabber wrote: post #23

Stop consuming sugar and caffeine. Fruits are a great suppliment until your body adjusts. You cannot have an abundance of attention without the fuel to power it. - It was one of the hardest things for me to do.

Fruits contain fructose, which is another form of sugar, and not quite good when consumed in large quantities.

https://paleoleap.com/10-reasons-why-fructose-is-bad/

Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#46

Post by sidcool »

bitexploder wrote: post #39
kichuku wrote: post #27

I too second the recommendation for "Deep Work" by Carl Newport ( http://calnewport.com/books/deep-work/ ). This is one book which is a must-read for all the current generation technology workers like us. I started reading this book about two weeks back and I have finished reading 90% of the book. Already I am seeing tremendous improvement in my day-to-day life.

Cal Newport (not Carl) -- just in case anyone is searching by author. Thirded. Read his book. Do what he says.

Just bought the book.

Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#47

Post by ycombinete »

I've been battling this with Vipassana meditation. I came accross it via Sam Harris. He posted a very nice little intro essay to it [0]; and there is a good podcast interview with Harris and Joseph Goldstein, on Harris's podcast[1].

Another thing is to get off of Social Media, immediately [3].

[0] https://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-meditate

[1] https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/why-meditate/

[2] http://matthewbrecher.com/socialmedia.html

Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#48

Post by kichuku »

napperjabber wrote: post #23

Stop consuming sugar and caffeine. Fruits are a great suppliment until your body adjusts. You cannot have an abundance of attention without the fuel to power it. - It was one of the hardest things for me to do.

I second this. Sugar does much more harm to our body than we usually realize. After stopping sugar, my health tremendously improved. But the first few weeks and months of stopping sugar, (I used to consume too much sugar earlier) I noticed the worst possible games my mind can play against me. My mind used to say that it is ridiculous and I am being impractical, childish and what not!. It was a war and I won it. And now I am reaping the benefits. I am able to focus better. I am having better energy and my memory has improved.

Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#49

Post by kichuku »

mrleinad wrote: post #45
napperjabber wrote: post #23

Stop consuming sugar and caffeine. Fruits are a great suppliment until your body adjusts. You cannot have an abundance of attention without the fuel to power it. - It was one of the hardest things for me to do.

Fruits contain fructose, which is another form of sugar, and not quite good when consumed in large quantities. https://paleoleap.com/10-reasons-why-fructose-is-bad/

I doubt this. Anything naturally occurring and has existed for millions of years cannot be bad for us. No matter, what the "research" says.

And if you do want to go by research, please read the works and watch videos of "Robert Lustig" (http://profiles.ucsf.edu/robert.lustig )

Re: Ask HN: How does one overcome the need for instant gratification?

#50

Post by glogla »

sprafa wrote: post #41
eeZah7Ux wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> already flexed your self discipline muscle ...what? Is there any evidence that self discipline needs to warm up?

Current understanding of willpower is that does, indeed, function like a "muscle". I got this from reading a few books and articles and it might be wrong, but it's my impression.

Actually, there used to be research showing that ("ego depletion" it was called) but it is getting more and more controversial because it's been quote a few years now and nobody managed to reproduce the effect.
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