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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?

#61

Post by digitalsushi »

basdevries wrote: post #55
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…

Really good advice. I tried blocking some sites but whenever my 'bad side' comes up again, I always find a way to get around the block and visit the site anyway. Any recommendations on blocking a site indefinitely?

Block it in your router. Make the router's GUI accessible only on a static ethernet port, so that you have to walk a laptop over to it to configure it. Your urge to goof off will be lower than the cost to unblock it, and your laziness will end up protecting you.

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

#62

Post by [deleted] »

basdevries wrote: post #55
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…

Really good advice. I tried blocking some sites but whenever my 'bad side' comes up again, I always find a way to get around the block and visit the site anyway. Any recommendations on blocking a site indefinitely?

[deleted]

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

#63

Post by titzer »

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…

> all the "easy problem, low hanging-fruit" solvers that rank high in popularity contests will overtake you.

I laugh at myself, heartily, merrily, humbly. I am in my low place. Maybe they laugh at me, maybe they hate themselves, maybe they don't even exist.

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

#64

Post by chrishynes »

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…

"Do not grab phone/computer etc. and mindlessly browse first thing in the morning..."

Expanding on this... Don't use mindless browsing as a filler at all. Ever.

If your build is gonna take a minute, don't reflexively switch over to Facebook/email. Sit there and think/meditate. Stand up or do some pushups.

Browsing Facebook is fine when that's the activity you're doing. Set aside some Facebook browsing time, timebox it, and stick to that.

"multitasking" is the devil. Don't do it. Better to be blank and let your mind rest for a moment instead of trying to timeslice something in. Focus on each thing separately and you'll end up more productive and efficient and also feel more personally gratified after accomplishing specific tasks one by one vs. a mishmash of "multitasking" where you're not really sure what you even did at the end of the day.

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

#65

Post by chasely »

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 also did a recent podcast with Ezra Klein (formerly of Washington Post and now leading Vox) about his book and the ideas behind it [0].

I'm skeptical of most "self-help" and business books but Deep Work was helpful for me and I come back to the book any time I feel myself slipping. I admit I may be biased towards his work since he is a theoretical CS professor [1] who happens to write books about work and productivity.

[0] https://soundcloud.com/panoply/cal-newport-on-doing-deep-wor...

[1] https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EhodjeAAAAAJ&hl=en

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

#66

Post by bitexploder »

sidcool wrote: post #46
bitexploder wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Just bought the book.

Neat. It is one of that books that really helped me change my habits. I don't think there is anything revolutionary in there for the average knowledge worker, but the presentation is compelling and it offers very practical advice and examples. I often think we "know" a lot of things that are good and work well, but without picking some of those good things we "know" and just working them and doing them "knowing" that stuff doesn't help. Books like this offer a practical framework to narrow the scope of the doing and can surpass the mental hurdles to commit to things you already "know" or have a good idea about.

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

#67

Post by exabrial »

* Temperance: Restricting yourself in things. Try it: find a vice. Now stop doing it.

* Integrity: Doing the right thing, when no one is looking, or "when it doesn't matter"

Example: Yesterday, Amazon accidentally discounted a $3.5k guitar to $112. It was widely publicized and hundreds of them were purchased. Some people go theirs shipped. Is this right or wrong? After all, it's just "pennies" to a company like Amazon. Answer: yes it's wrong.

* Self-discipline: Do you work out? Force yourself to work out 2x a week. Stick to the schedule. Do you play an instrument? Force yourself to practice multiple times a week.

These things were beat into me as a kid by a pair of "tough love" parents. I cannot thank them enough.

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

#68

Post by leonroy »

nemacol wrote: post #35
degenerate wrote: post #19

Non-ironically, I watch this video every couple months to remember all my problems are first-world problems and I need to remember how good I have it: https://vimeo.com/69662330 That helps with the instant gratification problem for me.

I watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI http://www.metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf This is Water - David Foster Wallace Commencement Speech. I watch this from time to time for a similar reasons.

That was pretty eye opening indeed. I feel that companies as well as schools should be attempting to instill more conscious and empathetic behaviour in their execs and employees.

After all - as Foster states education never really ends - considering the immense time and commitment we give our employer I think their reinvestment in our skills and mental well being will reap dividends for both parties.

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

#69

Post by jvkersch »

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…

I agree with this and other suggestions to seek for deeper habits. In addition, I'd suggest keeping a journal of what deeper habits you develop: when I'm tempted to kill some time browsing or watching cat videos, I look at my notes (both in a journal and as Emacs org files), give myself a little pat on the back, check some things on the list, and write down a little more of what I've been doing. I find that doing some "gardening" on my notes is useful in the long and provides me with a small dopamine hit in the moment.

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

#70

Post by kentt »

basdevries wrote: post #55
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…

Really good advice. I tried blocking some sites but whenever my 'bad side' comes up again, I always find a way to get around the block and visit the site anyway. Any recommendations on blocking a site indefinitely?

I have a weird alternative strategy. First a backstory, when I quit smoking, I tried what you did, making my vice less accessible/desirable using the sort of strategies you'd find in top 10 ways to quit smoking article. After failing at that for the umpteenth time, I did the opposite. I bought my favourite cigarettes, bought some very nice cigars, fresh pipe tobacco and put it all on my desk where I have to study all day.

Now that it was in my face it wasn't about working around myself, bit rather deciding if I actually wanted and had the will power to do what I had claimed I wanted to do.

So, if you really want to reduce mindless browsing and find you can't and little strategies end up being ineffective, perhaps the opposite might be a worthwhile strategy.

All the best.

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