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Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

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21–30 of 138 posts

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#23
One was when I realized I should try to do something that I can do to push my boundaries and instead do something I can right now. I'm writing down more koans like this and I might sell it as a deck of inspiration cards.

Another was Quitting Facebook. I tried a bunch of times but wasn't successful but I have been Facebook free for a few months now. I might turn it back on just to get a backup of my data for my own data science projects but I would immediately turn it off.

Yet another keeping a paper notebook with a pen with me at all times. Some notes are better written.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#25

I dropped out of the software industry and moved to Greece. Now I go fishing in the morning, read in the backyard in the afternoon and play saxophone at the local taverna at night. I make all my money committing cybercrime.

Can you elaborate on the last sentence? Serious question, unsure of the seriousness of statement.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#26
Music. Music has such mathematical undertones - classical music especially speaks to me.

I wished I started learning music, especially reading music and music theory when I was a child. Now that I'm old, I realize that neuroplasticity is a bitch to fight against. Thank God I learned another language as a child, and a tonal language at that.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#27
1: Kids. My wife and I waited to get married, and then were part scared after we got married, and part selfish and wanted freedom to play and travel, so we waited more. I don't regret our adventures at all, but after we had kids, I realized my fear was unfounded and we still had a lot of freedom to play and travel.

2: Startup. I wanted to start my own business my whole life, and I waited to try until I had enough of a plan, enough personal savings for a runway, and until the kids weren't toddlers anymore. I wish I had done it a lot sooner, before having kids, and with someone else's money.

Yes, those two kinda contradict each other. :) I don't know how I'd resolve it, were I to do it again. Not sure I would do it any different, my takeaway is just that in both cases I waited because of fears that turned out to be only fear.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#28

Wearing earplugs at night. Vastly improved my quality of sleep. I use a vibrating watch to wake me in the morning.

Seconded. I was just constantly getting annoyed by street noise and loud neighbours. Now I just put in the earplugs and everything is well.

Re: Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?

#30
Deleting the twitter, reddit, and facebook apps from my phone. I still access FB through the browser when I want to check something, and I check strava and instagram daily, so I'm not totally free, but it feels better.

I use that free time for reading, coding, cleaning, cooking, and running.

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