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

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

#51

Post by anyfoo »

dphassler wrote: post #15

For me, it was budgeting my money with intention. YNAB happened to be the tool that worked for me, after many failed attempts with other products. I believe that my quality of life would have been significantly better if I had started those habits earlier in my money-earning years.

Same here. I thought budgeting was only for when money is tight, but it is amazing how much clarity and overview a budget gives you over your financial situation, and how it helps in attaining even larger goals.

It’s just a shame that desktop YNAB isn’t developed anymore. I will hold onto YNAB4 until it falls apart.

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

#52

Post by Jemaclus »

Exercising. I run 3x/week now, and I sleep better, I feel better, I'm thinner, and I snagged a wife. Should have started running back in high school instead of spending my days playing MUDs. (Not really. I don't regret anything... but I could have made more time for exercising.)

Also, playing guitar. I'm hearing impaired, and my audiologist told my parents I could never be in the band at school, so they never pressed me to take guitar or piano lessons. I wish I had learned piano as a kid, because I love music so, so much (despite my hearing loss). That said, playing guitar is one of my favorite things ever. It's so cathartic. I'm really bad at it, but just playing helps melt away the stress of my life.

Also, when I was in college, I dated this gym rat for awhile. She told me one day, "On days when I don't feel like going to the gym, I tell myself to do it for five minutes. If I do it for five minutes and still am not feeling it, then I give myself permission to leave." Then a few seconds later, she said, "I never leave after five minutes."

I've adopted that outlook for almost everything. I don't want to go for a run? I'll run for five minutes. If I still don't want to run, I can stop. I never stop and always run the whole route. If I'd rather stay home and watch TV than accept an invitation to happy hour with coworkers, I'll do happy hour for five minutes. If I don't like it, I can make up an excuse and leave. I usually wind up staying the whole time. This outlook has gotten me to do dozens of things I'd never do: get certified as a scuba diver, take a trip to Peru, run a half marathon, audition for a play, and so on. It's a game-changer, for me.

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

#53

Post by Posibyte »

Cleaning. It sounds sort of childish, I know, but cleaning was always such a secondary thing to me. I wasn't dirty, but I was messy. I would constantly buy things from Amazon, toss the box in the garage.

One weekend, a friend and I flattened and recycled every box in that garage. I bagged up every messy bit of trash, bought new furniture to help organize my things, and I feel like I can relax again in my own home. It was a problem I never knew was harming me, but since that weekend, I've been happier than I have been for several years.

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

#54

Post by jrowley »

valleyer wrote: post #42
dahart wrote: post #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…

Is there some factor you can share that allowed you still to enjoy your “freedom” even after having kids? I share that same fear.

One thing to consider is that the sooner you have kids, the longer you get to have them in your life.

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

#55

Post by tmikaeld »

jbuss wrote: post #35

Using a chrome extension[0] to block social media sites during work hours. [0] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/block-site/eiimnmi...

Seems this particular extension is very upfront about the fact that they gather quite a lot of data from your tab history/usage/habits and then pass that to 3rd parties.

https://yourblocksite.com/privacy.html

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

#56

Post by personlurking »

mooreds wrote: post #8

Accepting that I was an introvert. I remember the exact moment: I was traveling, had just settled down with a good book at a hostel, and then heard some folks heading to the bar. I remember thinking "gosh, I should be social," and then "nah, I'd rather be here." Self acceptance of that was a big change for me.

+1

But it can be slightly more complicated. Personally, I want the invites to keep coming, but I also want to reject 75% or more of them (due to having accepted the fact that I'm an introvert). If people invite you out, and you always say "no", then at some point they'll stop inviting you.

It's a bit like the story (Dr Jordan) Peterson tells about rats. If a big one invites a small one to play, the small one will only continuously accept the invitations if the big one lets it win 25% of the time, IIRC. Being social is an iterated game, so you have to say "yes" enough to satisfy the other(s). That is, unless you live in the mountains and want to be by yourself.

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

#57

Post by dumbfounder »

Not focusing on what it takes to retire from Day 1. I did several startups and always dreamed I would retire rich from those pursuits. I got close, but no cigar. I am 42, and just a few years ago turned my sights hardcore towards hitting retirement goals. It might take another 20 years. It is something I will drive into my kids once they enter college. I will still also encourage them to do startups, but I will want them to understand the impact it has on their ability to retire early.

Side note: if I had held the Amazon stock I sold to start my second company and focused on retirement the past 15 years I would be (semi) retiring right about now.

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

#58

Post by rodolphoarruda »

Keeping my personal and professional projects notes in digital format. I used physical notebooks as my sole tool for project notes from 2002 to 2013, so "more than 10 years". It is very hard for me to search for things that I actually remember I took notes at the time, but can't find them quickly. Sometimes I need contact information or even addresses I made sidenotes of, but they are lost somewhere in my stack of dusty notebooks.

Curiously enough I took one of them last weekend and tried to digitize it into Evernote, via a photo. But I didn't like the final format, and it felt like a ton of repetitive work to get a single notebook in. So I put this aside.

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

#59

Post by PatientTrader »

Reducing sodium intake. You will instantly lose weight, feel less sluggish, have more energy etc. By simply reducing the amount of sodium in your diet you are increasing your chances of living longer. Over 500,000 deaths each are from complications with high sodium levels causing health problems.

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

#60

Post by dylanlacom »

kelukelugames wrote: post #3

Getting professional help for everything. Speaking, singing, powerlifting, acting, etc. I enjoy learning on my own but having a good coach can accelerate my progress and catch bad habits.

Cool. Where have you found good coaches for these activities?
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