I don't.
Longer answer is that I just pick whatever I feel like working on whenever I have free time. I probably have personal projects to keep me busy for years at this point.
Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
31–40 of 141 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
#32I mean either pick something and do it or don’t? If you really wanted to do any of those things you’d be doing them instead of not doing them. It’s fine to accomplish nothing. It’s all pointless anyway. If doing nothing is what you’re prioritizing, just accept it.
Well said. You need downtime too.
Re: Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
#33My tip. Plan less. I used to be in the same situation and I would meticulously plan out each day and fit all the things I wanted to do in neat little boxes in the calendar.
THe problem was that going through that neatly planned schedule took the fun out of all of it. I wasn’t enjoying the things that I had planned, even though they where things that I wanted to do. I was just going through the motions, checking things off.
Today. I try to keep a clear schedule, I don’t try to think of all the things I want to do. I don’t plan too much. Instead I just do the things that I want to do whenever they occur to me.
Keeping a clear schedule makes it more likely that I will actually have the time to do those things.
Re: Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
#34IMO there does not exist a perfect balance to be maintained. What defines balance is context, and you are eternally gaining new context. Hindsight often is a perceptive trap insofar that when looking back, you perceive it to have been possible to have known then what you know now and thus resolve that the path to perfection is in having a perfect plan. This is false. There was not a way for you to have known what was then the future before it came to pass.
So, what I personally do is just get started with whatever approach with the full knowledge that I will forever be refining and adding to that approach. Routinely check in with your context, what you are doing, and how those are informing each other and interacting to produce the results you are getting. For example, if you find that you are losing too much time journaling, do less of it. Figure out why, though. Maybe it is because work is busier than usual. Retain this information because it will allow you to make plans that are closer to perfect.
Basically what I'm saying is just get started. Moving in a direction is what is important, not necessarily getting to any place in particular. Understand what you are doing, and make sure you keep updating that understanding and remain fundamentally humble to the fact that you'll never strike a perfect balance.
Re: Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
#35Figuring out what you really want can be motivating. This book is great for prioritizing that, highly recommended https://www.spring.org.uk/spark-how-to-get-motivated
Re: Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
#36Happened the same to me. I felt really overwhelmed. The only solution I have is doing less. Furthermore I pick things which do require no/low maintainence/time/energy. Now I feel much more satisfied.
The real question to me is how and when to say no. Accepting I won't have the time for everything and chosing certain activities which makes my future freedom broad.
My priorities are: health(physical activity & food), connections: close family + a few close friends - and dedicated "random" time to feel more freedom and have some opportunity + work(+personal project)
Re: Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
#37My biggest suggestion here is to a) write down all the things you want to change about your life, b) pick one, c) spend at least 30 days establishing new habits around that, while d) definitely not working on anything else on that list. If you try to change everything at once, nothing will stick. But if you get in the habit of working on one thing a month, you can devote your full brainpower to really figuring out ho…
Funny that you posted. I made the decision today to focus on music this month and defer some visual related hobbies next month. As you said, I was just getting nowhere when my focus was divided. Whenever I want to dive something deep into something new that I learned, I get distracted away by some new thing in the other hobby that I was doing.
Totally. If you aren't familiar with them, try setting up a Kanban system. I have a big backlog of project ideas, but strong limits on how many I can have going at once. It's been great.
Re: Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
#38I found a new method which is called “Don’t break a chain!”. For me, this is really helpful method. I have selected few things (for example, practice German, read a book and do sports) and I do it everyday, then I put (x - check mark) to my application. After some time when I see that I already did certain things for some days this motivates me more and I kept doing again and again. I have another rule that I can have one day “free x” per week which means I’m allowed to skip one day per week, but I can still put check mark to my chain. If I don’t have this rule in one day if for some reason I can not do the activity my chain will break and it will be very hard to start again building a
new chain.
Re: Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
#39I’m running my startup, it requires a shit tone of self-organization. Also, I have too many interest to be able to persuade all of them. What helps me the most is a check-in question: “What thing that you will accomplish or move further forward today will make you the most satisfied and happy?” I try to do that thing.
Removing blockers for others is usually my first priority in the beginning of the day.
Re: Ask HN: How do you maintain balance between all the things you want to do?
#40There are so many diets in the market these days. This is probably due the high numbers of obese people worldwide and the fast food culture which we all enjoy. There are many diets to choose from like low calorie diets, juice diet, soups diets and even cookie diets. Another amazing diet in the market is the heart foundation diet.
http://whatpeopleswant.com/neuro24-review/ https://letsfireurbossnow.com/feng-shui-for-life-review/ https://dietsheriff.com/life-nutra-keto-review/ https://spontaneousreview.com/ultra-apex-diet-review/