Me after reading this article : "Now I have a time anxiety"
Time anxiety: is it too late?
141–150 of 173 posts
Re: Time anxiety: is it too late?
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
Serious question, what other hobbies can one have?
Any sort of crafting hobby, which ranges from making clothes to making swords to making furniture. Graphical arts, digital and analog (which covers everything from painting with all different types of paints to mixed media, large format, small format, from the side of a building to the size of a grain of rice) These are all mostly looks-based, but you can also make things that do things, make electronics, restore old…
For me it is brewing, cooking, infusing vodkas, and gardening.
Cooking is an interesting one because I try to learn various cuisines reasonably well and some of the dishes from places like Indonesia are very complex.
All of these have the point in common that they cannot be rushed so they force a mentality of taking it slow, which I think helps with the time anxiety as well.
Re: Time anxiety: is it too late?
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is your solution?
To the issues raised in the article? Unfortunately I don't have one to present to others. Everyone is different and my only advice is to find a professional that can talk through specifics and provide the right approach. If you're asking more personally, I identify with a lot of the same struggles as outlined in the article and here in the comments, but I stop short of feeling the excessive anxiety. Instead I'm just…
> Instead I'm just paralyzed by inaction and have low energy for pursuing any ambition.
I guess that's... normal? Most people don't have ambitions, they're just content with getting through life in a relatively painless way. The ambitious people are the exception, not the rule.
Re: Time anxiety: is it too late?
#144While reading this article I couldn't stop thinking about the cliche (which I believe happens to be useful), "today is the first day of the rest of your life". The truth is we never know how much time we have left. You could walk out your front door and get run over by a bus at any time. All we can really do is engage in activities that we find worthwhile and fulfilling. At the risk of using two cliches in the same, short post, "life is a journey, not a destination". If you are trying to find meaning in life by reaching arbitrary goal posts you're missing the point.
Re: Time anxiety: is it too late?
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a software eng who has always had a lot of hobbies, it's almost alienating how so many people in the office are only into TV shows, super hero movies, sci fi books, video games... It's like, there's a whole world out there people!
Serious question, what other hobbies can one have?
All of programmerdudes examples are different modes of consumption. In my experience the most fulfilling hobbies are those where you create something. It really doesn't matter what specifically - the creative part is the source of a sense of fulfillment. In my neck of the woods it now is a good time to try to make wine by oneself, for example. Just harvest some fruits, order yeast and off you go. Woodworking is pretty fulfilling, too, especially the manual, non-electrical side. Or wood carving. Carving takes about zero amounts of space and is pretty meditative. Gardening is great, and can also be started indoors with LED lighting, if space is a concern. Sewing is pretty fun, the beginner stuff are things like tote bags, i.e. you can use your own creations after a few hours. Some people like drawing or painting, or writing.
The plus for most of these is that you can actually use your creations by yourself and have a great source of gifts for friends and family.
Those are all pretty low-tec-examples, but of course you could also look into diy electronics, game programming etc. For some those aren't optimal because they resemble work too much.
I would personally avoid hobbies that tend to devolve into collecting kit, e.g. photography. IMO Great activites are those where the fun part is the creative task itself, and which involve manual exertion (assuming you are a desk worker).
Re: Time anxiety: is it too late?
#146It takes a lifetime to master a craft. The earlier you start, the longer it takes.
Re: Time anxiety: is it too late?
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, but it's deleterious to my societal productivity. Like I'm happier spending my time with my friends. But I have less of that burning desire to build. I think I might actually be content to live just happily on the beach with the wealth I have now, so long as everyone I love is nearby and we frequently meet. But obviously I don't want to be content with that.
It's not obvious to me why you wouldn't be content with that. Living on the beach with the people you love sounds pretty fantastic to me. What's the end goal? Amass more wealth? Build a legacy?
> What's the end goal? Amass more wealth? Build a legacy?
Grass is always greener...
Re: Time anxiety: is it too late?
#148The bigger problem is that time anxiety often comes together with self-doubt so you spend a lot of time doubting your choices and ideas and then bump right into time anxiety
Probably the only thing you can do about it is do something that feels right for you no matter when
Re: Time anxiety: is it too late?
#149> Cut out time-consuming distractions
Good idea. Time for me to close HN now.
Seriously... I spend (waste?) way too much time here.
Re: Time anxiety: is it too late?
#150You think too highly of yourself. Why do you think whatever you create is something special. It's most likely Shit. There is freedom in knowing you are one in 7 billion. Real creation happens when you give freedom to your mind to do whatever it wants to. There is no time constraint, no feeling that i need to get this done. It's spontaneous. You are following someone else's script here. You are equating activity with…
While I appreciate the stoicism, this isn't just about delusions of grandeur. Examples: * I'm too old to learn how to surf * My relationship with my child is too far gone to improve * It's pointless for me to save for retirement at my age * The environment is fucked no matter what I do These are all time anxiety type dilemmas that real people get hung up on that have nothing to do with impressing the world or buildin…
These are still all goal-based examples. You may be too old to ever be a good surfer, but probably not too old to enjoy farting about with a surfboard in some small waves. You may not ever be able to repair the emotional damage yourself and your child have done to each other, but you can probably enjoy going to a movie together.
Etcetera. AFAICS what this article is getting at is simply "do more of what you enjoy"