Alternative: stop thinking about what you can't do
Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
21–30 of 228 posts
Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
#22I love this. Reminds me of other articles about "flow" when you are so engaged you lose track of time.
This happens for me when solving hard problems. I can't stop thinking about it and work from the moment I wake up to when I go to bed. It looks like hard work, but it's energizing.
Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
#23My problem is that I get excited about different things with far too much frequency. This past week I've become obsessed with a video game idea. The week before I was obsessed with a design app that I'm working on.
> This past week I've become obsessed with a video game idea. The week before I was obsessed with a design app that I'm working on. But why? What was special about the video game idea that interested you, and the same about the design app? In my experience I often fail to see things through because they only interest me superficially or are primarily orientated around making money (quickly!). But I know what I actual…
For me, those side tracks are often closely related to a core goal, but still act as distractions that I have to avoid.
For example, my business is in the residential real estate industry. I think a lot about rent prices as a result. I have a pet theory that there's a bubble in the world of big building financing. I would love to spend weeks just digging into the data and trying to find out what's really going on, but that's not going to help my business succeed.
I resonate with what you said re: a sense of purpose. I think the way rental housing is done on the whole planet is a trainwreck, but a fixable one. I think it could improve the lives of millions of people if someone could shake off some dust and introduce some new ideas. It's huge and exciting.
I guess the fundamental problem is that there are many interesting and viable angles to solve the problem, but if you want to succeed, you really have to focus on a much smaller cohort of those angles (if not just one). So yeah, I don't think it's as simple as having a better sense of purpose unless your sense of purpose is extremely narrow in scope.
Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
#24The author is quoting someone else: “Because every minute spent doing something other than what you love most today is a minute you’re more likely to regret when you’re 80.” Depending on how literally one takes that, you’re going to be one sorry motherfucker when you’re old. I like taking a shit, but I don’t love it. But I gotta do it, my Yelp review on “taking a shit” notwithstanding. Personally, I quit being so spo…
> But I’ve also learned to love the mundane. There’s more to washing dishes than you think.
When I was looking for an entry-level New York studio apartment four years ago, one thing I absolutely insisted on having was a dishwasher. Screw the overall size of the kitchen or the square footage of the apartment, or even whether I had a stove or an oven—I needed a dishwasher god damn it!
My parents and a lot of my friends told me I was being silly. Washing dishes doesn't take that long, they said, and dishwashers take up a lot of space you'll want to have in a tiny kitchen.
Every day when I use my dishwasher, I'm glad I didn't listen to them. I do have exceedingly little space in my kitchen, but I don't mind, as long as I don't have to wash dishes.
My point here is, there's a lot of ways to cut down on mundane tasks, and it's really worth prioritizing that effort over other concerns.
Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
#25I used to constantly read articles like this about how to get motivated to do all sorts of things I thought I needed to do. Then I was diagnosed with ADHD and found a suitable medication.
Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
#26How about learn to manage your mind so that your life is enriched from within.
Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
#27My problem is that I get excited about different things with far too much frequency. This past week I've become obsessed with a video game idea. The week before I was obsessed with a design app that I'm working on.
I do that too. The top slot in my mind flips between ideas on a weekly basis. Last week it was a videogame. This week it's worldbuilding. Next week it might be something for the job, or it might be an Emacs mode, or who knows. One thing I've noticed though - regardless of whether or not I do something about my current top most exciting thing, these things come back . The same videogame idea has been visiting me regul…
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Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
#28Seems like the author did X one time, and he felt great about it, so he decided to write an article about the life-changing experience of X. It might be true, but from only one data point, can you really say?
> I wasn’t tired, I was excited afterwards. I've neglected my other habits because of it.
Let's see how you feel after cranking out your 10th side project after working 8-hour-or-more days. Who knows, you might absolutely love it, and decide to start a second business while working.
You might also discover that your partner is starting to feel neglected, your apartment is a mess, and you have gained 10 pounds, because exercise is not what you love.
Either way, I would not recommend the approach described in the article.
Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
#29I love this. Reminds me of other articles about "flow" when you are so engaged you lose track of time. This happens for me when solving hard problems. I can't stop thinking about it and work from the moment I wake up to when I go to bed. It looks like hard work, but it's energizing.
I like what Uncle Bob said about "the flow" (or "the zone"):
> Here’s a little hint from someone whose been there and back: Avoid the Zone. This state of consciousness is not really hyper-productive and is certainly not infallible. It’s really just a mild meditative state in which certain rational faculties are diminished in favor of a sense of speed.
Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about
#30This caused me a brief moment of reflection. I realised I can't stop thinking about riding my motorbike and trying to have sex with someone.