Do whatever you can't stop thinking about • Hacker News Board

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#211

Post by vinc » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 7:41 AM UTC

deepGem wrote: post #40

qmmmur wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I realise this is anecdotal but have you considered there is a whole territory of work that never requires html npm css front end madness?

Yep, but I have only worked on market/users based ideas which invariably need a front end prototype to start with, hence the bias.

I'd suggest sticking to Bootstrap for a prototype with maybe changing the colors for a bit of customization and that's it. Of course that may not be possible depending on your project but when it's possible it saves a lot of work to reach MVP level without burning out.

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#212

Post by topaztee » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 8:28 AM UTC

rdgthree wrote: post #23

nprateem wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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, bu…

this would make for an interesting blog post.

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#213

Post by qplex » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 11:12 AM UTC

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #203

qplex wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not suggesting to change any goals; just to have a break from any singular activity for a while. But whatever myth you think there is for goals that require delayed gratification simply does not exist (at least for most people). The journey is more important than the destination and all that. Reaching some arbitrary goal doesn't bring you lasting happiness. No ones born knowing to code, but learning to code can a…

No, the absolute worst thing you can say is "It's fine to give up as soon as it gets hard." If you have a pile of cash you can lead a life of not much. But lottery winners and multimillionaires almost invariably seem to get bored by constant holidays, permanent no-destination travel, and other kinds of freewheeling. Most people need a goal and a focus. And as soon as you have one you're going to frustrate yourself by…

I'm only saying one should not have to continually withstand frustration or bad circumstances. Sometimes giving up (and doing something else) is the right thing to do. Sometimes you need a break to be able to continue. And so on.

In any case you should never prime for difficulty, it only decreases performance and motivation.

And since very few things are actually really, really necessary, I find it's very hard to pass morality about "the need to do more".

What I don't agree with is that everyone needs strong goal-oriented thinking and psychology to accomplish things.

Perhaps in the strictest sense everybody has goals but being goal-oriented is another thing.

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#214

Post by qplex » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 11:14 AM UTC

whowhatwhy wrote: post #202

qplex wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really, when your mind tells you that you are bored and sick, you should do something else. If the circumstances force you to eat shit, it's still not the right thing to do.

"when your mind tells you" what does this really mean??

"When you feel bored and sick"?

Sorry. I guess I tend to think in a dualistic way.

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#215

Post by frfl » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 12:45 PM UTC

overcast wrote: post #170

frfl wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but not everyone has perfect eyesight and perfect monitors or perfect lighting conditions. Thin font, plus a 5:1 contrast ratio (text #606f7b to white bg) isn't ideal for reading. Original vs higher contrast, objectively, one is easier to read https://i.imgur.com/kDMPhfx.png

Strange, mine looks like the one on the right, except a shade darker and without the horrible aliasing. That one on the left looks like your display has the brightness maxed out. I agree people should be more conscious of typography legibility, but what you're seeing on the left looks like there is something wrong with your display. Viewing on my iPhone 11 Pro is crisp and dark as well.

Interesting.

But that image I've attached is a software screenshot, not a picture of my screen, so calibration should have no effect when you view it on your screen.

Maybe it's just superior macos/ios having font/color rendering and not the display itself.

Edit: Opened it up on Android, it's better there than pc for sure. Might just be font rendering on on system that's crap.

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#216

Post by jakemal » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 12:51 PM UTC

ulisesrmzroche wrote: post #197

eshyong wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that's the opposite of what he's saying. Instead of valuing feeling productive, he now values feeling energetic and excited every day. I think you may have missed that part. Not everyone wants to get swole or be a rails core maintainer.

He did want to be a rails maintainer. Did you miss that part?He wasn’t willing to do the work for it. So where’s the lesson? What are we applauding? Changing goal posts is cheating yourself. Self discipline a sin now? It’s the American stigma of failure, deeply flawed national trait The argument is that hard work saps energy and can damage your self esteem so therefore it’s evil. No matter the benefits, they’re not w…

No he didn't want to be a Rails maintainer. He wanted the improved job prospects of being a Rails maintainer but didn't have real interest in developing the product itself.

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#217

Post by valkon » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 1:49 PM UTC

saagarjha wrote: post #97

js4 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing wrong with that.

I have responsibilities :( Thank goodness I don’t have a full-time job at the moment, but I’m fearful of what I’ll do once I get one…

Exactly what you fear, you will be miserable. I can confirm.

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#218

Post by mygo » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 5:07 PM UTC

cloverich wrote: post #210

FPGAhacker wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My problem is I don’t know a way. So I go searching for resources to learn from. Except there are dozens of ways to do a given thing. And all are really just partial, incomplete solutions, in different ways. Some are outdated, but how can I tell when I’m not a domain expert. And I don’t want to be an expert on every single domain I have to touch to build whatever thing I am working on. It’s a frustrating world.

You just need to learn the fundamentals of a few CSS techniques, like flexbox [1], [2]. Flexbox is honestly the last new CSS thing I really remember learning that was core to what I did, and I learned it before my last job (~4 years of React full time). New stuff comes out but the core stuff last long and serves you well, esp. now that the old old browsers have died. [1]: https://philipwalton.github.io/solved-by-flex…

Not to add the the CSS confusion, but I guess this means flexbox is finally caniuseable. 98% coverage ain’t bad.

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#219

Post by eshyong » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 6:28 PM UTC

jakemal wrote: post #216

ulisesrmzroche wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He did want to be a rails maintainer. Did you miss that part?He wasn’t willing to do the work for it. So where’s the lesson? What are we applauding? Changing goal posts is cheating yourself. Self discipline a sin now? It’s the American stigma of failure, deeply flawed national trait The argument is that hard work saps energy and can damage your self esteem so therefore it’s evil. No matter the benefits, they’re not w…

No he didn't want to be a Rails maintainer. He wanted the improved job prospects of being a Rails maintainer but didn't have real interest in developing the product itself.

Yep that's what I took away from it too.

Re: Do whatever you can't stop thinking about

#220

Post by eshyong » Mon, Mar 09, 2020, 6:31 PM UTC

khallo wrote: post #177

eshyong wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that's the opposite of what he's saying. Instead of valuing feeling productive, he now values feeling energetic and excited every day. I think you may have missed that part. Not everyone wants to get swole or be a rails core maintainer.

replace "productive" with "feeling energetic and excited" in that response and their arguments are still valid. If you want to work on something, anything, there are going to be days where you are energetic and excited, and days you will feel like shit. The author of the article is suggesting to quit when the days are shit, and that is a bad advice. There is nothing that will keep you excited forever.

No, the author is suggesting that you work on projects that are intrinsically motivating, i.e. things that you would want as opposed to problems other people want you to solve.