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I thought I would have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35

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Re: I thought I would have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35

#31

Post by renjimen »

umvi wrote: post #4

Paradoxically, when I had all the time in the world I frittered it away on video games and the internet. Now that I have multiple kids and my time is extremely constrained, I am very efficient with my time usage. I listen to audiobooks while doing the dishes. I plan in my mind exactly which programming tasks I want to accomplish as soon as the kids are in bed so that I can do them quickly and still have time to spend…

I’m very nostalgic about the countless hours I frittered away on video games and the internet as an adolescent. Part of me thinks it made me the person I am today, who I am proud of. I recently joined a Counter Strike team with work and had some of the most fun times I can think of recently. I compare that with the time I put aside to learn 3D modelling, which was fun in its own way but required more self motivation and the satisfaction took a lot more time to achieve. It made me question what society accepts as a valid way to spend spare time, as well as the purpose of how we spend our spare time.

Re: I thought I would have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35

#32

Post by core-questions »

umvi wrote: post #4

Paradoxically, when I had all the time in the world I frittered it away on video games and the internet. Now that I have multiple kids and my time is extremely constrained, I am very efficient with my time usage. I listen to audiobooks while doing the dishes. I plan in my mind exactly which programming tasks I want to accomplish as soon as the kids are in bed so that I can do them quickly and still have time to spend…

This describes me very well. What the hell was I doing with all that time during my 20s? I wasn't out hiking up a storm, I wasn't making a lot of music, I wasn't out drinking with friends at every chance. I was inside doing nothing, shitposting online, watching trash TV that I can barely remember the plots of now. Work was productive, but when I went home, I left it at work... Relationship was stable, but I didn't max out every minute of it when I could...

Now, as soon as the kids are in bed, virtually every scrap of time is used for something productive. Except, obviously, for lazy Saturday mornings posting on HN ;-)

Re: I thought I would have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35

#33

Post by morelisp »

ed25519FUUU wrote: post #6

Let me guess: liberal arts degree with tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands?) in loans. Living in an extremely expensive city. Dating other unserious romantic people with no plans for a family, who could afford one anyway? I wish we (and people in similar situations) were more honest about these bad decisions. We need to warn our young people against falling into similar traps. It’s not victim blaming, it’s just…

> We need to warn our young people against falling into similar traps. It’s not victim blaming, it’s just honesty about what’s happening.

It is victim blaming.

Rather than warning young people about the dangers of a solid education, we should make getting that education not dangerous. We fucked up universities with layers of bureaucracy, bizarre funding and compensation schemes, and vocational focus. Admitting and fixing that is being honest about what's happening. Telling people not to get degrees in the fields that might fix this just makes it worse.

Re: I thought I would have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35

#35

Post by zrm »

We recently had a big wind storm. Trees down everywhere, power went out. Fine, whatever, start the generator and it's back to being Tuesday.

Wasn't just the power, also Comcast. Fine, whatever, tether to my phone. Wait, no service. Cell tower was out too.

Had no internet at all for four days. I think I got more done in that time with a flashlight and pen and paper than I do in a typical month.

Re: I thought I would have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35

#37

Post by bjo590 »

voidhorse wrote: post #13

Funny piece. It can be so easy to waste time when we have the internet. I think the most dangerous distractions are the ones that feel productive but don’t actually work toward your goals. For example, browsing hacker news. Such an activity is useful every now and then, but at least for myself I often scroll around only to realize later that it was a massive waste of time I could’ve spent working on something I care…

I find browsing hackernews to be one of the more beneficial activities I can do for 5-20 minutes as a break between more mentally taxing activities. Meditation, going for a walk, getting a snack or a drink, and a quick chat with a friend are other activities I consider both beneficial and short duration.

Re: I thought I would have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35

#38

Post by lifeisstillgood »

voidhorse wrote: post #13

Funny piece. It can be so easy to waste time when we have the internet. I think the most dangerous distractions are the ones that feel productive but don’t actually work toward your goals. For example, browsing hacker news. Such an activity is useful every now and then, but at least for myself I often scroll around only to realize later that it was a massive waste of time I could’ve spent working on something I care…

I like to think that gamification will help my kids get "addicted" to useful things like maths homework or exercise.

I worry it is just teaching them to get gamified...

But the idea is nice - banks that enforce aging and budgets, shops that put fresh produce at the checkouts and never sell chocolate bars...

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