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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

#191

Post by DoreenMichele »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #185
DoreenMichele wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on the sound of his typing -- which sounds like his dad typing and I know his typing speed because I met him in typing class in high school -- my oldest son probably types at about 80wpm. This is thanks to online games with chat functions. You need to "talk" fast to coordinate with your teammates and stay on top of your duties in the game.

That's very true. Another related phenomenon that improved my typing speed is games that require execution of a lot of complex actions very quickly. Playing them competitively essentially forces you to master random access to your keyboard. In StarCraft, after grokking the core mechanics, your next primary improvement would be raising your APM (actions per minute). In terms of an OODA loop[0], most players are constr…

I was Director of Community Life for the oldest set of gifted support email lists on the internet while I was a homeschooling parent. It was common knowledge in those circles that the best way to improve typing speed for kids was to encourage them to get involved in things like online games.

My son was already a gamer. He hated his typing program. I told him he could quit doing practice typing as one of his assignments if he exceeded 35wpm -- which is my typical typing speed and I had a typing class in high school and can type about 60wpm when I am focused and yadda.

I also told him online gaming was a known way to hit a better speed and that's likely a factor in him going that route. He was gleefully happy to give up typing practice as one of his formal lessons.

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

#192

Post by suff »

The New Yorker and wasted time go hand in hand, don't they? I think they fail to see the irony publishing the story (and yes I recognize I'm wasting time by reading it). The author is not an 'artist'. People are what they do, not what they call themselves. What this author 'does' is lounge around and waste time then complain about it and call it artistic expression. Good luck with that strategy.

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

#193

Post by balfirevic »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #102

I've been mentoring CS college students and new grad SWEs for a while. It's shocking to see how many of them perpetually feel like they're overwhelmed and short on time, yet they can't account for where they've actually spent their time. It's not uncommon for new grad SWEs to complain that an 8-hour work day is somehow consuming 100% of their weekday hours, leaving them without any time to do anything else. On furthe…

> It's not uncommon for new grad SWEs to complain that an 8-hour work day is somehow consuming 100% of their weekday hours.

I don't know man, I've been struggling with this myself. Obviously it's not literally true, but the problem is that after you account for 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work and chores/eating/hygiene/cooking/commute, every thing you want to do starts seriously cutting into the time that's left.

Need an hour more sleep than average? Wanna do some kind of workout on regular basis? Go out with friends, on a date, see a movie? Have a serious hobby that takes 2-3 hours 2-3 times a week? If you put it on spreadsheet it will fit but it's just seriously exhausting (yeah, better hope you actually have pretty high energy levels, that also varies from person to person). There is not much slack there.

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

#195

Post by sjg007 »

tayo42 wrote: post #153
papito wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People are now terrified of putting down a screen and being left alone with their own thoughts for more than 30 seconds. It's horrifying what's bouncing around up in that dome, and having to process it. But this is exactly what we did before. We got bored , we were wasting time, we were experimenting, and that's how great ideas came around.

Idk if it's just terrified, but I think we're addicted. This probably sounds ridiculous but I recently blocked some apps and sites on my phone and actually felt a little off for a day, like my sleep was weird. I think there was a slight withdrawal from the constant bombardment of stuff. It is helping kill my Facebook habit. I don't even really like the site, I just check it impulsively. It's weird. Reddit is another…

Yep. I deactivated Facebook and it took a week or so to get used to not having it. I feel a lot better without it that I will probably delete it. I do want to keep messenger so that’s one of the only reasons to keep it.

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

#196

Post by k__ »

syndacks wrote: post #161
k__ wrote: post #100

I'm 35. When I look at the people I follow on social media, I feel bad, because they're much nore successful than me, often even much younger too. When I look at the people I meet in my daily life, I'm doing quite okay. I haven't set an alarm for work in years, can buy what I want without too much consideration, mostly work when I feel like it, and the work I do is often interesting.

Hey there -- I had my come to Jesus moment (aka gtfo) with Social Media when I realized that people I didn't even know and care about were evoking feelings of shame, guilt, and/or anger within me. And then I left. Read your comment. You're fine! You're more than fine! To thine oneself be true.

Thank you.

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

#197

Post by TeMPOraL »

jjk166 wrote: post #194

Plutarch tells the story of a roman quaestor who, at age 31 came upon a statue of Alexander the Great and wept, for at the same age Alexander had forged an empire while he had accomplished nothing. That quaestor was Julius Caesar.

I'll print this out and frame it, to read as I listen to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taupuK6oND4.

And I'm not being that sarcastic here. In the sense of what Plutarch wrote, Elon Musk does make me sad. I suppose every one of us can find someone who's miles ahead in achieving the same dreams as one has.

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

#198

Post by ed25519FUUU »

komali2 wrote: post #48
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…

It's possible to reject the notion that one has to justify one's existence in a capitalist society by getting The Right Degree and spending Forty Hours A Week Making Money For Someone Else. In this case it seems like the author has only halfway rejected that notion. If you're gonna do it, you gotta do it all the way lol.

The great thing about a capitalist society is that you get to decide for yourself what you want to do and how you want to live. And fortunately you don’t get to decide for other people.

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

#199

Post by k__ »

chrisjarvis wrote: post #133
k__ wrote: post #100

I'm 35. When I look at the people I follow on social media, I feel bad, because they're much nore successful than me, often even much younger too. When I look at the people I meet in my daily life, I'm doing quite okay. I haven't set an alarm for work in years, can buy what I want without too much consideration, mostly work when I feel like it, and the work I do is often interesting.

No offense but why are you on social media at all lol. >I haven't set an alarm for work in years, can buy what I want without too much consideration, mostly work when I feel like it, and the work I do is often interesting. You are doing better than 99% of people who have ever lived!

I'm a professional blogger.

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

#200

Post by Flantastical »

abootstrapper wrote: post #116

Everyone here is reading this article as a cautionary tale on procrastination. To me it’s about the unrealistic expectations we place on ourselves. Maybe that’s due to our fake meritocratic society, or comparisons made on social media, or our parents expectations. I thought I’d be a millionaire by now, changing the world for the better, with a Wikipedia page and a yacht. But what I really want now is to put down the…

I think it's both.

Even while being aware of my unrealistic work expectations, I often still find myself being disappointed when I reflect on my day.

Not being productive isn't what makes me disappointed. It's procrastinating in ways that don't even make me happy. It's too easy to be sucked into hours of binging youtube, reddit, wikipedia, or twitter.

I know I'd get way more satisfaction by going on a hike, practicing piano, learning a second language, or calling my family. But the simple distractions are too convenient and addicting.

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