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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

#261

Post by rwnspace »

sjtindell wrote: post #232
rwnspace wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this effect is tough for anyone tuned to care what others think, and it tends to be rougher the younger you are. There's a significant lack of guidance in WEIRD societies about how to be a person, and this is topped off by the limited maturation rituals: learning to drive, first full-time job, graduating and buying a house come to mind - but we've somehow come to a consensus that putting a giant paywall in fr…

As evidenced by the current state of society in the United States, the 20th century was the Century of the Self (Adam Curtis) and the downfall of community (Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam). The idea of contributing to the common good comes along rarely, and those who pursue it face an uphill battle. The system is tuned for individuality and appears to only be getting worse in my opinion. There is an “every man or woman…

I'm not sure either, but I am certain it's possible - not every race to the bottom is impossible to decelerate. But we must find the way to a consensus about the immeasurably powerful sorcery belief and speech imbue. Nuclear pales in comparison; the way I see it, we choose between the common good and the Good Life, or MAD.

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

#262

Post by wwwhizz »

sjg007 wrote: post #195
tayo42 wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You don't need a Facebook-account in order to use Facebook Messenger.

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

#263

Post by barcadad »

heavenlyblue wrote: post #169
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…

> then be shocked when their reports come back at 2-3 hours or more. That’s because I listen to a lot of Spotify.

The high school girl he interviews in that podcast was at 8 hours of screen time, led by TikTok, Insta, WhatsApp, YouTube, Snap, etc.

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

#264

Post by jugg1es »

If I had a day like this guy had, my personal neuroses would look to blame something external for my own malaise. I'd be blaming the 3 waffles (and the accompanying blood sugar spike/crash) as being the source of my lack of ambition. I'd eat a couple eggs the next day to see if that changed any thing.

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

#265

Post by ldd »

I just wanted to make it to the top of Hacker News. I submitted plenty of my projects, but none hit the mark.

So hopefully once before I turn 35 I have a project that makes it to the top. But if not, eh. I'll be al right.

Just like the dolphins in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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

#266

Post by arthurcolle »

juanuys wrote: post #92
gas9S9zw3P9c wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. Time to set up my emacs config to manage my life and stop wasting time.

Yes, and time for me to finally start my webcomic, but first I need to build myself a webcomic framework...

No no we use webcomic framework factories now. That's much more webscale.

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

#267

Post by moron4hire »

NegatioN wrote: post #220
jeffnv wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What information on reddit is useful?

Devils advocate: reddit can be just as useful as HN (or more so) if you only interact with subreddits you have a deep connection to. I used to often see niche, really interesting stuff on there, although I haven't used it much lately. The Frontpage is pure garbage though.

Ah, yes, the No True Subreddit fallacy.

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

#268

Post by punnerud »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #113
simonsarris wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even among people trying to be productive you sometimes see vortexes of distraction, for instance around note-taking. I like note taking (apps and paper) but I think there is such thing as an over-reliance on them. They promote collecting over being. Perhaps also they stop people from completing their own ideas. One becomes Penelope, weaving the burial shroud of a thought forever. Note taking can be pernicious becaus…

It's ironic because the same tools can be used to empower your thinking[0]. Instead of collecting notes, note taking utilities can be used as a sort of L2 cache when you're trying to think something through. E.g. most of my problem solving involves repeated sessions with a text file, in which I dump my stream of thought and refine it. Sometimes it means literally talking with myself via a text file, sometimes it's co…

reMarkable 2, nickname L2 cache

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

#269

Post by unix_fan »

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…

Reddit was a huge time waste for me. I'd spend entire mornings and nearly all night browsing the site and arguing with other users. I wish I could get all of it back.

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

#270

Post by dfxm12 »

xxxtentachyon wrote: post #249
bstar77 wrote: post #245

I was incredibly driven about 7 years ago... I was a founder of a startup and had really lofty aspirations. I told my wife that it was very possible that we would be millionaires by the time we hit 40. Fast forward to today and that did not happen. The startup is no more, but mainly due to burnout. We made money and did well, but not well enough. I never made my millions, but did have a substantial aqui-hire opportun…

As someone who has generally tried to take your current approach and has generally been rewarded for it, yours is a refreshing perspective. There's a persistent voice in the back of my head that questions whether I'm acting out of fear, rationality, or just following a happy stasis. It's always reassuring to see the other side of this.

I follow this approach, too, and I consider myself successful, but I also have no voice questioning me. Consider for yourself if you'll regret what you're doing (or not doing) today ten years from now...
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