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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

#291

Post by yelloweyes »

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…

>Nobody likes to be told that they're wasting their free time,

Wasting free time, a.k.a living? Capitalist propaganda is so godamn effective. People now believe that every minute you spend not working is wasted time.

Dear lord.

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

#292

Post by silexia »

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…

I specifically bought a Wi-Fi router, the Deco, to fight my addiction to Facebook, Twitter, Reddit. I probably should add this site too.

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

#293

Post by yibg »

renjimen wrote: post #31
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…

Me too. I remember my countless hours playing (arguably wasted) diablo 2 very fondly. I still recall a lot of the detailed stats of specific characters I had built. Also helps I had sunk the hours playing with my partner at the time, so it was also a bit of a bonding moment. Didn’t help my grades any though.

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

#296

Post by sergiomattei »

andreilys wrote: post #231
asw12az wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While some of what you are writing is probably true, a work day (especially pre-COVID), really takes up a lot more than 8hrs. If you live in a city and want to live somewhere affordable, you're often looking at 1hr+ of commute each way. You have to get up a little early to prep for the day. Some jobs don't count a lunch break towards your 8hr day, or expect you to stay later, so you end up working more like 9hrs. If…

“ If you live in a city and want to live somewhere affordable, you're often looking at 1hr+ of commute each way” Here’s a suggestion: don’t live an hour away from work? With more companies going permanent remote, I find the whole concept of commuting for 2 hours round trip a day unimaginable. Especially for those of us working in Tech that don’t need a physical presence to deliver results.

This is not the reality for many out there. Some people can't simply "not live an hour away from work". Rent costs are extremely high in the cities.

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

#297

Post by klerpi »

hodgesrm wrote: post #208
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…

On the other hand some very well-known people felt profound conflict about not achieving their self-imposed goals before actually doing so. There's a famous story about Caesar bursting into tears at the thought of how Alexander the Great had built an empire whereas Caesar himself had done nothing of note by the same age. [1] It's common to read about other military leaders like Alexander who felt similarly, but perha…

I'm usually pretty hard on myself, but I'm glad I'm not that hard.

Basing your life on others achievements seems like a pretty sad life to live.

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

#298

Post by rdtwo »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #282
asw12az wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While some of what you are writing is probably true, a work day (especially pre-COVID), really takes up a lot more than 8hrs. If you live in a city and want to live somewhere affordable, you're often looking at 1hr+ of commute each way. You have to get up a little early to prep for the day. Some jobs don't count a lunch break towards your 8hr day, or expect you to stay later, so you end up working more like 9hrs. If…

> If you live in a city and want to live somewhere affordable, you're often looking at 1hr+ of commute each way. You have to get up a little early to prep for the day. Some jobs don't count a lunch break towards your 8hr day, or expect you to stay later, so you end up working more like 9hrs. If you factor in ~30-60mins chores that you do after work such as cooking/cleaning its easy to take up ~10-12hrs doing _work ty…

The hour at the gym idea is just a function of poor time accounting. To get an hour at the gym you need a minimum hour and a half probably 1:45 when you account for getting dressed parking, driving and showering.

That’s true with all those things you wanted to do but didn’t realize that there is actually a hidden time sink that nearly doubles the duration.

This is actually a big reason why people don’t accomplish everything they set out to do because they didn’t budget for all the extra non value add things

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

#299

Post by dgellow »

goatherders wrote: post #190
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…

100% agree. One of the first things I do when taking over a decent size sales team is install tracking software on their machines. Not because i care that they are on facebook or CNN but so i can SHOW them they are not nearly as productive as they think. My personal theory backed only by my own professional history is that most people are only working about 3 or 4 hours a day, tops. Certain tasks like writing code or…

What is this time tracking software?

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

#300

Post by didibus »

I think there's a cultural aspect at play.

I come from a place where success is measured more by the amount of experiences you've lived and the fun you've had, then the money you've made or the social status you've achieved.

I like to use New Orleans motto as a way to describe it: Big Easy.

A good life is one that was easy going, lade back, where you've enjoyed the company of others, where you've explored the wonders of the world, and that's that.

It's the opposite mentality of: "What's my purpose?". You're not here to do anything, you're here to enjoy your stay. You're not here to make things, you're here to enjoy what's already there.

The irony is that adopting this mindset and living this way is actually surprisingly hard. Seems the body naturally leans towards anxiety, like we've maintained in our DNA fears from our evolution, constantly looking behind our shoulder, feeling the need to get on with it, be on top of things, etc.

Anyway, I am having the opposite reaction. I feel like getting closer to my 35, I feel like I've done everything. Accomplished all things that mattered, and like there's nothing more to do, now it's just routine and repetition. I've been there done that, seen everything, tried everything, so I don't get that excitement out of "undiscovered territories" anymore. And I'm working to adapt to this, be happy with the mondaine.

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