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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

#331

Post by powersnail »

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 don't know if internet is really the culprit to how easy it is to waste time. We have long created enough distraction to fill a entire lifespan.

Before I've encountered any digital computing device, I used to just play Sudoku during class. Or read novels; I had a textbook that carved, inside which hid a small novel. Or, just day-dream and think about stuff.

On the other hand, I enjoyed Sudoku and novels. I don't consider them to be a complete waste of time. In retrospect, they made my childhood better.

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

#332

Post by liujy »

why_only_15 wrote: post #320
oblio wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plan B would be to get a more challenging job for much better pay :-)

Where do such jobs exist?

I’d assume the parent comment is alluding to FAANG or some of the hotter software startups.

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

#333

Post by vocram »

papito wrote: post #303
silexia wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

How does it deal with HTTPS blocking? My Linksys does not handle it.

It prolly blocks DNS requests.

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

#334

Post by zuhayeer »

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…

Its funny because its hard to gauge – the things you think are the most productive feed strongly into your confirmation bias, so maybe they aren't really that productive after all. But that's fine.

In general though, I prefer the idea of going "all in" in whatever I'm doing. If I'm going to play video games, I'm making sure I have a damn good time doing it. If I'm going to put in work, I'm gonna make sure it gets done. Distractions will do you in in both cases. Ruin your fun time and mess up your productivity.

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

#335

Post by war1025 »

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…

My personal mantra at work is: One useful thing per day.

If I manage to do one useful thing every day, it adds up to a lot of useful things over time. And that has proven to be enough.

There's a sort of mediocre Johnny Cash song with the chorus "Even I might get to Heaven at a half a mile a day"

That's basically how I try to live my life.

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

#336

Post by vocram »

johnkpaul wrote: post #288
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…

Yes, definitely. I feel this way as well. It's not ridiculous at all. Forced withdrawal is the only way to begin recovery and get back sensitivity. People are extremely scared of the word "addiction" though. I feel the same way about sugar and basically all carbohydrates at all and it's very challenging to talk about.

I’m happy to be free from sugar since a few months. I’m adding salt in my oats instead of sugar. Or just fruits. Or cocoa powder.

Cutting carbs though, esp. fruits, is way harder.

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

#337

Post by laurent92 »

sirspacey wrote: post #281
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.

I’m an avid screentime user. I never run out of new ideas. Often my surfing feeds my ideas. My latest creation is derived from downloading Reddit to my brain on the regular. Boredom is a great stimulus. It’s not a pre-requisite.

I’m afraid of boredom because I’m not loved. When we had no phone addiction, other people were talking more too. If I get my dose of speech/interaction during the day, I could quit twitter anytime. But since I regularly don’t get it, especially as a programmer where written chat is the norm as an ersatz of human interaction, then I compulsively need to read and write information and watch (*gobble) videos, and generally fall asleep to the sound of a video talking to me.

With enough human interaction and love, I come back to being an avid reader, consume little addictive networks, and don’t mind boredom.

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

#338

Post by yepthatsreality »

juniper_strong wrote: post #317

I used to read the New Yorker, years ago, I don't know what changed, me or them. Much of what they publish now comes across as self-pity, I don't have time in my life for that. Same as McSweeney's, I used to read it and I thought it was funny and now I read it and it comes across as self-pity. Give me decorative gourd season any time, but pieces where people complain about the things they haven't done aren't worth my…

If you haven't read the article, you're hitting on the tongue-and-cheek-ness of it.

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

#339

Post by vocram »

ip26 wrote: post #214
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 realized recently after many years puttering around online that I frequently couldn't name anything I had just read over the last four hours. I haven't taken full control of myself back yet, but that thought was a strong wake-up call to me.

Exactly. This happens to me so often. I put my phone back and then ask myself: “what did I just read / watched?” Most of the time I don’t remember.

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

#340

Post by cmorgan31 »

asya999 wrote: post #237
andreilys wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“ 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.

Pre-COVID that was the reality for many. But even post-COVID, certain types of commutes can actually help mentally "separate" the work time from home time. Working at home it's a lot harder to "go to work" and/or "leave work behind" when you "come home". A friend used to say that majority of people who work from home fall into one of two types of people, the kind that never go to work or the kind that never come home…

Yep it’s especially prevalent in salaried technology leadership positions. I know some colleagues work from home without too much difference in productivity and stress. Unfortunately, I am the other side of that coin because I have to constantly remind myself to be disciplined. If I am left to my own devices I will be so absorbed in the work aspect and enjoyment of little wins that I won’t leave enough mental bandwidth for my personal relationships. I prefer the office to work from home assuming the hours are flexible. The location change is very key to my ability to mentally and emotionally disconnect from work.
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