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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

#341

Post by graeme »

rdtwo wrote: post #298
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #282

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. 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 eve…

I’ve really liked home workouts for that reason. Much more time efficient. I prepare my breakfast during the breaks between sets.

It’s maybe not as effective as barbells, but I also hurt myself sometimes with those. My home routine hasn’t hurt me yet.

Basic equipment:

* Chinup bar above doorframe. I like the rogue jammer. You can still shut the door.

* Dip bar, for dips and rows

* Exercise bike, for sprints

Other exercises are pushups, planks, and bodyweight squats. I have a weight vest for when I need to add more to squats, but don’t need it yet. Am doing 50 squats, and they’re still hard just with bodyweight.

Also have a powerblock, but haven’t used it recently. However, it’s a great addition to a home gym, and would go well with a bench.

Cost of equipment I am using was $400 or less. Comparatively affordable, especially if it cuts a gym membership.

Time savings:

* No commute, changing

* No waiting for machines

* Can use rest breaks efficiently preparing food, a mindless task that doesn’t interfere

Will not go back to gym

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

#342

Post by corbins »

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #38
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...

Beware of gamification. There is a great talk[1] discussing intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation as it applies to video games, with the key insight being that extrinsic rewards decrease intrinsic motivation. The speaker references a lot of research that seems worth digging into too.

[1] https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012290/Achievements-Considere...

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

#343

Post by juniper_strong »

yepthatsreality wrote: post #338
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.

I read the article.

Nope.

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

#344

Post by BeetleB »

asw12az wrote: post #155
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…

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.

Reading your comment and others beneath you, I sense many of you have a weird idea of what a city is.

What you describe is true only for a minority of cities. I live in a city with above median housing prices. I live a 10 minute drive from my work. My house is not expensive - in fact, the expensive neighborhoods are farther away.

Initially you may not have much of a choice on where you work, but if you go through your whole career not having that choice, you probably need to work on your career a bit. For everyone I know, they decided to make that compromise (don't want to leave awesome city, etc). For them, not having enough time in the day definitely is a choice.

I agree with the rest of your accounting, but will note that there are weekends. As for gym, I just figured out exercises I can do at home with minimal equipment. It's a lot more flexible (and takes less time) than going to a gym.

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

#346

Post by graeme »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #275
balfirevic wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. Ne…

I hear you, but I'll tell you what I tell my mentees: Most of it distills down to being honest about your priorities. If you value relaxed mornings, relaxed evenings, and never feeling rushed before or after work, then there's nothing wrong with that. You're not obligated to go out with friends or allocate hours to hobbies during the weekday. The problem comes when people say they value one thing, but when decision t…

> Personally, I freed up an enormous amount of time by tightening up my schedule. Learning how to get out of bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, and get out the door in under 30 minutes was a game changer for me, and it wasn't even that difficult.

How do you do that? Am assuming you include a shower. It seems like there is not enough time to do all those things unless breakfast is just milk/cereal or eaten on the go. Or prepped (you allude to that)

> Likewise, learning how to consolidate my chores and meal prep into small windows of time was an enormous improvement.

Got any tips in the chore department or meal prepping?

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

#347

Post by kater006 »

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…

Delete the mobile apps. I scrolled reddit to infinity on my phone going through news that would make me depressed. I deleted the app and have been happy ever since. I come here twice a day for 10 minutes instead and my screen time reduced by 40minutes at least. I don’t feel gloomy all the time because of news too

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

#348

Post by BeetleB »

aledalgrande wrote: post #137
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 is not just spending time on those sites/apps, it's the pressure society puts on them to get to the next step on the ladder. Perfect houses on Instagram. 24yo making 300K on Blind. 18yo on Youtube making 1M+. Even if you don't want to compare yourself to others, comparisons are everywhere. That adds cognitive load to the slow grind of getting started on a new job, and now 8 hours feel like 12, and at the same time…

> Even if you don't want to compare yourself to others, comparisons are everywhere.

Where you live and your social circle dictate the comparisons that are made. These are not universal - moving to another part of the country will result in fairly different standards. Some of my friends (now acquaintances?) liked to spend a lot of money at expensive restaurants, hotels, etc. It's my choice whether to spend time with them (I don't spend much). Folks who need to change their wardrobe every so many months? Not in my circle.

Life is great if you set your own standards. It's liberating. Also, I've learned that the guy who makes $1M+ on Youtube is also living a very different life - one I don't want to have. Yes, I'd love the money, but not the sacrifices.

I don't get paid as much as most SV types - but whenever I audit my life, I realize that's the only thing "missing". Almost everything in my life is the way I wanted it to be (by design). I know what I value, and I both consciously and unconsciously achieved it. More money would be awesome, but do I want to sacrifice what I have? I doubt it.

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

#350

Post by BeetleB »

ethbro wrote: post #202
aledalgrande wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not just spending time on those sites/apps, it's the pressure society puts on them to get to the next step on the ladder. Perfect houses on Instagram. 24yo making 300K on Blind. 18yo on Youtube making 1M+. Even if you don't want to compare yourself to others, comparisons are everywhere. That adds cognitive load to the slow grind of getting started on a new job, and now 8 hours feel like 12, and at the same time…

I think a few things aren't hammered into young people enough today. 1) Any action is greater than no action. It doesn't matter how much you suck at something. Do it. Congrats, you've beaten everyone who never started. 2) Finish things. No matter how ugly it is. Even if you have to half-kill yourself to drag it that last inch over the line. Congrats, you've beaten everyone who never finished. 3) Your worst effort is…

> Finish things. No matter how ugly it is. Even if you have to half-kill yourself to drag it that last inch over the line. Congrats, you've beaten everyone who never finished.

With the caveat that you should abandon things you've realized you don't value. I've seen far too many people spend too much time to "finish what they started" as a principle, even when they no longer valued the goal. Time is a zero sum game. All that time you spent on it is time you could have been spending on the other goals you have.

People like me have more goals than time. Gotta pick wisely.

> Any action is greater than no action. It doesn't matter how much you suck at something. Do it. Congrats, you've beaten everyone who never started.

Similar comment :-) Too many times in my life I was glad I didn't act (where all choices involving action would have led to negative consequences).

> That's not who you're competing against. You're competing against the pool of real people a company / project could afford to hire, who are available to hire.

Depends on your goals. For most of my projects, I'm competing with myself, not with others.

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