The birth of our child was the greatest contributor to both happiness and stress for my wife and myself. Everything else that happened last year is inconsequential in comparison to that.
Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
251–260 of 545 posts
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#252Garden. I planted a ton of veggies in 3 raised beds and really enjoyed caring for the garden and picking fresh food. I wouldn’t say it was cheaper than the grocery, but probably cheaper than therapy. I code from a home office, so the green time was great for headspace and breaks.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#253Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you not in IT? Remote is literally permanent now
lot of companies in EU (especially D/A/CH) also have absolutely no plans to continue WFH. Despite covid restrictions going to be an issue also long term, they have (1 year later) still no strategy that incorporates or improves efficiency in WFH organization and workflows. Instead they all look forward to going back to a time that no longer exists.
So not the EU obviously but in the UK, or London at the very least, I don't know of a single white collar worker where much-increased WFH won't be the norm. I'm not just talking tech but banking, law and so on.
We do indeed seem to be far ahead of our European neighbours in this regard from what I'm seeing.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#254Starting a strict workout routine. I could see/feel effects after a few weeks. Can't do this kind of workout anymore since the lockdown in my country, but really looking forward to getting back at it once it's allowed again.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#255realizing I do not need a romantic relationship in order to be a "complete person". took me many decades to get here and learning was painful. glad I am here though
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#256started hiking to eventually hiking the appalachian trail and falling in love with the endless possibilities of exploration. Made me fall in love the country I now call home (albeit the parts with less humans).
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#257Buying a dishwasher.
1. Less drudgery means more time to relax
2. Less pressure to minimise kitchenware use means more ambitious and enjoyable cooking
3. I just get a little jolt of happiness when I walk into the kitchen and see my large cuboidal son sitting there
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#258Working from home. I realised being in an office - especially an open-plan office - was setting off my social anxiety all the time. Working in a place where I could choose to engage with people instead of having it forced upon me made it so much easier to work. I became a lot more productive and started enjoying what I did, even picking up more side projects and learning actively. It's a shame it's coming to an end,…
I realize given how much hardship other people have experienced so this comes across as rather callous, but for this reason 2020 has been one of the best years in my career.
In-person interactions add stress on top of my normal work stress. I think I can objectively prove I've been more productive at home than at work too. I'm really hoping I can find a way to stay at home.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#259Video walks on Youtube. If you haven't heard of them before, they're simple first-person videos where the filmer walks around some area with a stabilized video camera - no talking, just walking. I've really missed traveling and watching video walks while exercising has been a great way to satisfy that travel craving a bit and also trick my brain into experiencing some semblance of normalcy (not sure I could remember…
I love the videos of ActionKid from New York [1]. I watched them before COVID, but they got really interesting when the crisis hit The Big Apple.
Re: Ask HN: What was the biggest contributor to your happiness in the past year?
#260Working from home. I realised being in an office - especially an open-plan office - was setting off my social anxiety all the time. Working in a place where I could choose to engage with people instead of having it forced upon me made it so much easier to work. I became a lot more productive and started enjoying what I did, even picking up more side projects and learning actively. It's a shame it's coming to an end,…
"Working from home. I realised being in an office - especially an open-plan office - was setting off my social anxiety all the time."
This! It's been such a game changer for me too. My career has been turbo charged over the last year. The change has been so dramatic that I won't switch to a company that doesnt have a remote-first policy. I'll forego money and promotion opportunities for it. The stress and anxiety reduction is more a personal thing but the freedom to choose, the fact that I'm not mandated to be at a particular place at a particular time, is such a revolution. It seems oppressive to not allow flexibility where the job allows. Most people I know seem to feel the same.