I left my tech job to build a meditation app • Hacker News Board

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#41

Post by tmshu1 » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 7:47 AM UTC

datadawg wrote: post #14

Thanks for sharing Troy! I imagine it's not easy to build in public and to write in public when you don't necessarily have it all figured out. Respect your willingness to put yourself out there as you figure it out, and looking forward to learning alongside you on your journey.

Thank you so much for your kindness! Putting myself out there definitely isn't easy. I have a ton to learn, and always will. Looking forward to continuing the adventure and sharing more!

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#42

Post by gabereiser » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 7:47 AM UTC

Ignore the naysayers in this thread. They have never experienced assisted meditation before. The biggest impact in my life (outside of having kids) was when I discovered Qi-gong and the power of assisted meditation. The thing that clicked the most for me was having calm soothing meditation music to help enter the trance state of consciousness. My mind tends to wander and focusing on the sound helped deliver clear thought.

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#43

Post by cyberpunk » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 7:50 AM UTC

I have a bit of a problem with this mindfulness craze, I’m not really precious about Buddhist practices being solely for Buddhists, but these mindfulness programmes are taking a very small aspect of something that has been practiced for millennia without really having a way to deal with the results… most people will feel something after 8 weeks or so of such a practice, however usually after this point, if they’ve not given up, a lot of stuff bubbles to the surface which really you need a proper zen teacher to work through…

Someone selling you an 8 week programme to “fix your anxiety” or such, probably doesn’t have the same depth of experience as someone who has practiced Zazen for several decades, there are no shortcuts and it could be harmful.

If you really want the real deal, I can recommend you read a couple of Brad Warner books before you commit.

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#44

Post by tmshu1 » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 7:53 AM UTC

azundo wrote: post #9

brunoqc wrote: post #2

Any good non-subscription mediation app out there?

If you can't afford it, you can get Waking Up for free. If you can afford it I think it's worth the price.

I'm personally a huge fan of Waking Up! Have been a long time user. I'm looking to bring a different experience to the table to address the underlying needs of why anyone would want to use a meditation app, or even start to do meditation without one, in the first place

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#45

Post by coldtea » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 8:00 AM UTC

quickthrower2 wrote: post #25

coldtea wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224

This is not the same thing though. The Dropbox trope is "we don't need this product, because the end-user could built it themselves using tech tools" The comment you replied to is "why quit your job, build an MVP"

Well, first of all, his intention was to quit their job in the first place, with app or not. The app was created to support the quiting, not vice versa.

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#46

Post by tmshu1 » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 8:01 AM UTC

errorproxy wrote: post #38

solutionism

"the belief that every problem has a solution based in technology"

I'm not very well versed in this idea, curious to learn and read more. Have any recommended books? What do you think about this one https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13587160-to-save-everyth...?

I personally believe that all problems are, at their core, human problems. Hence why the focus on meditation as an Archimedes lever. Technology helps us solve problems at scale, but it has to be applied "mindfully". Technology is always a double-edged sword (see Facebook)

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#47

Post by jstx1 » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 8:18 AM UTC

_hao wrote: post #37

If I want to meditate I don't want to have my phone or a computer anywhere near me. Having an app "guide" you is essentially another distraction you'll have to eliminate.

The usual progression is from doing guided meditation as a beginner to eventually using the app as a simple timer with no guidance at all.

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#48

Post by tmshu1 » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 8:20 AM UTC

fermentation wrote: post #5

Congrats! This is something I'd love to do one day if I find myself not tied to a location by social connections. This stuck out to me: > I decided to focus on building a meditation app as my main project. I came up with the idea because I saw others around me struggling to stick to meditation... Do you expect another meditation app to help with this? I think many folks interested in mediation quickly find a good beg…

Thank you for the kind words! Headspace and other apps are great for meditation beginners. You mentioned Duolingo as an example that has made language learning more fun and thus easier to stick to. Similarly, I think there's a lot of room for improvement in how people learn meditation. I approach habit development from a different angle though: sticking to a habit comes after certain conditions are met, and it's not just about "gamifying" everything. There are ways to learn meditation that make the practice itself much more meaningful, and thus easier to stick to.

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#49

Post by tmshu1 » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 8:22 AM UTC

gabereiser wrote: post #42

Ignore the naysayers in this thread. They have never experienced assisted meditation before. The biggest impact in my life (outside of having kids) was when I discovered Qi-gong and the power of assisted meditation. The thing that clicked the most for me was having calm soothing meditation music to help enter the trance state of consciousness. My mind tends to wander and focusing on the sound helped deliver clear tho…

Thank you for your support. It's amazing how technology influences us, and how we influence technology. Meditation or any other practice is no different.

I keep hearing about this kids thing, gonna have to get on that soon...

Re: I left my tech job to build a meditation app

#50

Post by tmshu1 » Wed, Jul 07, 2021, 8:26 AM UTC

jstx1 wrote: post #47

_hao wrote: post #37

If I want to meditate I don't want to have my phone or a computer anywhere near me. Having an app "guide" you is essentially another distraction you'll have to eliminate.

The usual progression is from doing guided meditation as a beginner to eventually using the app as a simple timer with no guidance at all.

Exactly. And this general progression is what my app will promote and help cultivate. The goal is to help you develop such a strong meditation habit, one that you'll want to stick to and be able to without effort, that you don't need my or any other meditation app for anything at all (except maybe a timer).