Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Don't Waste the Good Days

seths.blog

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 333 posts

Re: Don't Waste the Good Days

#21

Post by ClumsyPilot »

readingnews wrote: post #11
stareblinkstare wrote: post #2

Ah, so this is what privilege and luxury of time looks like. Thanks Seth - I'm sure the 99% will heed your wisdom to go surfing.

I have to agree with you from my angle... I read this and immediately though to myself, what kind of financial position must I be in to wake up and decide "I feel like doing "x", I will go do "x" today?". I will admit to you, it is a financial decision that to a person of my means is a total pipe dream. I consider myself middle class, I have advanced degrees and work in a scientific field. There is no way, none whats…

"I consider myself middle class, I have advanced degrees and work in a scientific field"

Maybe what we understand as middle class is actually just a well-fed pleb.

Real middle class probably should have control of their day at least, so we have almost no middle class.

Re: Don't Waste the Good Days

#22

Post by PragmaticPulp »

Pithy, but true.

It's only half the story, though. Moderation and balance are the real key. Overwork is not good in the long term. But underwork can also be a problem, even when employers let it slide.

Starting in my 30s, my friends who operated in the extremes of overwork or underwork started to diverge from everyone else. Overworked people were burnt out and had few friends and social connections left. Underworking people were often first to be laid off and slowly fell behind in their skills relative to everyone they were competing against for jobs.

Most of them found balance and got back on track, but I know a few holdouts who went all-in on the vagabond life of traveling the world and having fun, as well as a few who have just disappeared into their work and have basically lost social skills at this point.

Balance and moderation aren't really that difficult when you make them a priority. Especially in this job market where employers aren't squeezing employees as hard because everyone has so many alternate opportunities.

Re: Don't Waste the Good Days

#24

Post by nescioquid »

manachar wrote: post #6
stareblinkstare wrote: post #2

Ah, so this is what privilege and luxury of time looks like. Thanks Seth - I'm sure the 99% will heed your wisdom to go surfing.

Reframe this critique: This should be the point of civilization and society. We should be working to free everyone to be able to go surfing when able. I dislike that some people get to be "privileged" enough to be able to do so as much as the next guy, but I also dislike when people act like it's wrong to aspire to this. The problem isn't that this is bad advice; the problem is that our civilization currently prevent…

Bad advice is driving instructions that say turn left, turn right, climb vertically 2,000 feet. You apparently write 20 "best sellers" by selling driving manuals for flying cars to people who think your book can suddenly make their honda civic fly.

Re: Don't Waste the Good Days

#25

Post by amznbyebyebye »

People look at me like I’m insane when I tell them I’m packing up and taking a year off.

I’ve f’in had enough. And that’s me, the wife and our two kids- not quite school age. No I haven’t FIREd. No I’m probably passing up a raise and a promo (or maybe not). Super linear growth requires super linear decision making. You either follow the sheeple or decide enough is enough and make some drastic change. Im not getting these years back and for the life of me can’t understand those who say, I’m gonna work till I’m 55 and then I’m done.

Anyways HN fam- I’m already done.

Here’s to 2022

See y’all in Penang.

Re: Don't Waste the Good Days

#26

Post by thelittleone »

amznbyebyebye wrote: post #25

People look at me like I’m insane when I tell them I’m packing up and taking a year off. I’ve f’in had enough. And that’s me, the wife and our two kids- not quite school age. No I haven’t FIREd. No I’m probably passing up a raise and a promo (or maybe not). Super linear growth requires super linear decision making. You either follow the sheeple or decide enough is enough and make some drastic change. Im not getting t…

Did the same but 1 year in Bali has now been 8. Couldn't be happier.

Re: Don't Waste the Good Days

#27

Post by pknomad »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #22

Pithy, but true. It's only half the story, though. Moderation and balance are the real key. Overwork is not good in the long term. But underwork can also be a problem, even when employers let it slide. Starting in my 30s, my friends who operated in the extremes of overwork or underwork started to diverge from everyone else. Overworked people were burnt out and had few friends and social connections left. Underworking…

Oh man. I wish I had listened more carefully to this advice before the pandemic. I was not mentally in a good place couple months ago after being really burnt out working for my former employer (good team and good manager but the senior leadership really dngaf and workload reflected that as much). I was working 100+ hrs/week for weeks on end during the pandemic and really deprioritized personal connection and taking care of myself.

Looking back, the pandemic gave me an excuse to overwork since I was really determined to jump into SRE/ops world of things from helpdesk after slogging away in life sciences after graduation.

I've gained alot of weight (now I'm back to my pre-covid weight), lost hair, and lot of my social connections got strained. Fortunately I am still 30 so hopefully I'll be able to correct my past decisions but I'm finding out that correcting the direction of your decision becomes more difficult as you get older.

Your bit about moderation and balance seem to be aligned with what Sam Altman's advice on life before 30 (especially points 3, 4, 9, and 29).

Re: Don't Waste the Good Days

#28

Post by pl0x »

Seth Godin is one of those "thought leaders" who has no real life experience besides selling "thoughts". He has the world of time selling his books and has been wrong on most of his predictions.

Re: Don't Waste the Good Days

#29

Post by ryanSrich »

manachar wrote: post #6
stareblinkstare wrote: post #2

Ah, so this is what privilege and luxury of time looks like. Thanks Seth - I'm sure the 99% will heed your wisdom to go surfing.

Reframe this critique: This should be the point of civilization and society. We should be working to free everyone to be able to go surfing when able. I dislike that some people get to be "privileged" enough to be able to do so as much as the next guy, but I also dislike when people act like it's wrong to aspire to this. The problem isn't that this is bad advice; the problem is that our civilization currently prevent…

> The problem isn't that this is bad advice; the problem is that our civilization currently prevents this for most people, and instead aims to convince the 99% that they are the essential workers who can't go surfing.

I guess I’ve never formalized my thinking about this, but I believe it’s a sad outlook on humanity if the goal is to partake in pleasure at will. There seem to be much more fulfilling pursuits. Maybe I’m taking this the wrong way.

Re: Don't Waste the Good Days

#30

Post by iratewizard »

paulpauper wrote: post #5

>The calendar belongs to everyone else. Their schedule isn’t your schedule unless it helps you get where you’re going. I guess this works if you are self-employed and or live alone

It works as soon as you kindly tell people to fuck off, you're busy. The less busy you are with meetings, the more focused time you have to deliver, and the more weight your words carry when you tell them you don't do meetings you're not absolutely needed for.
Post reply on HN