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Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

jakobgreenfeld.com

101–110 of 112 posts

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#101

I had an unusual experience this weekend while I was sick. After laying around for 2 days with brain fog, I woke up early Sunday morning and watched TV, checked social media, etc, but was sick of consuming information and had the strangest feeling that I wanted to work on something productive but my body aches wouldn't let me concentrate. I also felt like.. playing video games? I haven't had the urge to play video ga…

> Now, I meditate often, I've learned a great deal about the higher self on neurodivergent TikTok…

Ah yes, the great mental health clinic of TikTok.

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#102

I had an unusual experience this weekend while I was sick. After laying around for 2 days with brain fog, I woke up early Sunday morning and watched TV, checked social media, etc, but was sick of consuming information and had the strangest feeling that I wanted to work on something productive but my body aches wouldn't let me concentrate. I also felt like.. playing video games? I haven't had the urge to play video ga…

No post body was provided.

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#103
post #47

I had an unusual experience this weekend while I was sick. After laying around for 2 days with brain fog, I woke up early Sunday morning and watched TV, checked social media, etc, but was sick of consuming information and had the strangest feeling that I wanted to work on something productive but my body aches wouldn't let me concentrate. I also felt like.. playing video games? I haven't had the urge to play video ga…

On rare occasions, I'm left with both wife and kids out of the house for a few days. Just about every time I lose the first (non-work) day entirely to video games. Then the next day I'm just... done with games for a good long while, and start doing productive things because I want to . It's like I have a fucking-around-uselessly tank that's never full (near-empty, in fact) usually, so most of my free time goes to wor…

Ya the other comments here are all good, but this is the one that resonates with me the most. As developers/makers/inventors, we can generally solve any problem or adapt to any situation. But it's the idea that we'll have to do that tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.. that really undermines my psyche.

If it weren't for the confines of the normal world, I could have automated or otherwise solved most of the issues I have to deal with. I could have written my own software to sell for residual income, or a library that helps countless other developers, or even a language with fewer or no foot guns so I could solve actual problems instead of putting out fires endlessly.

But instead I have to go to work each day to make rent. So my perception is that I have to spend 5+ units of work to free up 1 unit of free time where I could get actual work done. My best efficiency under the workaday world will likely never break (or even approach) 20%.

That said, I realize that my view as stated above is laced with negativity. I'm not seeing the benefits of civilized society such as the infrastructure that's already in place around us, or how inexpensive even high-tech goods have become. I'm ignoring the stochastic and emergent behavior to dwell on the deterministic. Which I believe is what's at the core of suffering in the postmodern world.

So I'm centering my focus on making work seasonal again. I think humans evolved to hunt and gather for 2 hours per day and store enough food to rest for 3 months. We're working about 5 times harder than we should, right at the limit of sustainable human endurance. A 30 hour work week would get us closer to 4:1. I'd also like to see more jobs where 2 workers do the work of 1, at 20 hours each. And at a minimum, we need far more businesses like Uber (no affiliation) where workers have full control over when they work and for how long.

Short of all that, meditation does appear to shift attention towards the reality where progress is happening. Setting boundaries appears to effect those changes externally. Metaphysics don't exactly follow physical laws, but I believe there is a harmony to them that can be modulated.

In my case, I reclaimed Saturday in my personal relationship as my hobby day and negotiated a 30 hour work week with 2 days remote. Now your current employer may be reluctant to do this, so you may need to flip things around and see their needs. You can build a team or find friend(s) to cover your hours (best choice IMHO), or pitch the reduced cost to them (rarely but occasionally works with small businesses). If your employer isn't motivated to consider your needs, then land a 30 hour position elsewhere and let them decide if they want to keep you. If not, no harm no foul, it's just business.

So far I've only set a couple of boundaries like this, and very recently. Working through that kind of growth can be hard but it's made a big difference. It's not the act that we get stuck on, but the ramifications. That's why I think that metaphysical practice is so important for getting unstuck.

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#104
post #99
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, part of the problem meditation addresses is the desire to control one’s thoughts - which is usually counter productive. The more one tries to control and fight what is, the more pain that usually results. It’s usually more productive to notice them, notice their nature, and let them go when and where they do not serve your interests. With a small pat on the head, and some not small amount of empathy and caring.…

It’s usually more productive to notice them, notice their nature, and let them go when and where they do not serve your interests. You discovered mindfulness, which is something meditation enables you to achieve.

Not my discovery, but yes. For anyone else following - Zen Buddhism may be useful for you.

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#105

I had an unusual experience this weekend while I was sick. After laying around for 2 days with brain fog, I woke up early Sunday morning and watched TV, checked social media, etc, but was sick of consuming information and had the strangest feeling that I wanted to work on something productive but my body aches wouldn't let me concentrate. I also felt like.. playing video games? I haven't had the urge to play video ga…

> I wonder if getting life goals done could be as simple as carving out large blocks of time where you aren't allowed to work on them.

Does 'them' in the end mean 'life goals'?

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#106
post #71

I had an unusual experience this weekend while I was sick. After laying around for 2 days with brain fog, I woke up early Sunday morning and watched TV, checked social media, etc, but was sick of consuming information and had the strangest feeling that I wanted to work on something productive but my body aches wouldn't let me concentrate. I also felt like.. playing video games? I haven't had the urge to play video ga…

I have ADHD. Being bored is simply.. not something that happens naturally. I have a zillion unfinished things, too many hobbies, too many games, too much work that I was supposed finish yesterday. My brain gets filled with all of this junk every day. As the day passes my thoughts progressively get more and more cluttered and noisy, like I've got every radio station on at the same time. I also get really anxious if I'…

Have you tried meditation the Naval way. No nothing, just breathe if you need to and letting go of thought, action, feeling.

A am a bit ADHD too, I really relate to the hobbies, games and projects. I my case, it’s youtube lately that sink the most time.

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#107

I enjoyed the article, but I disagree. Back in the day, the Getting Things Done book said to organise tasks by energy level. That does make things easier; however, easy to procrastinate by saying I'll do it later when I have energy. I have taken to the more disciplined, priortized approach pushed by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger/Jocko Willink/David Goggins... the items that are a priorty or important get done fi…

> Even if you're not feeling it, go through the motions How? This is the whole problem; for many folks, this isn't helpful advice because the whole problem is that it's hard to do things if you're not "feeling" it.

Jocko uses the example of writing a book (he's written fiction and non-fiction). It's a mental activity which is known for "writer's block". Jocko says go through the motion... sit down and write 1,000 words per day minimum. At least it's progress. When you have energy later, you have something to work with. You might need to re-write everything, but that still quicker than trying to write it perfect the first time. I think that's very applicable to coding.

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#108
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a really interesting technique! I'm happy this is working so well for you. Would make an interesting app though I suppose that would put you back on your phone.

Yeah, it would have to take over my phone excepting the two CALLS windows a day. Otherwise I'll find it very easy to BURN away. And the most noticeable thing it did to my well being is a drastic reduction in ambient anxiety and proclivity to negative emotion. It is like what SSRI are supposed to be, but for real.

A reduction in overall ambient anxiety is definitely a worthy goal for anyone. Do you feel like this might be partially due to the fact that being on your phone less gave you less access over all time to be exposed to the news?

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#109
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have ADHD. Being bored is simply.. not something that happens naturally. I have a zillion unfinished things, too many hobbies, too many games, too much work that I was supposed finish yesterday. My brain gets filled with all of this junk every day. As the day passes my thoughts progressively get more and more cluttered and noisy, like I've got every radio station on at the same time. I also get really anxious if I'…

I used to try to go for walks in the city and it was no relief from overstimulation at all. Aside from the need to be alert for threats you see or hear something like every block that distracts you. Then I moved to an older suburban neightborhood and walks were super boring for the first few months until I really learned to look at things. Now I can go an hour just like enjoying looking at the sky, grass and trees et…

I feel ya here. My family has owned a couple nice parcels of rural property for years and I just kind of took it for granted. A few years ago I read The Overstory by Richard Powers and it really fired up my interest in nature and trees. I can't walk anymore without trying to identify every tree in the woods. It's humbling how much longer some of the older ones have been on this earth than we have - several of the very large white oaks in my dad's woods would have witnessed Native Americans.

I'm in my 30s now and can't get enough of being in the woods or mountains, bow hunting, walking, or whatever, especially in the fall and winter seasons. I'd take a day in nature over any other hobby at this point.

Re: Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

#110
"You need to learn to observe what’s going on in your mind almost like a third-person observer."

This mindset reminds me of Vipassana. Observe your feelings (or "modes" as OP said), and avoid trying to force yourself to switch from one mode to another because it is unlikely to work.

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