https://www.intrepidtravel.com/us Pick a destination that you’re not familiar with and seem to enjoy the scenery of. Try to choose one of the tours that’s designed for younger people.
Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
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Re: Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
#12well, the world is by definition mundane. travel bores me. the excitement i have found in it is starting new projects (not neccesarily computer-based) and particularly new emotional relationships.
Re: Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
#13Spontaneous trips into nature. Doesn’t have to be long (20 minute hike/walk in a forest + any commute time involved twice a week is better than none)
If you live near any national forests (U.S.), they’re great for this. Something about being alone & surrounded by trees/greenery where you can’t see for endless miles feels more refreshing than other options.
New hobbies outside of your typical comfort zone/interests that force some sort of socialization & which you plan to never be anything more than a beginner/novice at are also good, mostly in the sense you’ll be exposed to others you’d probably never speak to in life. Variety is the spice of life they say.
Re: Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
#14My wife and I felt this. Started doing "wildcard Wednesdays" where we'd do something funky/offbeat/random on Wednesday nights when we lived in NYC. It was a blast and we still look back fondly upon them, but have kids now so it's a little tougher to do spontaneous fun things. Having kids sort of takes away this feeling though not entirely.
Re: Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
#15Always changing. I am 25, so far I have lived in 4 different countries, have dabbed into different things (went to law school in my home country, learned a second (and third) language the hard way, have had 2 children with 2 different women, learned how to code on my own and now I am learning mathematics). The thing is that there are endless new things to try, so keep trying new things. It is a little bit f**d up bec…
As a fellow 25 year old that doesn’t think I’m boring whatsoever… I really hope your comment becomes the top comment of discussion on this thread.
I don’t mean to directly insult, but I recoiled while reading your comment, and that was before I got to:
> have had 2 children with 2 different women
Of course, you are aware of this:
> It is a little bit f*d up
But are you aware these children will grow up without fathers close to their lives (presumably). Of all the things to contribute to a thread about adding more pizazz to one’s day, this testimony of yours has blown my mind.
Re: Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
#16I’ve had so many migraines in my life and months wasted in pain that “boring” is absolutely marvelous.
Re: Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
#17I'd say you're asking this at just the right time, because Better Ideas just posted a video[1] about this exact topic. His advice isn't revolutionary, but it's actionable, and I generally really enjoy what he has to say. I hope you'll find it helpful too!
Re: Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
#18It's banal to suggest it, but reading, reading a lot of different types of novels and non-fiction (and poetry!). I also recommend physically going to the library to access them and explore the stacks and recommendations and other offerings.
+1. Also writing. WRT reading: I think the trick is that being absorbed in something mitigates boredom and existential ennui. And for me, the effect is most pronounced when I read something difficult, i.e. encyclopedic novels (Gravity’s Rainbow, Ulysses, Mrs Dalloway) or difficult philosophical books (Gödel, Escher, Bach or Being And Time).
Re: Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
#19This is more like notes to myself:
1. Expect mundanity. Paradoxically, expecting it to be mundane, makes it less so. In contrast, expecting it to be novel each time, is one reason why we experience it as mundane. We want to go from one high to the next. Of course it never lives up to our expectations.
2. Re-engage at a deeper level. After the beginner’s high with anything, invariably we hit a fork: one leads to cynicism while the other leads to new levels of engagement. Expecting this to happen helps navigate it.
3. Create meaning and purpose. If each step or activity is given a meaning and purpose then suddenly the mundane doesn’t seem to be so. The mistake is to look for inherent meaning. Most of the time there isn’t. We have to give it meaning however profound or banal the activity.
4. Engagement is often a decision rather than a natural reaction or response. Engaging with something more intensely often makes it interesting and vice versa.
5. Keats coined the term "negative capability" back in 1826. It's applicable now more than ever.
Not in the same context but I have written about these in the context of performance:
* On mastery and mundanity: [https://www.leadingsapiens.com/greatness-as-mastering-the-mu...] On cynicism and re-engagement: [https://www.leadingsapiens.com/naivete-in-leadership/] On approaching it as a decision: [https://www.leadingsapiens.com/leadership-and-creativity-as-...] * Keats and negative capability: https://www.leadingsapiens.com/developing-negative-capabilit...
Re: Ask HN: How do you add novelty to your days?
#20My wife and I felt this. Started doing "wildcard Wednesdays" where we'd do something funky/offbeat/random on Wednesday nights when we lived in NYC. It was a blast and we still look back fondly upon them, but have kids now so it's a little tougher to do spontaneous fun things. Having kids sort of takes away this feeling though not entirely.
As a counterpoint, I'd say that my kids have brought a return novelty for a lot of things. Doing stuff with them that I've done before but they haven't is completely new again for me, too.
edit: to be clear, though, I'm not suggesting OP has kids to bring excitement back to life ;)