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Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

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Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

#1

Post by rajlego »

I recently saw this post a friend had written again: https://www.simonberens.com/p/i-hired-5-people-to-sit-behind-me

and realized that being in India instead of the Bay Area, I could possible afford to pay someone to do this every day. I'm not really sure how to tap into local networks to find someone to do this for me though; any suggestions on how to hire someone that could come to my house and: - wake me up - ask me for data on how i'm feeling every few hours/analyze it once a week - make sure I do what I set out to do - help me figure out why I'm not doing things if I don't want to do them

Re: Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

#2

Post by gregjor »

What to say about that kind of obsession over productivity, or the narcissism of valuing your supposedly insanely productive time so much? Hiring people to babysit a self-absorbed adult with apparently no self-control or discipline. And if that’s not enough, to look for people in developing countries to serve as low-paid audience and human to-do list.

All this to write blog articles? Code no one will cares about? Spin on the millions of ideas pouring out of your brain? Comically “optimizing” your activities and schedule? This describes a mental illness, not a productivity hurdle.

Re: Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

#3

Post by rajlego »

gregjor wrote: post #2

What to say about that kind of obsession over productivity, or the narcissism of valuing your supposedly insanely productive time so much? Hiring people to babysit a self-absorbed adult with apparently no self-control or discipline. And if that’s not enough, to look for people in developing countries to serve as low-paid audience and human to-do list. All this to write blog articles? Code no one will cares about? Spi…

Should've added more detail to my post but the reason I want to do this is less to become more productive and more to become sane - I'm trying to create a robust system to make sure I meditate, exercise and work on health issues every day.

It probably isn't far off to describe my struggle to manage these as mental illness rather than a productivity hurdle

Re: Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

#4

Post by gregjor »

rajlego wrote: post #3
gregjor wrote: post #2

What to say about that kind of obsession over productivity, or the narcissism of valuing your supposedly insanely productive time so much? Hiring people to babysit a self-absorbed adult with apparently no self-control or discipline. And if that’s not enough, to look for people in developing countries to serve as low-paid audience and human to-do list. All this to write blog articles? Code no one will cares about? Spi…

Should've added more detail to my post but the reason I want to do this is less to become more productive and more to become sane - I'm trying to create a robust system to make sure I meditate, exercise and work on health issues every day. It probably isn't far off to describe my struggle to manage these as mental illness rather than a productivity hurdle

Honestly, I can't comprehend or imagine the lack of self-control and discipline you describe. Most people get by with a calendar, alarm clock, to-do list, and internal motivation if they want to develop habits or just show up on time for things important to them.

I don't have the qualifications to actually diagnose mental health problems, but having suffered from OCD myself I suggest you seek professional help.

Re: Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

#5

Post by Figs »

rajlego wrote: post #3
gregjor wrote: post #2

What to say about that kind of obsession over productivity, or the narcissism of valuing your supposedly insanely productive time so much? Hiring people to babysit a self-absorbed adult with apparently no self-control or discipline. And if that’s not enough, to look for people in developing countries to serve as low-paid audience and human to-do list. All this to write blog articles? Code no one will cares about? Spi…

Should've added more detail to my post but the reason I want to do this is less to become more productive and more to become sane - I'm trying to create a robust system to make sure I meditate, exercise and work on health issues every day. It probably isn't far off to describe my struggle to manage these as mental illness rather than a productivity hurdle

> It probably isn't far off to describe my struggle to manage these as mental illness rather than a productivity hurdle

You might try asking your healthcare provider for help finding a therapist or social worker. They can help you assess the issues you are facing in a way that's different from what you'd get from friends or family (for example such discussions are generally confidential), and they can check-in with you regularly if that's useful for managing your problems.

Re: Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

#7

Post by porkbeer »

gregjor wrote: post #4
rajlego wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should've added more detail to my post but the reason I want to do this is less to become more productive and more to become sane - I'm trying to create a robust system to make sure I meditate, exercise and work on health issues every day. It probably isn't far off to describe my struggle to manage these as mental illness rather than a productivity hurdle

Honestly, I can't comprehend or imagine the lack of self-control and discipline you describe. Most people get by with a calendar, alarm clock, to-do list, and internal motivation if they want to develop habits or just show up on time for things important to them. I don't have the qualifications to actually diagnose mental health problems, but having suffered from OCD myself I suggest you seek professional help.

If you dont understand, why would you be insulting when a person asks for help? Wtf.

Re: Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

#8

Post by gregjor »

porkbeer wrote: post #7
gregjor wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I can't comprehend or imagine the lack of self-control and discipline you describe. Most people get by with a calendar, alarm clock, to-do list, and internal motivation if they want to develop habits or just show up on time for things important to them. I don't have the qualifications to actually diagnose mental health problems, but having suffered from OCD myself I suggest you seek professional help.

If you dont understand, why would you be insulting when a person asks for help? Wtf.

The OP asked for help hiring someone in Bangalore to wake them up, monitor, and babysit them. The link to the article that inspired their idea had more to do with optimizing productivity and dealing with procrastination than mental health problems.

To me the whole idea of an adult hiring someone to act as a parent or kindergarten teacher seems ridiculous. If an adult actually needs that level of supervision and prodding they should consider talking to a professional about possible ADHD or other issues. Hiring people to satisfy narcissistic tendencies just seems degrading to the person hired.

Re: Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

#9

Post by Ylpertnodi »

gregjor wrote: post #8
porkbeer wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you dont understand, why would you be insulting when a person asks for help? Wtf.

The OP asked for help hiring someone in Bangalore to wake them up, monitor, and babysit them. The link to the article that inspired their idea had more to do with optimizing productivity and dealing with procrastination than mental health problems. To me the whole idea of an adult hiring someone to act as a parent or kindergarten teacher seems ridiculous. If an adult actually needs that level of supervision and prodd…

If the pay is fair, looks like at least two people will benefit from this. I like the idea, and it would be interesting to see the results.

Re: Ask HN: How could I hire someone in Bangalore to watch me for 8 hours a day?

#10

Post by rajlego »

Figs wrote: post #5
rajlego wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should've added more detail to my post but the reason I want to do this is less to become more productive and more to become sane - I'm trying to create a robust system to make sure I meditate, exercise and work on health issues every day. It probably isn't far off to describe my struggle to manage these as mental illness rather than a productivity hurdle

> It probably isn't far off to describe my struggle to manage these as mental illness rather than a productivity hurdle You might try asking your healthcare provider for help finding a therapist or social worker. They can help you assess the issues you are facing in a way that's different from what you'd get from friends or family (for example such discussions are generally confidential), and they can check-in with y…

I've had a therapist before but they unfortunately didn't help as much as I'd hoped. I can often make systems that last a few weeks but single failure days cascade very easily. My hope is that with external accountability I can bootstrap these systems into working for months and become the kind of person that can reliably manage myself
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