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Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

sibervepunk.com

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Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#101

Post by siberpunk »

kevinsync wrote: post #27

>> Since graduating from undergraduate studies (which marks exactly one year as I write this post) Author sounds young .. yes, absolutely try to consume less and create more, it's way more life-affirming than the opposite configuration, but: Getting better at your job, like everything else in life, is just a function of time. Show up, and then show up consistently. Put in the time. Be patient. Lead with an open mind…

> I really believe people will go far if they focus on this kind of stuff, and way less on structured self-improvement, productivity hacking, finding "secrets", shortcuts via programs, seminars, coaches, and tools, and all that shallow, nutritionless baloney.

This is exactly the state of mind I am trying to guide myself towards. I know the things you listed are superficial and ineffective, but they also lead to the shiny object syndrome and the 'quest for productivity' that I mentioned in the post. When I reduce the frequency of falling into these traps and eventually let them go completely, I will have come a long way. Thanks for the insight.

Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#102

Post by siberpunk »

purple-leafy wrote: post #86

Hey I read your article. Have you ever considered: 1) Ditching social media (everything - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn - everything. I don't mean delete the app. I mean delete all your accounts, and all the apps. No going back.) 2) Ditching your smart phone (Buy a brick phone) I'm completely serious. I'm currently living this way, the phone was a recent addition in the last month. But social media, has been for year…

The problem with social media for me is that I stay in touch with my friends there. I mean there are some people I don't know irl but following each other over 10 years, and I like to see / share what's new with our lives. Also, as a remote worker, the only way to communicate and create a professional network for me is also social media. I believe I can handle a couple of minutes every day to read about my friends and people I respect. The "algorithm" that shows me all those somehow interesting but not useful stuff, which leads me over consuming content, is the real problem. I need tostay away from that, not completely social media but I'm not sure if there is a such way..

Your goals for 2025 seems inspiring! I recently created a reading list for myself and I'm actually really excited for all those new stuff to learn

Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#103

Post by 1dom »

buzzardbait wrote: post #96
1dom wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry to be "that guy", but where and why do you draw a line between social media, Reddit and HN? I do the same, but I don't like it. I "don't use social media", but I use reddit, and I'm commenting here too. I think I'm deluding myself, and I think you might be too. I'd guess what you come to HN and Reddit, and what you get from them both is no different to what a daily Facebook user goes to Facebook and gets. For s…

Not the person you're replying to, but maybe "ditched" is a strong word. A few thoughts about the various forms of social media you've mentioned: Browsing HN for 30 minutes is probably a better investment than browsing TikTok for 30 minutes. Browsing TikTok for 30 minutes and learning a new healthy recipe is probably a better investment than reading international news for 30 minutes. Light use of social media can be…

Thanks, you made me think, but not in a way that makes me doubt my original point.

Browsing HN for 30 mins is a better investment for someone who's life revolves around tech. If you're not a massive nerd, you're probably going to get more understanding and value out of 30 minutes of what TikTok serves. (I say that as a massive nerd who's never used TikTok).

It seems a pretty common trope in the comment sections of Reddit and HN on the subject of social media for people to act like they've solved the problem they had because they only use Reddit and HN. I do it too.

All that's happened is I've found a place in social media that's comfortable/familiar enough for me that I don't consider it as social media (unless it's really forced in my face). I imagine the experience is the same for a non-nerdy Facebook addict.

> Light use of social media can be a greater net positive than complete abstinence from all forms of social media.

I can't disagree with that, but it feels like a false dichotomy to justify our social media usage.

Getting info from individual sites and sources that you've personally and organically discovered and vetted feels like it would be a far far far bigger net positive overall than even light social media usage.

I keep meaning to get on mastodon, bluesky or other platforms that are meant to be more decentralised and slightly less algorithm-driven to find more interesting sources that I can just add to a local reader client or something, but HN/Reddit is more comfier/familiar/easier for me.

Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#104

Post by siberpunk »

treyfitty wrote: post #81

> After knowing myself as someone who has always been good with words for years, seeing that I can’t choose the right word when speaking, or that I can’t convey the message or information I want to give more clearly and simply when writing, naturally bothers me Wow. I’ve been dealing with this for a while and it never occurred to me that it may be correlated (or caused by) by my incessant hunt for information and med…

> now I feel FOMO creeping in, perpetuating this incessant need to find others like it…

this.. this is what I forgot the mention in the artice. When you find something really good, really relatable, inspiring while you're consuming content, you'll always be wondering what if there's more? and you keep consuming, you keep adding to your bookmarks, your reading list etc.. It gets bigger and bigger, overwhelming at the same time. It's hard to suppress this feeling

Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#105

Post by buzzardbait »

1dom wrote: post #103
buzzardbait wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the person you're replying to, but maybe "ditched" is a strong word. A few thoughts about the various forms of social media you've mentioned: Browsing HN for 30 minutes is probably a better investment than browsing TikTok for 30 minutes. Browsing TikTok for 30 minutes and learning a new healthy recipe is probably a better investment than reading international news for 30 minutes. Light use of social media can be…

Thanks, you made me think, but not in a way that makes me doubt my original point. Browsing HN for 30 mins is a better investment for someone who's life revolves around tech. If you're not a massive nerd, you're probably going to get more understanding and value out of 30 minutes of what TikTok serves. (I say that as a massive nerd who's never used TikTok). It seems a pretty common trope in the comment sections of Re…

I wasn't doubting your original point, more like complementing it.

Though on this:

> Getting info from individual sites and sources that you've personally and organically discovered and vetted feels like it would be a far far far bigger net positive overall than even light social media usage.

I would disagree, this is exactly what it means to live in a bubble.

Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#106

Post by brightball »

serf wrote: post #62
Swizec wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When you are sitting at a keyboard with other people, there’s no chance you’re going to browse. You and everyone else involved will be 100% focused on the task. The ADHD community calls this body doubling and yes it works.

the problem being that focus isn't the sheer soul metric that establishes productivity, its' field dependent. similar studies on body doubling also showed participants feeling more social pressure to conform to well-established methods rather than branching out and experimenting, and similarly participants felt more judged whenever they ended up taking a risk that either didn't pan out or did so differently than imag…

> similar studies on body doubling also showed participants feeling more social pressure to conform to well-established methods rather than branching out and experimenting, and similarly participants felt more judged whenever they ended up taking a risk that either didn't pan out or did so differently than imagined.

Fwiw, when it comes to mobbing, there are several cornerstone rules of engagement that Woody insists on, which in practice alleviate a lot of these concerns.

#1 - Courtesy, Kindness and Respect

Establishing how people want to be treated to feel like they can thrive in the environment is probably the absolute most critical item to success here.

#2 - When opinions differ, try each option and see what works best

You shouldn't be solving disagreements or differences in approach with social pressure or good arguments. Prototype each different idea and figure out as a team what the ideal solution really is. This encourages branching out and experimenting.

Both are really critical to healthy mobs. When those 2 rules are followed, the team typically thrives.

Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#107

Post by brightball »

phist_mcgee wrote: post #68
deadbabe wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true. These mobs often become a theater production where everyone pretends to be focused but they’re just collectively pushing along until hopefully someone solves the problem and they are released from their torturous exercise.

My very first day at a new company I was shown around the office and met my team. At 10.30am I was invited to a mobbing session, where I was asked to contribute to writing to some code. I did not have a single inkling of what the project was in detail or understood anything that was being talked about or written. But I was expected to 'contribute' in a performative way to show that I was useful to the team. It was pe…

Participating in a mob on day 1 is a very common on-boarding experience. If you're driving, the rest of the team should be guiding you. If you're navigating with no knowledge of the project, you should be observing and asking questions.

The intention is supposed to be "No pressure, come see how we work and meet the team. Feel free to join in if you see something."

There's no faster way to ramp somebody up than onboarding with a mobbing session. Typically you even use the new person's machine so the team can help make sure everything is setup for them to be productive and help work through any unexpected quirks rather than making you figure it out yourself.

If you were asked to jump in and lead with no knowledge, then yes that was terrible.

If you're open to seeing how beneficial the process can be, I'd recommend reading Software Teaming. Great book and establishes all the core rules about what makes a mob work. The most critical rule? Participation has to be voluntary.

Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#108

Post by ggu7hgfk8j »

Yeul wrote: post #33
ggu7hgfk8j wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me it seems like you are saying "just stop eating pizza" to someone trying to understand why and how the pizza is unhealthy and what is a better alternative. Clearly we have to eat something, so a bit of understanding is needed.

Some people would argue to ban pizzerias.

Okay but can I tempt you with some flatbread?

Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#109

Post by purple-leafy »

siberpunk wrote: post #102
purple-leafy wrote: post #86

Hey I read your article. Have you ever considered: 1) Ditching social media (everything - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn - everything. I don't mean delete the app. I mean delete all your accounts, and all the apps. No going back.) 2) Ditching your smart phone (Buy a brick phone) I'm completely serious. I'm currently living this way, the phone was a recent addition in the last month. But social media, has been for year…

The problem with social media for me is that I stay in touch with my friends there. I mean there are some people I don't know irl but following each other over 10 years, and I like to see / share what's new with our lives. Also, as a remote worker, the only way to communicate and create a professional network for me is also social media. I believe I can handle a couple of minutes every day to read about my friends an…

Thats completely fair, and my approach does not work for most people as its quite extreme.

I still use WhatsApp to connect with people overseas, so thats replaced Messenger etc for me.

It is tough being a remote worker, and I totally get the difficulty with maintaining a professional network.

All good reasons there.

How I deal with professional networking is, I use email mostly, and I tend to stay in touch with people I genuinely find interesting and connect with. One of my best friends is an older gentleman who I met at a previous job, we always catch up for meals, coffees etc. He's one of my best network references. But other than that, my professional network is small, and I do have to put in extra work to maintain it.

Thanks for the thumbs up on the goals! I really only became this way this year (ADHD diagnosis + medication) and I'm really getting in to my learning now.

Whats on your reading list currently?

Re: Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job

#110

Post by purple-leafy »

bazmattaz wrote: post #92
purple-leafy wrote: post #86

Hey I read your article. Have you ever considered: 1) Ditching social media (everything - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn - everything. I don't mean delete the app. I mean delete all your accounts, and all the apps. No going back.) 2) Ditching your smart phone (Buy a brick phone) I'm completely serious. I'm currently living this way, the phone was a recent addition in the last month. But social media, has been for year…

Ditching social media is a complete no brainer for me. I’ve ditched everything over the years but Reddit. For some reason I keep coming back to it. I really like the communities around specific topics (record collecting, docker, python, sports). I curate my feed so it only serves up content from my niche interests. However even Reddit has become a time suck and endless scroll of low value content. That’s why I keep c…

Reddit is the trickiest beast of them all. Not necessarily "social" media, but I have also blocked Reddit. I've had many accounts over the years, and it used to be a great site. But its become heavily moderated, politicised, toxic, advertising heavy. I really question if even half of the posts are genuine people posting (probably not).

I have a url blacklisting extension and I block reddit entirely, it wont even come up in google searches etc.

I think Reddit is one of the hardest to break from though. I've been completely off it for just over a month. I replaced it with HackerNews

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