The Internet != the web.
Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
61–70 of 99 posts
Re: Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
I expected something interesting or insightful from your link, but it just completely seems to sidestep the idea that procrastination exists. The Wikipedia definition is "act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of lower priority, or doing something from which one derives enjoyment, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time". This clearly exists, and completely disavowing it with some (semi)feel g…
Part of it might be a confusion of terms. I would argue that if you really wanted to do something you'd be doing it or it would already be done (by definition of the word "want"). Same with "care". The very first episode of the podcast I listened to was Merlin and his co-host discussing the word "priority". He was giving a talk at a company and someone in the crowd claimed to have "27 high-priority items" which Merli…
>Do you need an alarm to remind yourself to play video games? Do you need a "distraction-free gaming environment"?
I rarely play video games, so that isn't the greatest example for me.
I'll present an analogy, though.
One of the long standing examples given of whether knowledge actually applies to actions is smoking. I think we all know that smoking can cause cancer, reduces lifespan, and causes various diseases.
Except that you can invariably see doctors smoking outside of hospitals, even oncologists!
Just saying that outcomes are the only thing that matters to make an evaluation of whether you care about something, or consider something a priority doesn't explain why we can have cognitive dissonance about them.
Your (and the author's) assertions are almost laughably behaviorist, completely neglecting any idea that people have minds and you are effectively arguing that people are reducible solely to action-machines.
We know better than that, unless you really think that the mind has no meaning, or that we are somehow rational machines - in which case, why the obsession with "caring" (which is clearly more emotional than rational)?
Basically, if the only way we can judge that we "care" about something is exhibiting behaviors that show we care, using these tools will exhibit that same behavior -- in which case, what does caring have to do with it?
Really, there is even more wrong with this post than I thought at first blush, and further analysis seems to reveal even more flaws with the thinking.
Re: Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
#63But you can always uninstall the extension. Can we discipline ourselves, is the question.
Re: Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
#64You know what works well? Just write some code. I use the metaphor "paint every day" which I took from a HN comment years ago, but how does an artist get good at painting? You paint every day. How do you get stuff done? Code every day. Fix a small problem, big problem, whatever. Just take steps forward every day. It's how I got http://reme.me off the ground. I do something every day. In a couple short months I built…
I find this very condescending. Not all of us get to work on fun problems, but the work has to get done nonetheless.
I think the context of this is related to working on "fun" problems though. If you're at work, getting paid and not working, you'll get fired. Working in a startup is much different.
Re: Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
#65If what you're working on is important enough and you love it enough, you would never need this. If not, then maybe you're working on the wrong thing. Let's stop treating the effect of poor work habits and deal with the cause: find something better to work on. [EDIT: I'd stay and reply to your great responses guys, but I'm not here anymore. As compelling as this discussion is, the real-time CRUD/robot interface I'm w…
> If what you're working on is important enough and you love it enough, you would never need this. If what you're working on is important enough and you love it enough, you can afford a second desktop/laptop/tablet/smartphone that is designated "work only" and so offers fewer distractions than your primary device.
But how does that solve the 'internet distraction problem'? I would assume that you would still probably be connected to the internet on either device (most people use the internet for work purposes).
Re: Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
#66You know what works well? Just write some code. I use the metaphor "paint every day" which I took from a HN comment years ago, but how does an artist get good at painting? You paint every day. How do you get stuff done? Code every day. Fix a small problem, big problem, whatever. Just take steps forward every day. It's how I got http://reme.me off the ground. I do something every day. In a couple short months I built…
I find this very condescending. Not all of us get to work on fun problems, but the work has to get done nonetheless.
I think you are missing the point of the OP's comment.
Essentially, he/she is saying that persistence is the key to completing the task, and that is true regardless of whether the task is enjoyable or not. Pound away, day after day, each and every day, and it will get done.
Re: Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
#67If what you're working on is important enough and you love it enough, you would never need this. If not, then maybe you're working on the wrong thing. Let's stop treating the effect of poor work habits and deal with the cause: find something better to work on. [EDIT: I'd stay and reply to your great responses guys, but I'm not here anymore. As compelling as this discussion is, the real-time CRUD/robot interface I'm w…
> If what you're working on is important enough and you love it enough, you would never need this.
Incorrect. The more important it is, and the more I love it, the more anxious I become. The more anxious I become, the more distractible I am.
Re: Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
#68If what you're working on is important enough and you love it enough, you would never need this. If not, then maybe you're working on the wrong thing. Let's stop treating the effect of poor work habits and deal with the cause: find something better to work on. [EDIT: I'd stay and reply to your great responses guys, but I'm not here anymore. As compelling as this discussion is, the real-time CRUD/robot interface I'm w…
From the safety of my throwaway account, I have to ask a question of HN that's been bugging me for some time:
Am I the only person who, if not for the need to support my family, might blissfully while away his days playing games, playing with new tech, reading, watching TV or movies, and just generally goofing off? Maybe I'd regret my wasted life one day, but in the here and now there's a lot of fun to be had in the world today.
I love to code, but shipping is a lot harder, and running a whole business based on that code is harder still, of course. But from reading comments like the parent on HN, there are people who would make whole _products_, or build businesses all day long if left to their own devices.
I can't tell if I was just raised differently from other people such that I am predisposed to value, say, instant gratification and to avoid hard work; or if everyone else is just ignoring these parts of their nature and not talking about the fact that getting drunk with your friends is more fun and a lot easier than following through a product idea from concept to completion.
Re: Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Although I think you're baiting, I'll bite. I really enjoy eating, but if I'm caught up in something I don't always remember to do it. Sometimes I'll go hours past my regularly scheduled meal times. Then I'm sitting at my desk wondering (only for a short time) why my stomach hurts. Oh ya, food. While this is a extreme example, the logic still applies to coding/writing or anything else. Sometimes the tasks you should…
I don't think that's the right metaphor. In the process of eating you have access to many choices. You have good food, you have junk food, and you have bad food. Some people lack self control and discipline so they end up eating more junk food and bad food than good. Same goes for the process of productivity. You have work, distractions, and hinderances. If this is what you need to build up a habit of self control, t…
My example doesn't mention making a choice of what to eat, only becoming "aware" that one is hungry (needs to eat). The joy of eating (independent of choice) has little to do with recognizing that it's time to eat. Likewise, the joy or writing/programming has little to do with identifying and prioritizing those tasks efficiently.
I could have said it simpler by stating that one would be foolish to rely on emotions to schedule his/her day.
Re: Show HN: Block yourself from the Internet until you write or code each day
#70If I download the Extension without an account I see a giant error page with lots of debug information at /write/.