Things I do to be consistently happy • Hacker News Board

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#61

Post by eavc » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:22 AM UTC

adriand wrote: post #50

I find it somewhat interesting how often people profess that their key to happiness essentially boils down to living the sort of "good life" that in many ways is the Christian ideal, regardless of whether or not they are personally religious. Although there are habits and rituals that can lead to a more positive outlook, such as exercising regularly, there are deeper aspects to this way of life. This includes helping…

There has been research done on happiness as a subject of science. The How of Happiness is a nice book for a popular audience on the subject.

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#62

Post by eavc » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:24 AM UTC

exch wrote: post #5

At the risk of going completely off topic and being all philosophical: Can someone explain to me what 'being happy' means? I have consistently failed to answer anyone who asked me if I was happy or not. All I can say is that I am content or not. Which, for me, means that I am satisfied with the situation I am in. I can do what I want to do, when I want to do it and do not have to be bothered by things that do not int…

In psychology, the terms hedonia and eudaimonia are somewhat broadly used to characterize two common modes of well-being. That might lead you to useful reading.

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#63

Post by shawnz » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:34 AM UTC

adriand wrote: post #50

I find it somewhat interesting how often people profess that their key to happiness essentially boils down to living the sort of "good life" that in many ways is the Christian ideal, regardless of whether or not they are personally religious. Although there are habits and rituals that can lead to a more positive outlook, such as exercising regularly, there are deeper aspects to this way of life. This includes helping…

> essentially boils down to [...] the Christian ideal

Why is this unexpected? From my nonreligious standpoint, I see Christianity (and indeed, most religions) as a device created specifically for this reason -- to allow people to be content with themselves. To me, it makes perfect sense that any given life philosophy will align with the general tenets of most religions; they wouldn't have stuck around if they made people feel less satisfied!

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#64

Post by Ramario » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:36 AM UTC

I can relate to this article. I've found that waking up at 6am and going for a jog was a great way to start the day. Also, as a programmer you can lose all sense of time whilst pounding away at a project. My way of disengaging from that is going to the gym, the cinema or just hanging out with friends. You must be sure to not get lost in the start-up race and do things that have nothing to do with your start-up every now and then at least. Great article!

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#65

Post by Ramario » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:38 AM UTC

adriand wrote: post #50

I find it somewhat interesting how often people profess that their key to happiness essentially boils down to living the sort of "good life" that in many ways is the Christian ideal, regardless of whether or not they are personally religious. Although there are habits and rituals that can lead to a more positive outlook, such as exercising regularly, there are deeper aspects to this way of life. This includes helping…

I can relate to this article. I've found that waking up at 6am and going for a jog was a great way to start the day. Also, as a programmer you can lose all sense of time whilst pounding away at a project. My way of disengaging from that is going to the gym, the cinema or just hanging out with friends. You must be sure to not get lost in the start-up race and do things that have nothing to do with your start-up every now and then at least. Great article!

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#66

Post by chii » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:38 AM UTC

dhimes wrote: post #55

adriand wrote: post #50

I find it somewhat interesting how often people profess that their key to happiness essentially boils down to living the sort of "good life" that in many ways is the Christian ideal, regardless of whether or not they are personally religious. Although there are habits and rituals that can lead to a more positive outlook, such as exercising regularly, there are deeper aspects to this way of life. This includes helping…

Forgive me if I've said it here before, but I believe that there are "spiritual" geniuses in the same way there are literary, musical, and mathematical geniuses. I believe these folks (like Jesus and the Buddha) are exquisitely tuned in to what makes humans happy. I don't believe in God (or god, or the FSM), but I do believe that there are certain 'truths' that resonate with mentally healthy humans, and these folks h…

but happiness and pleasure is intimately intertwined - they have to be, because stimulating the pleasure centre was one of the methods that the primitive part of the brain controls behaviour (e.g., you find eating fatty, high energy food pleasurable, because thats the kind of food that's valuable to eat back when this mechanic was evolved).

Happiness is indeed simply a state of mind, but some people can't reach that state on a permanent basis, and require constant injections of pleasure as stimuli. I think drug addicts suffer a severe case of this, but normal functioning people do as well (only milder). Why do people binge eat, binge shop, etc, but to make themselves happier thru pleasure (despite the consequeinces)?

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#67

Post by mirz » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:45 AM UTC

I've been pouring in the 16 hour days for a year now and executing well, but neglecting any sort of balance in my life. All the added stress has made me neglect my family and definitely eliminated any personal time.

I decided to do something about it in June.

Exercise has made a big impact. I started running almost every morning and logging 20M+ weekend mountain bike rides. I've realized that you need to keep your cardio strong and your physique honed or the lifestyle will simply make you pudgy and listless. Great Founders know how to eat right, work out right, and feel right. This is like running a marathon, so you must live your life like a marathon runner. I've also heard that its good to do some sport where you can hit something. Tennis, boxing, hockey, or martial arts, let you hit something hard and get the negative energy out.

I used to stay up working until 3 or 4am quite regularly but now walk away from my computer by 1AM so that I can get at least 6 hours of sleep. I think sleep deprivation is a reality for most startup entrepreneurs.

If you really want to mess your life up, forget to put your family in the balance. This is your most important asset and precious responsibility. Make sure you focus here and not only give them dedicated time, but meaningful time. I reinstated date night with my wife and I'm trying to make an effort to balance things out in general.

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#68

Post by chii » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:46 AM UTC

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #54

reledi wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never felt that great during those times I've had to regularly be up early school or work. Perhaps it's because you didn't voluntarily choose to wake up at those times. You had to wake up early for tasks that you had to do, even if unwilling that day. With little time to get ready, you'd also feel rushed. With your happiest schedule, you have more control over when you can start working, and you also have a dece…

I wish it was that easy. The reality is that there are early birds and night owls (see, e.g., http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080126-sleep... ). There is no question in my mind that I am a night owl. My "nap time" is around 4-5pm, which, if I succumb to, will keep me awake until 2-3pm. I am also completely useless before 10am, regardless of whether I get up at 5am or 9:55am. It sucks to be a night owl…

> It sucks to be a night owl in an early bird world.

this is actually quite interesting - you'd think that humans who are less functional during the day time may be at an evolutionary disadvantage during pre-historic times. However, a lot of animals actually tend to be active at night, and so in theory, easier to catch prey at night!

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#69

Post by is74 » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:50 AM UTC

nostromo wrote: post #17

I have a theory. I think that self-help books and articles actually make people miserable. I'm quite happy, and I manage to be happy without having a list of the 6 essential things I must do every day to stay happy. In my personal life, the people most into self-help books and the like are the least happy. Correlation doesn't prove causation, so I can't blame the books and blogs -- but they certainly don't seem to be…

People who are into self-help books are the ones most likely to be miserable to begin with ---- since happy people are not interested in reading them!

Re: Things I do to be consistently happy

#70

Post by personlurking » Mon, Aug 20, 2012, 12:59 AM UTC

csallen wrote: post #3

I'm curious how many programmers find themselves most productive at specific times of the day. Personally, I'm by far the most productive late at night, in 1am - 4am territory. The primary reason is that there are fewer distractions. The news cycle has slowed, my FB news feed is all but dead, I'm not receiving any emails/calls/chats, my roommates are asleep, and it's too late to accomplish chores like shopping or doi…

In the sense that you are bringing up productive time, or when you are at your best, I vote for the morning because of something that is probably personal to me. I see the mornings as a time of hope and possibility ('imagine all that you can get done today'). No one says to themselves, 'oh, I hope today is crappy'. Not a surprise then that I actually get more 'depressed' as the day goes on (ie, afternoon and onward) and it's not necessarily dependent on how much I've accomplished or not, but rather that the realm of what is possible has dwindled.

Coffee is also my friend. I have between 1 and 1.5 cups per day but just getting up and feeling like Success Kid, per a mix of caffeine and hope, gets me going in the right direction.