The Hacker Lifecycle
benjaminasmith.com
The Hacker Lifecycle
1–10 of 19 posts
Re: The Hacker Lifecycle
#2I go through the same exact cycle. I think it's necessary to have a burnout phase to recharge your batteries and get you excited again. For example, sometimes I will go camping for a few days and have no internet around. When I get back to the computer everything is so colorful and exciting. HN is thrilling.
Re: The Hacker Lifecycle
#3The author seems trapped in a sort of cognitive dissonance: For years he's stated that he wants financial independence, yet for years he's failed to reach that goal, for the same reason. I'm reminded of a quote:
> The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over
> and over again and expecting different results.
Re: The Hacker Lifecycle
#4Sure, I think it's a common enough cycle. Of course, most people don't work a job where they can make six figures working part time--if they had the option, I'm sure they'd LOVE to live that lifestyle. You are really lucky to have that option. But you already strive for continued education and to improve your skills, so luck is only part of it. My point is--enjoy the good times.
That said, it depends on what you want. If you do a bit of freelance consulting work and sell it right, you can be pretty financially independent without a big commitment. If you want to start a "real" business, it requires a lot of commitment and a pretty high tolerance for abuse (although maybe that's just me!) I guess I compress your cycle more--I do something until I feel myself getting overloaded, then I take a break and come back later. But after a couple days, I'm usually ready to get back to it--it helps to really enjoy and believe in what you do.
So again, you've got to make the decision yourself, but fwiw, you might try to compress each cycle--maintaining momentum is important too.
Re: The Hacker Lifecycle
#5The first and most important thing in living an extraordinary life is being able to describe things as they are without guilt or moralizing. For most of us there is a seldom considered disconnect between who we are, who we think we should be, who we want to become, and who we can become. You're already farther down the path of seeing yourself as you are than most people.
Is this excitement and burnout cycle innate to who you are or part of how you are now? What advantages does this cycle have? What does it say about you that you're uncomfortable admitting? Is this behavior leading to progress against your goals and values? If the cycle is innate, how can it be harnessed, trained and controlled? Can you cycle on a weekly instead of a yearly basis?
I'd posit that to make a real dent in financial independence you'll have to learn to work through the boredom phase, or choose bigger problems at the start.
I relate to a lot of what youre saying. The hardest thing for me personally is choosing only one thing for prolonged, multiple year, commitments of time.
Re: The Hacker Lifecycle
#6The author seems trapped in a sort of cognitive dissonance: For years he's stated that he wants financial independence, yet for years he's failed to reach that goal, for the same reason. I'm reminded of a quote: > The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over > and over again and expecting different results. Perhaps he'd be happier if he did a reality check on his goals.
While I don't totally disagree, I interpret the "same thing" referred to in your quote and the "same reason" he's failing as two different levels of the concept of sameness. In my mind the insanity quote applies to a much stricter sense of repetitiveness (e.g. trying and failing on the same project/idea while using the same approach over and over) than repeatedly attempting to reach financial independence via different side projects.
Re: The Hacker Lifecycle
#7I have a similar work behavior and I structured my work time in a way that helps me keep focused and not get off track: I usually work on a single project for 2 or 3-day periods, rotating between ALL of my current projects depending on what I feel could use my time the most. I generally try to keep projects interesting by incorporating new things I've recently learned into either the project itself or the tools I'm using. The trick I've found is to never let anything get boring, by constantly rethinking and improving things that have gone stale, instead of starting new projects whenever you get another train of thought.
Re: The Hacker Lifecycle
#8I think there are cycles in cycles. Having lived for a while, I've seen similar cycles in my own life where each phase lasted several years, even as a yearly cycle like the OP described continued within them. The year cycle itself contains cycles that play out over a day, week, or month.
Human beings appear to be naturally cyclical beings who live in a cyclical universe. So it makes sense, and it's very healthy to realize it and plan accordingly. The phenomenon seems particularly pronounced in creative, innovative people who have some measure of control over their daily activities.
Re: The Hacker Lifecycle
#9I do much the same, rock on man!
Re: The Hacker Lifecycle
#10I don't think you should conflate motivational recession (which is healthy and normal; almost everyone gets that once every few months) with "burnout". They're two different things.
Motivation fluctuates and that's fine. There's nothing wrong with picking up a new video game. In fact, I think there's something healing about narrative that is especially relevant to creative people. We need to get into a novel or TV serial or '90s JRPG every now and then.
Burnout is something else entirely that I hope you don't experience. It's severe and it sucks. There's a state at which you get too depressed to work and it can last for months. You get sick a lot, feel weak, can't focus or get anything done. It doesn't sound like you've been there, and I hope you never get there. Burnout usually isn't caused by long working hours or even by project failures alone; it usually involves long hours and negative conditions (especially subordination).