> Don't become the machine.
> ...our company just graduated from the YC Fall 2025 batch.
Don't Become the Machine
141–150 of 157 posts
Re: Don't Become the Machine
#142Often there is a bell shaped curve where productivity peeks at a point and bigger efforts after that make you actually less productive overall. In my personal experience most projects are a marathon not a sprint. Always sleep the 8-9 hours necessary to feel full-rested. I'm most productive in the morning so I try to work every day during mornings but since in the afternoon I'm a lot less productive I've decided I can…
Regular morning stand-ups really fuck my morning momentum. I'm getting my shit done, then I gotta stop and listen to a whole bunch of crap that I either already know or doesn't affect me at all. Sometimes, in fact often, the level of momentum I had before the meeting is never reached again the rest of day. All meetings should be post lunch. All meetings I organize are post lunch.
Welcome to Standup! Choose your opponent!
- Guy who spends 20 of the 15 minutes being way too detailed about his work.
- Two guys who argue back and forth about technical minutiae that doesn't affect you.
- Your manager who lets two guys argue back and forth about technical minutiae that doesn't affect you.
- Your manager asking if you have any blockers.
- A PM asking you how many points you have left on a ticket.
(The boss battle is just this, but stretched over an entire hour.)
Re: Don't Become the Machine
#143I play tennis twice a week and I inline skate twice a week (weather pending) and yesterday I commuted to and from work on inlines (first time I've done it, won't be the last, but won't be often). Having such hobbies plus a couple of kids (now teenagers so they're somewhat less demanding of my time) means I just don't have the time to do extra hours if I'm going to get enough sleep. And if I don't get enough sleep the…
Here's the other thing: people who spend their time playing tennis, raising kids, hanging out with their dog by the grill, etc. aren't constantly marketing their lifestyles to social media.
"Ideal family life" is very much a lifestyle that is sold on social media. And was sold for decades before that.
Re: Don't Become the Machine
#144If you are only useful, you will be used until you not useful anymore. Make relationships that care about you even after you’ve become worn out. Make things that pay off even after you’re done making.
> Make things that pay off even after you’re done making
Which means you need to have some kind of ownership of the means of production (equity, in this world of capitalism), else you're just a wage slave.
Re: Don't Become the Machine
#145The dynamic depends on whether you are running your own business or working for someone else's.
Re: Don't Become the Machine
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
> avoiding people because they don't fit whatever type of mold You are the average of the people you spend your time with. To spend time with thoughtless people is to drag yourself down. > bordering on dehumanization No, this isn't dehumanization at all. I'm well aware of the self-destruction that humans are capable of.
the term "brainless wastoid" doesnt come across as dehumanization to you? thats strange. I think we are okay with taking people without brain activity off life support, so it certainly screams dehumanization to me. > You are the average of the people you spend your time with. To spend time with thoughtless people is to drag yourself down. this is a popular thing to say, that PROBABLY shouldn't be taken THIS literally…
> the term "brainless wastoid" doesnt come across as dehumanization to you? thats strange.
Insulting a human doesn't deny their humanity. I encourage you to take humans off a pedestal. Humans are just animals with a superiority complex.
Re: Don't Become the Machine
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
the term "brainless wastoid" doesnt come across as dehumanization to you? thats strange. I think we are okay with taking people without brain activity off life support, so it certainly screams dehumanization to me. > You are the average of the people you spend your time with. To spend time with thoughtless people is to drag yourself down. this is a popular thing to say, that PROBABLY shouldn't be taken THIS literally…
> the term "brainless wastoid" doesnt come across as dehumanization to you? thats strange. Insulting a human doesn't deny their humanity. I encourage you to take humans off a pedestal. Humans are just animals with a superiority complex.
> Humans are just animals with a superiority complex.
I feel you are just attempting to avoid defending your actual stances tbh.
I actually AGREE that humans are not that special... however, that applies to literally every single human. what you are doing is isolating groups of humans, which is something drastically different.
We can be not special on a grand scale, but we still must all live together.
Re: Don't Become the Machine
#148I play tennis twice a week and I inline skate twice a week (weather pending) and yesterday I commuted to and from work on inlines (first time I've done it, won't be the last, but won't be often). Having such hobbies plus a couple of kids (now teenagers so they're somewhat less demanding of my time) means I just don't have the time to do extra hours if I'm going to get enough sleep. And if I don't get enough sleep the…
There's no such thing as productivity. Productivity is concocted solutions to manufactured problems.
While I understand and somewhat agree with the sentiment you’re trying to convey here… on the other hand: entropy exists, and calories in must be greater than or equal to calories out, over the long term.
I do think there’s too much concern with “what” and not enough “why” or “how” in the world.
Re: Don't Become the Machine
#149I know many people who are full on into hustle culture and they don't care to optimize their productivity. the hustle is being strategic, work smart not hard, fake till you make it, lie and be ruthless and amoral It's kind of disgusting... Edit: Actually, I don't know many such people. Just 2-3 maybe. But it feels like many
The job selection process is part of the issue. It favours good liars over those who are honest about their faults.
Re: Don't Become the Machine
#150Often there is a bell shaped curve where productivity peeks at a point and bigger efforts after that make you actually less productive overall. In my personal experience most projects are a marathon not a sprint. Always sleep the 8-9 hours necessary to feel full-rested. I'm most productive in the morning so I try to work every day during mornings but since in the afternoon I'm a lot less productive I've decided I can…
Regular morning stand-ups really fuck my morning momentum. I'm getting my shit done, then I gotta stop and listen to a whole bunch of crap that I either already know or doesn't affect me at all. Sometimes, in fact often, the level of momentum I had before the meeting is never reached again the rest of day. All meetings should be post lunch. All meetings I organize are post lunch.
I really don't understand why this was downvoted.
It expresses something that is true for many individuals.