Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Fuck being productive

dostoynikov.bearblog.dev

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 382 posts

Re: Fuck being productive

#151

Post by AndyMcConachie »

fswd wrote: post #90
sBqQu3U0wH wrote: post #15

Honestly, I do feel somewhat similar. I work a normal 8-hour day and I am not obsessed with productivity nor I am some kind of anti-work activist, but it just feels like such a waste of time. The only reason I go to work is for money. I don't care about the products we build for someone else (why should I?), nor the technologies used (each of which brings its own challenges and frustrations). If I didn't need to go t…

It's funny, if you say this duringg an interview "Why do you want the job?" "Money" you won't get hired. So it becomes a performance artist act.

Don't hate the player hate the game.

Re: Fuck being productive

#152

Post by FourHand451 »

bojan wrote: post #140
sBqQu3U0wH wrote: post #15

Honestly, I do feel somewhat similar. I work a normal 8-hour day and I am not obsessed with productivity nor I am some kind of anti-work activist, but it just feels like such a waste of time. The only reason I go to work is for money. I don't care about the products we build for someone else (why should I?), nor the technologies used (each of which brings its own challenges and frustrations). If I didn't need to go t…

> The only reason I go to work is for money. I don't care about the products we build for someone else (why should I?) You should care a bit, because ultimately whatever we produce ends up directly or indirectly used by other human beings. That is at least my motivation to care about the product - thinking about that person on the other side that will be directly affected in their daily life by the choices I make.

I agree with what you say, but for me it's easier said than done. There's a disconnect in my brain because it feels like the rewards for taking the extra time and effort to care about the product tend to end up mostly in the pocketbooks of upper level management.

Some days the idea of making a better product because it makes the lives of users better is enough motivation, but not most. I wish I could consistently be more selfless in this regard, but when I'm tired or stressed or depressed, my lizard brain needs a more direct incentive.

Re: Fuck being productive

#153

Post by chankstein38 »

sBqQu3U0wH wrote: post #15

Honestly, I do feel somewhat similar. I work a normal 8-hour day and I am not obsessed with productivity nor I am some kind of anti-work activist, but it just feels like such a waste of time. The only reason I go to work is for money. I don't care about the products we build for someone else (why should I?), nor the technologies used (each of which brings its own challenges and frustrations). If I didn't need to go t…

I feel like I could've written this. I've even been feeling this more strongly lately and talking to friends about it. I just wish I could live my life and stop needing to work so I could have money.

Re: Fuck being productive

#154

Post by slothtrop »

srcreigh wrote: post #108
sBqQu3U0wH wrote: post #15

Honestly, I do feel somewhat similar. I work a normal 8-hour day and I am not obsessed with productivity nor I am some kind of anti-work activist, but it just feels like such a waste of time. The only reason I go to work is for money. I don't care about the products we build for someone else (why should I?), nor the technologies used (each of which brings its own challenges and frustrations). If I didn't need to go t…

The grass is always greener. Plenty of people become depressed once they stop working. The excitement of a hobby comes out of a balance with the struggle of work. Not everybody. If you like try taking extended time off to see where you land.

There is a certain balance to be had yes when experiencing flow. Practice raises the threshold, makes harder things more enjoyable (e.g. a musical instrument).

However we're creatures of habit, and I think most people search for rationalizations to do nothing or change nothing. That's comfortable and familiar. People don't know what they want and seem to shop around for placeholders for identity. It's not certain what the payoff will be for any new undertaking.

Re: Fuck being productive

#155

Post by mulmen »

appleaday1 wrote: post #82
UncleOxidant wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tend to agree, but then I wonder if people in places like Canada (which has universal healthcare) tend to pursue their passions more than those of us in the US?

Canada is kind of slowly imploding. It's going through a lot of crisis currently. Housing is one of the biggest ones, for example I am a housing activist and trying to do something actively about the housing crisis happening in Canada.

Can you give an example of what actually happened up there? And what you are doing? I hear rumors (China!) but you seem much more knowledgeable on the topic. I live down in Seattle so I'm curious how similar the situations are.

Re: Fuck being productive

#156

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

tiedieconderoga wrote: post #95
sesteel wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This deserves to be upvoted more. Trading your life for financial gain has diminishing returns. You'd think everybody's goal would to be free of servitude.

The problem is that you need a lot of money to be free of servitude.

Servitude is thinking that you do.

Re: Fuck being productive

#157

Post by listenallyall »

yboris wrote: post #126

We need 4DWW - Four Day Work Week . This would give all of us the much-needed day to catch up on administrative stuff, so we can have our weekends back for relaxing. We will have time for side projects again. Fight for 4DWW !!!

How would you catch up? Administrative stuff like going to the post office, DMV, getting a haircut, would all be closed... due to 4 day work week.

Re: Fuck being productive

#159

Post by Noe2097 »

Interestingly, lately, I find myself totally unable to do "nothing" -- to be unproductive by the description given in the article.

The perspective of spending 1 or 2 hours playing videogames or watching entertainment (movies, series) became terribly boring to me. I can only think of that as a loss of time: I wouldn't be a better person at the end of it.

Being able to better smash buttons, faster, at the right timing -- watching a story unfold on screen -- these used to be a great source of joy "before". But today, it seems all so dull; my intellect or my body doesn't get any better by doing that. Instead, reading whatever book on ML or even on an obscure programming language or technique, or spending time at the gym, or listening to a lecture on math or physics, sound so much more appealing to me.

I cannot spend time anymore just sitting, it literally upsets me. Anybody feeling the same?

Re: Fuck being productive

#160

Post by nly »

ZephyrBlu wrote: post #142
nly wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe in the US. Maybe. Here in the UK, after tax, $50K/yr doesn't even cover my mortgage, and I live in a house that over 100 years ago, according to the 1911 census, supported a family of 5 on a carriage drivers single income. I earn a top 1% salary as a dev and retirement will still be 20-25 years away for me under ideal conditions - i.e. a 40% savings rate.

What's a top 1% salary in the UK?

This will give you an idea.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/percentile-points-f...

In US terms somewhere around $240K USD, before tax.

Post reply on HN