Lately I've been using timers daily • Hacker News Board

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#21

Post by supernikio2 » Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:10 PM UTC

alberth wrote: post #19

Stop listening to podcasts. Enjoy the quiet. I use to fill up my day with listening to podcasts during all non-work time (e.g. driving in the car, exercising, even showering). It overloads your brain if it's having to process info during every waking moment. You brain just needs quiet time to think, relax and explore. I'm way more relaxed, creative and find unique solutions to problems now, than before.

It would be interesting to know how much quiet time the brain needs to properly rest throughout the day.

However I feel like this question falls into the "optimise every second of the day" thought pattern which kinda goes against the point.

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#22

Post by andyferris » Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:13 PM UTC

supernikio2 wrote: post #21

alberth wrote: post #19

Stop listening to podcasts. Enjoy the quiet. I use to fill up my day with listening to podcasts during all non-work time (e.g. driving in the car, exercising, even showering). It overloads your brain if it's having to process info during every waking moment. You brain just needs quiet time to think, relax and explore. I'm way more relaxed, creative and find unique solutions to problems now, than before.

It would be interesting to know how much quiet time the brain needs to properly rest throughout the day. However I feel like this question falls into the "optimise every second of the day" thought pattern which kinda goes against the point.

That’s funny. Still, I think it’s more that the “obvious” optimal (fill up your day with productive tasks) is actually non-optimal, which is an important and useful fact to consider and share.

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#23

Post by matwood » Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:23 PM UTC

alberth wrote: post #19

Stop listening to podcasts. Enjoy the quiet. I use to fill up my day with listening to podcasts during all non-work time (e.g. driving in the car, exercising, even showering). It overloads your brain if it's having to process info during every waking moment. You brain just needs quiet time to think, relax and explore. I'm way more relaxed, creative and find unique solutions to problems now, than before.

I've been switching back to classical music more and more for this reason. For me it fades into background like white noise. Slightly related, but one of my favorite ways to exercise for many years has been Jiu-Jitsu. It forces presence in the exact moment, which for me triggers a mind flush. When I get done training I often immediately see solutions to problems I had been exploring.

Finally, there is a fairly new book that suggests to stop listening to things at all waking hours, "STFU: The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in an Endlessly Noisy World".

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#24

Post by antegamisou » Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:24 PM UTC

alberth wrote: post #19

Stop listening to podcasts. Enjoy the quiet. I use to fill up my day with listening to podcasts during all non-work time (e.g. driving in the car, exercising, even showering). It overloads your brain if it's having to process info during every waking moment. You brain just needs quiet time to think, relax and explore. I'm way more relaxed, creative and find unique solutions to problems now, than before.

> It overloads your brain if it's having to process info during every waking moment.

And many times, it's overloaded with BS by the host. Suprisingly a lot of misinformation comes from many of HN's favorite influencers.

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#25

Post by AJRF » Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:40 PM UTC

Multiple timers!? Apple, hire this man!

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#26

Post by dwaltrip » Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:42 PM UTC

For a while now I’ve been going on walks without my phone. It’s really nice. And freeing in a certain sense.

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#27

Post by Barrin92 » Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:49 PM UTC

alberth wrote: post #19

Stop listening to podcasts. Enjoy the quiet. I use to fill up my day with listening to podcasts during all non-work time (e.g. driving in the car, exercising, even showering). It overloads your brain if it's having to process info during every waking moment. You brain just needs quiet time to think, relax and explore. I'm way more relaxed, creative and find unique solutions to problems now, than before.

I don't know if it's a purely modern thing but quietness is I think straight up perceived as uncomfortable by a lot of people now. Had a conversation recently with someone saying that they can't have a meal without having something on in the background, and in conversations too people are very hung up about avoiding silence.

it's really underdiscussed how averse people seem to just contemplation.

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#28

Post by ericjmorey » Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:49 PM UTC

supernikio2 wrote: post #21

alberth wrote: post #19

Stop listening to podcasts. Enjoy the quiet. I use to fill up my day with listening to podcasts during all non-work time (e.g. driving in the car, exercising, even showering). It overloads your brain if it's having to process info during every waking moment. You brain just needs quiet time to think, relax and explore. I'm way more relaxed, creative and find unique solutions to problems now, than before.

It would be interesting to know how much quiet time the brain needs to properly rest throughout the day. However I feel like this question falls into the "optimise every second of the day" thought pattern which kinda goes against the point.

It likely depends on things that are difficult or impossible to measure like the amount of stress experienced in the past.

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#29

Post by tl90 » Wed, May 17, 2023, 1:50 PM UTC

WJW wrote: post #10

Timers are great, I've been using them for more and more things lately. I still want to make a proper server-backed app one day that syncs any timers between devices though. I often enable them in my phone but then put it away when working on something on my PC and the widget in the app would be a good idea. Maybe even a plugin for my editor!

I use Toggl [1] exactly for this.

[1] https://toggl.com/

Re: Lately I've been using timers daily

#30

Post by codyb » Wed, May 17, 2023, 2:16 PM UTC

alberth wrote: post #19

Stop listening to podcasts. Enjoy the quiet. I use to fill up my day with listening to podcasts during all non-work time (e.g. driving in the car, exercising, even showering). It overloads your brain if it's having to process info during every waking moment. You brain just needs quiet time to think, relax and explore. I'm way more relaxed, creative and find unique solutions to problems now, than before.

I know a few people who seem to always be in negative moods... and when I learn about them, it appears, that basically every waking moment of their lives, there is _some_ form of... signal just being beamed directly into their brain. Whether it's all day long with headphones on playing music, or podcasts, or TV.

It's bonkers to me. I resolve so many of my own issues just... staring out the window, or staring at the ceiling.

I get that people are different, and we all have our different ways of going about things, but I just cannot imagine it is healthy to not let your brain "breathe" a bit sometimes.

I mostly sit with my noise cancelling headphones on, with no sound. And lately, I'm just moving towards not having them on at all when I'm not in meetings.

It's wonderful. There's a reason "silence is golden" after all. I actually still find classical music a bit distracting a lot of times even. A lot of the newer composers especially are particularly discordant.