Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012) • Hacker News Board

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#211

Post by wujiahua » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 12:29 PM UTC

hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #72

I think a lot of it has to do with mental status, which can be concluded with one sentence -- "Are you happy with your life, and if not do you have a clear path to reach that?". People who say no probably has a lot of trouble to get fit, get enough sleep -- sometimes NOT because they do not have the resources, but because they are not happy. They hate life, so why makes it better? I have observed this in myself so I…

I quite agree with your point; I believe the essential conditions for success are clear goals, well-defined steps, and a calm mindset.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#212

Post by raddan » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 12:34 PM UTC

globalnode wrote: post #179

hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That could definitely the case. I can't really tell which one comes first, mood or objective.

It could be a bit like that elusive thing called motivation. "Just do it" seems so annoying when people say it but in my case sometimes its the only way to start building momentum. What im saying is dont wait for mood, perhaps the mood will develop once you obtain momentum on a goal or task.

I use the “just do it” trick a lot myself. It was something I discovered when I was in my early 20s, hiking the Appalachian Trail, which requires you to get up and move every day. My partner and I did not have much money, so if we failed to finish, we would not have a second chance. I remember waking up one morning after a rainstorm, realizing that I left my boots outside the tent. They were cold and wet. Putting them on was going to be unpleasant. I thought “I just need to do it so that I can have other things that I want in my life.” Something clicked in that moment. Now, whenever I don’t want to do something I ask “does it help me do or be what I want?” It helps a lot. From big goals (eg, earn a degree, get the job I want, etc) to little tasks (take out the garbage, clean the toilets, etc). Oddly I find the little jobs to be the hardest, probably because although I recognize that living in a house with clean toilets is something I want, it’s not obviously connected with a motivating goal. This mental trick is very helpful for the little tasks.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#213

Post by hnthrowaway0315 » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC

wujiahua wrote: post #211

hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #72

I think a lot of it has to do with mental status, which can be concluded with one sentence -- "Are you happy with your life, and if not do you have a clear path to reach that?". People who say no probably has a lot of trouble to get fit, get enough sleep -- sometimes NOT because they do not have the resources, but because they are not happy. They hate life, so why makes it better? I have observed this in myself so I…

I quite agree with your point; I believe the essential conditions for success are clear goals, well-defined steps, and a calm mindset.

Yeah. It's so hard to get them. The people I look up to (John Carmack, David Cutler) all have these traits.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#214

Post by raddan » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC

grvdrm wrote: post #98

hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #72

I think a lot of it has to do with mental status, which can be concluded with one sentence -- "Are you happy with your life, and if not do you have a clear path to reach that?". People who say no probably has a lot of trouble to get fit, get enough sleep -- sometimes NOT because they do not have the resources, but because they are not happy. They hate life, so why makes it better? I have observed this in myself so I…

I think we're soulmates. You articulated so well what I think about my own approach or lack of approach. > Mental stability is probably one of the reasons different people have vastly different productivity or achievements. It is mental stability that brings focus, not the other way around. Agree, at least in concept. I'm aware that some of my perceived or real lack of of progress in some life areas is due to mental…

I wonder if it would help thinking through what makes you feel satisfied. I think many of us feel a bit crushed and demotivated when the reason to get up every day is extrinsic: taking care of somebody else, solving problems for somebody else, etc. Even if you are skilled at those tasks, it can feel pointless even if you recognize intellectually that they are important.

I’ve always felt that there was a big difference between doing something and doing something well. My grandfather, who grew up in an immigrant family on a farm during the Great Depression, used to say “do it well or don’t do it at all.” And it showed in his actions. He would spend enormous amounts of time doing things that just did not seem worth it to me at the time; eg, he obsessed about growing flowers when he had all these other skills that could be making him money. When I finally understood what drove him—that nearly any task can feel worthwhile when you move from simply doing it to doing it as best you can-it changed my relationship with work and other tasks in life. Another commenter here suggests that you should “work to live” and not the other way around, but I don’t really see them as separate. If you have the quality relationship with work in mind when you do it, when you connect it to doing things well, it’s hard to avoid feeling like your actions are also a part of living excellently, and for me at least, that fills me with a tremendous feeling of satisfaction.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#215

Post by 45qyqy45 » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 1:10 PM UTC

grvdrm wrote: post #127

45qyqy45 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. In my case I am physically very fit but sometimes neglect my health in other ways, including mentally and definitely including poor sleep habits. Regarding what you said about focus, I think an ADHD diagnosis might help a lot of people here. I suggest asking for a full profile including WAIS testing, which assesses intelligence, because it is the "deficit" between various types of intelligence and attention…

What drove you to get the diagnosis? My wife was diagnosed within last 2 years and thinks it has changed (and helped) her come to terms with a number of behaviors. And learn how to resolve/improve. I wonder about me, too. Haven't done it. Is it the case (honest) that may we all have just a little bit anyways?

Difficulties navigating everyday life and my career pretty much, I am intelligent and capable but the struggle to manage everything was becoming too much.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#216

Post by hnthrowaway0315 » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 1:52 PM UTC

globalnode wrote: post #179

hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That could definitely the case. I can't really tell which one comes first, mood or objective.

It could be a bit like that elusive thing called motivation. "Just do it" seems so annoying when people say it but in my case sometimes its the only way to start building momentum. What im saying is dont wait for mood, perhaps the mood will develop once you obtain momentum on a goal or task.

Yeah I do hold this attitude and try to side brush "mood", which I believe is a mere suggestion, not a command. However I noticed a completely different "mode" when I'm operating IN project and BETWEEN projects.

When I'm IN project, "just do it" works very well. But when I'm BETWEEN projects (this is when I completed a project, and dived into the next project, but found out that I did not enjoy it or got lost or whatever), "just do it" only works when "just do it" -- it doesn't really create a focus needed to move the projects forward. What I got frustrated is that this IN BETWEEN period could take multiple months to get out, which is a super waste of time. If only I could figure out as soon as I completed the previous project, I'd achieve so much more -- you see, for the type of projects I'm working on, I could not afford to wait for several months, or even several weeks -- because this is not my daily job, so if I wait for too long I'm going to lose the knowledge -- it's like muscle training, you can't stop for several weeks and hope muscle retains.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#217

Post by rsanek » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 2:02 PM UTC

So funny to see the recommendation here (track bedtime/wake-time, compute your average cycle length, predict the next bedtime from it, and don't deviate in either direction) be similar to how spaced repetition is typically sold to people: high expectations from users, no affordances for flexibility. These kinds of systems are just not realistic unless you are willing to be a loner that can never deviate from their routine.

I do agree that caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, sleeping pills, and (as much as we can) alarm clocks are all things to stay away from.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#218

Post by elAhmo » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 2:19 PM UTC

soco wrote: post #13

elAhmo wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mentioning drinking three times (effects of drinks in the evening, hangover, effects on learning) in a single response might give an impression you like to drink.

The topic is drinking so they mentioned drinking, and usually people do what they like to do, and in other news water is wet - but do we judge water for being wet? So let's stop virtue signaling because it's definitely not a show of virtue. I see where religious fundamentalism is taking the world and damn if I like it.

Unrelated to any religion, any amount of alcohol is harmful for health[1], science has recently shed a lot light on this. The OP mentioned drinking and was surprised to see someone noticing they mentioned drinking three times in their post.

[1] https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-...

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#219

Post by chasd00 » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 2:31 PM UTC

born1989 wrote: post #63

chasd00 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m 49 and have all but given up on drinking. It does nothing for me except make me tired and then, ironically, mess up my sleep. On fridays I grill cheeseburgers for the family and usually have one Half-Life tall boy from Manhattan Brewery because it’s my favorite of all time but that’s about it. Otherwise, I don’t drink at all. Being tired and not sleeping well is handled perfectly adequately by my job hah.

This must be a marketing campaign bit

i was afraid someone would think that, if i just said "half-life" they wouldn't know what i'm talking about. If i just said "have a beer" then it wouldn't be doing justice to the one i really like. oh well :)

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#220

Post by hnthrowaway0315 » Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 2:41 PM UTC

raddan wrote: post #214

grvdrm wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we're soulmates. You articulated so well what I think about my own approach or lack of approach. > Mental stability is probably one of the reasons different people have vastly different productivity or achievements. It is mental stability that brings focus, not the other way around. Agree, at least in concept. I'm aware that some of my perceived or real lack of of progress in some life areas is due to mental…

I wonder if it would help thinking through what makes you feel satisfied. I think many of us feel a bit crushed and demotivated when the reason to get up every day is extrinsic: taking care of somebody else, solving problems for somebody else, etc. Even if you are skilled at those tasks, it can feel pointless even if you recognize intellectually that they are important. I’ve always felt that there was a big differenc…

I was a bit skeptical about “do it well or don’t do it at all.” but then I realized my father is like that and then I understand. He might be a bit messy about very small things in life, but he is dead serious about anything else. The "smart" part is just NOT do anything you don't care, it seems.

For me, I wish I could be like that. I definitely need to work harder to achieve that. I tend to gloss over anything I don't like. Maybe that's why I never learned to grit through in my 40 or so years of life.