Productivity porn • Hacker News Board

Re: Productivity porn

#271

Post by metadat » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:08 AM UTC

easton wrote: post #82

Trasmatta wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The videos on that channel are so good that they're painful to watch, when you realize how closely it matches the life you're living. This one is my favorite (or "least favorite" depending on how hard it hits on any given day): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYvhC_RdIwQ I feel like the people doing that channel could write a very effective modern Office Space.

The most recent one, "Leadership Sync", pops into my head in pretty much every meeting I've had in the last two weeks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RAMRukKqQg

I instead use words like "meet", "create", or other concrete and discrete and try to otherwise avoid the managerial douche buzzwords IRL.

I submit it's unnecessary and pointlessly toolish to use such phrasing and lingo. People who speak that way deserve judgment; it's lazy and the buzzwords are variations on low entropy / meaningless vagaries.

Re: Productivity porn

#272

Post by satisfice » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:09 AM UTC

Ensorceled wrote: post #27

the__alchemist wrote: post #13

Where's the line? Watching self-help content is described in the article as productivity porn. What about reading a self-help book? A (let's say good quality) non-fiction book? A scientific paper? A text book? Taking a class? Working on a project that is likely to fail? Writing code? Writing an article? Writing a book? > When I look for solutions to this problem I only come up with half-baked ideas and more questions…

If you are spending all your time "sharpening your saw" and no time "cutting wood" ... you are probable over the line.

Why? Maybe I appreciate beautifully sharp knives. There is no line. Simply live an examined life. If you want to change something, change it. If not, that’s okay.

This post by the OP is his own musing. It has little bearing on the rest of us, and personally I just think his analysis is wrong.

Re: Productivity porn

#273

Post by hparadiz » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:17 AM UTC

CSMastermind wrote: post #246

bogdanoff_2 wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the people who were into FIRE [...] have ended up markedly worse off by their own definition of success than people who took more traditional routes. Can you please elaborate?

Sure, the people I know who: - Focused on getting passive income streams set up through real estate, stock investment, content creation, retail arbitrage, etc. - Were particularly frugal with their money and avoided travel, parties, 'lifestyle creep', etc. - Attempted to min/max their careers by switching jobs every 1.5 to 2 years and negotiating hard each time. Are: - Still not retired in their mid to late 30s. - On…

I've personally not done any of that and just became a home owner but it has only been possible from crypto investments in which I got extremely lucky. It had absolutely nothing to do with my tech career or how much extra work I do outside my 9-5.

Re: Productivity porn

#274

Post by the_af » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:28 AM UTC

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #261

maximus-decimus wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fun. The answer is fun. But obviously, it's not that you have fun eating because you're unhealthy, it's that you're unhealthy because you eat stuff for enjoyment. Similarly, being unproductive isn't fun in itself, but having fun means almost by definition not being productive. If a hobby is productive, it's not really a hobby.

What is fun these days? Maybe fun is being productive, working out, and making money. How many hobbies really beat the dopamine hit of ADHD-tweaked TikTok?

> What is fun these days?

Fun can be many things, and it's definitely not constrained to being "productive".

What does being productive even mean to you?

If you do everything productivity porn tells you to do, you probably won't be "successful" anyway, and you'll live an empty, Patrick Batesman life.

Re: Productivity porn

#275

Post by powerhour » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:33 AM UTC

p1necone wrote: post #263

throw149102 wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we might just have different definitions of productive. To me, writing code or reading a paper can be productive, but so can a conversation with my dad or a nice meal out. Basically I see "Productivity" and replace it with "Productivity towards producing more personal utility" where that utility can be anything - happiness, relaxation, actual goods and services, etc. Furthermore, I think putting on the hat of…

And sometimes the most productive thing of all with regards to long term utility is to stick your pantsless ass on the couch with a few beers and play video games.

I see you've read my productivity blog!

Re: Productivity porn

#276

Post by the_af » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:34 AM UTC

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #170

matsemann wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that any one of them is wrong. It's overdoing them, or doing them all at once to the detriment of the others. Or more likely: the image being put forward isn't even real, because it's not enough hours in a day to do them all.

> doing them all at once to the detriment of the others. a situation comes to mind a father who has to ignore his wife + children because he's addicted to "the grind/hustle" of working 12+ hour days and traveling... so he can make money... for his wife + children is there true net detriment in that case? i'm sure the wife + children appreciate the extra income?

> is there true net detriment in that case?

Yes.

> i'm sure the wife + children appreciate the extra income?

Probably appreciate the money and resent the guy. Also, the wife also probably wants a professional career for herself (or to pursue activities away from home and the kids) -- so old-fashioned of you to guess she will want to play the housewife.

The children would probably prefer a father who was available.

If this guy is ignoring them, as you put it, that marriage will probably not end well, and the family itself will be tested.

If the guy is going to spend 12 hours daily away from home working, then "hit the gym", read 5 books a day, then travel a lot for work, maybe he doesn't want a family; maybe he could just donate a portion of his money to random strangers.

Re: Productivity porn

#277

Post by the_af » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:36 AM UTC

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #171

Forgeties79 wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The guy spends so much time optimizing every minute of his day that he's functionally not "living." Also notice he has literally no human interaction.

what do we define as living? i have many friends who swear it is more fun to work than to "sit around watching netflix/hang out with friends passing time/drinking alcohol"

Before we define living, please define what "work" and "productivity" mean to you.

Re: Productivity porn

#278

Post by tass » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:52 AM UTC

TrackerFF wrote: post #64

Yajirobe wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me of this awesome video - The Hustle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o7qjN3KF8U

The real deal folks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjfwxZcsKoI

I honestly thought it was satire until the comments showed otherwise. Eat clean… cocktails. Hustle by taking long drives.

Re: Productivity porn

#279

Post by onion2k » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:57 AM UTC

TrackerFF wrote: post #32

Hustle and grind. Create 7 streams of income. Work 18 hour days - anything less and you're a loser destined for mediocrity. Read 5 books a week. Start trading stocks and crypto. Take cold showers, hit the gym. Optimize your schedule, log every minute spent. Ditch your loser friends and only hang out with likeminded - success breeds success. Sigma grindset. Moon or bust. If you're not worth $1 million liquid before 30…

always look for places to cut fat

Ironically, you should also put butter in your coffee.

Re: Productivity porn

#280

Post by nicbou » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 4:59 AM UTC

quickthrower2 wrote: post #222

nicbou wrote: post #41

Here is a really pleasant video with a similar message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz4YqwH_6D0 A writer writes. A painter paints. You are not defined by what you want or prepare for, but by what you do . On the other hand, you don't have to spend every waking hour being productive. You can go on a bicycle ride without measuring speed and distance. You can work on things that won't develop into income streams. No…

I hustle but I timebox it. Figure out the hours/week it deserves. Less is sometimes better. The cliche of the shower idea is true. And if you are productive all the time there is no time for your brain’s webworkers to do their thing.

Since I’m self-employed, I just use the weather. If it’s nice outside, I’ll go out on my bicycle or play in the garage. When the weather isn’t great, I’ll get work done.

Those breaks work exactly as you said. They let me zoom out and think things through, instead of grinding towards a local maximum. A bit of time and distance lets me reconsider my priorities and work on what feels right.

Otherwise I’ll just work on things that matter less for a bit and let important tasks simmer until I’m feeling fresh enough to tackle them. For example, CSS fixes to take a break from obscure German tax laws.