Pleasure, power and peace. The phases of happiness that change every thirty years, in that order.
If Money Doesn't Make You Happy, Consider Time
41–48 of 48 posts
Re: If Money Doesn't Make You Happy, Consider Time
#42After I figured out my priorities (took years of challenging myself and introspection) I figured out how to spend my time. Now I do what's important and don't waste my time with other things. I don't try to "life-hack" or make myself as efficient as possible because if I'm only working on my most important things I know I'm spending my time well. I cut my working hours down to one or sometimes two days a week, someti…
Since 1981 the real wages have risen with 65 % in Norway, i.e. people can buy 65 % more stuff now than back in 1981. However, if the growth in buying power instead of being used to fulfill materialistic 'wants' was translated into leisure time, that would mean three day working weeks. That put things in perspective, albeit might be considered to be a fallacy since the growth would probably not be as great if people did not increase their consumption since 1981.
Re: If Money Doesn't Make You Happy, Consider Time
#43After I figured out my priorities (took years of challenging myself and introspection) I figured out how to spend my time. Now I do what's important and don't waste my time with other things. I don't try to "life-hack" or make myself as efficient as possible because if I'm only working on my most important things I know I'm spending my time well. I cut my working hours down to one or sometimes two days a week, someti…
> I cut my working hours down to one or sometimes two days a week What do you do for your income?
If I had to guess: make more meals instead of buying them, pay less on medical problems caused by not taking care of yourself and being unhappy, use less gas because you have time to walk or bike, and buy fewer time-saving gadgets.
Re: If Money Doesn't Make You Happy, Consider Time
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
At least you're moving there, and not moving to NJ and planning to commute 3 hours, eh?
Living in Manhattan turned me into a horrible person. For a while, I kept thinking everyone is trying to con me or compete with me. Escaped 6 months ago and it is only starting to heal. I also had a long commute. I've never felt as poor as I did living in Manhattan. People on HN keep saying that you can live there for next to nothing but that is not what I experienced.
> People on HN keep saying that you can live there for next to nothing but that is not what I experienced.
It all depends on what you value. I could live frugally in Wichita, KS, but I'd probably prefer living frugally in NYC instead.
Manhattan is weird in that even a six-figure income doesn't guarantee you a moderately nice apartment in the trendy neighborhoods, but when incomes are adjusted for cost-of-living, New York is actually relatively cheap compared to many US cities. Part of it is that New Yorkers are incredibly idiosyncratic in terms of what purchases we prioritize.
For example, New Yorkers value location and environment/surroundings over material possessions, like cars (which we rarely own) and even the size/quality of our living space. We spend far less time at home than our suburban counterparts, so we're willing to settle for spaces that might seem less desirable to non-New Yorkers. So if you try to buy the same basket of goods that you'd buy in Wichita, yes, you'll find it very expensive - but most New Yorkers allocate their disposable income very differently.
(Also remember that uptown and/or the outer boroughs are always an option - Harlem is cheap and surprisingly accessible, especially if you live near an express stop.)
> Living in Manhattan turned me into a horrible person.
Living anywhere that doesn't suit your lifestyle will make you miserable. I'm sorry that Manhattan wasn't for you, but I hope you don't hold it against my city, just the same way I wouldn't hold it against wherever you're currently living that I'd likely be unhappy there as well.
Re: If Money Doesn't Make You Happy, Consider Time
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Actually, these aren't "hard" problems in the sense that physics disallows them. We have existence proofs of them. It's is just a search problem. You have to set up robotic systems that search the space. So the problem is really one of collective stupidity ie. most people are dumbasses debating they value of time and spending it family/friends, or whether gays should be married, when instead they should be demandin…
So you're saying people should give up on the idea of living to a millions years old and just suck it in by spending more time with the families/friends in the few years they have? Death is a solvable problem. There are species and cell types that are essentially immortal. It exists in nature. We have the capability to manipulate things at the cell/molecule level. I'm not sure what you mean by "colonized by industria…
If you eliminate aging, how do you plan to eliminate starvation?
Re: If Money Doesn't Make You Happy, Consider Time
#46They discuss how happiness is indeed a consequence of the choices people make. I completely disagree. Happiness is a consequence of your outlook on life. It has very little to do with choices, and everything to do with how you perceive yourself, and whether you believe that you should be happy. This TED talk by Brené Brown on the topic is particularly relevant: http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.ht…
Thank you for this link. I think a lot of HNers with the "life is an optimization problem, I just need to find the correct parameters" mindset can learn from it. It certainly made me uncomfortable for the amount I identified with the speaker.
Re: If Money Doesn't Make You Happy, Consider Time
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
You say to want less; do you have specific examples of how you apply this?
Here are some examples. Having less stuff: http://joshuaspodek.com/less_please . By this point I cringe when someone gives me a material gift, knowing I'll want to get rid of it soon. Most friends have learned I prefer a bottle of wine or scotch as a gift to anything to stick on a shelf. My exercise regiment has me in as good physical shape as I've ever been (including when I ran marathons and competed at Nationals l…
Buying consumables instead of durable isn't really having less, it's keeping less. It's not necessarily less expensive.
Re: If Money Doesn't Make You Happy, Consider Time
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here are some examples. Having less stuff: http://joshuaspodek.com/less_please . By this point I cringe when someone gives me a material gift, knowing I'll want to get rid of it soon. Most friends have learned I prefer a bottle of wine or scotch as a gift to anything to stick on a shelf. My exercise regiment has me in as good physical shape as I've ever been (including when I ran marathons and competed at Nationals l…
Buying consumables instead of durable isn't really having less, it's keeping less. It's not necessarily less expensive.
Sometimes there is a mental expense associated with having more physical items in your life. I find minimalism very relaxing.