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A receipt printer cured my procrastination

laurieherault.com

431–440 of 634 posts

Re: A receipt printer cured my procrastination

#431

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't the whole point of 2fa that if someone gets access to my computer they can't do shit because they'd need my phone too?

The “whole point” of 2fa is that even if someone knows your password they cannot login with just credentials. Compromising or stealing a device is a significant escalation from guessing passwords.

It is also more obvious when your device has been stolen vs just the password.

Re: A receipt printer cured my procrastination

#432

> Why can I focus for hours on a game but procrastinate when writing an email? OK I got a bit triggered by this sentence. Not at TFA, but sharing my own experience: Games are fun . And I don't mean Type 1 vs Type 2 fun and the email is somehow type 2 fun. I mean that the stimulation / "hit" from a game is just higher than 90-99%% of work tasks (writing a new CLI or optimizer excluded!!). We pile on much stimulation t…

> I'm sure phones are just as stimulating for some. This is one of my big objections do 2FA. My work has been pushing it hard, and from a security perspective, I get it. However, it’s all via an Authenticator app on the phone. We can no longer set down our phones and simply work. To start working, and periodically throughout the day, we are now forced to pickup our phones to authenticate. This invites the chance to s…

Have you tried a smart watch? The Duo 2FA app lets you add an arbitrary TFA code based authenticator with same QR code Google Authenticator supports and generate those from their Apple WatchOS [0] or Android WearOS apps. I have used it successfully for years, it's a huge reason I got an Apple Watch in fact. Now you'll have to configure your watch with a "work" focus mode that turns off all notifications and not install any fancy apps on the watch (do those still exist?), but it can free you from your phone.

Along the same lines the Meta Wayfarer[2] smart glasses lets you take slice of life photos and videos without needing to whip out your phone. You lose a ton of quality but stay in the moment more. The AI features are getting better so eventually you'll be able to use it for basic information lookup.

0 - https://guide.duo.com/apple-watch

1 - https://guide.duo.com/duo-wear

2 - https://www.meta.com/ai-glasses/wayfarer

Re: A receipt printer cured my procrastination

#433

> Why can I focus for hours on a game but procrastinate when writing an email? OK I got a bit triggered by this sentence. Not at TFA, but sharing my own experience: Games are fun . And I don't mean Type 1 vs Type 2 fun and the email is somehow type 2 fun. I mean that the stimulation / "hit" from a game is just higher than 90-99%% of work tasks (writing a new CLI or optimizer excluded!!). We pile on much stimulation t…

It's not necessarily true that games being fun is the reason why you can play them for hours.

Think about games where you're grinding doing tedious stuff to level up your character. Not nearly as fun, but still something you can end up doing for hours.

Re: A receipt printer cured my procrastination

#434
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm sure phones are just as stimulating for some. This is one of my big objections do 2FA. My work has been pushing it hard, and from a security perspective, I get it. However, it’s all via an Authenticator app on the phone. We can no longer set down our phones and simply work. To start working, and periodically throughout the day, we are now forced to pickup our phones to authenticate. This invites the chance to s…

First of all, I'm not a fan of constantly needing to re-authenticate. But for your specific problem there is a simple solution that isn't particularly expensive. Buy a new phone. Install 2FA on it, and don't install anything else.

I just use an old phone that I've wiped clean and removed the SIM. Sits on the desk and I just glance at it when I need a new 2FA code.

Re: A receipt printer cured my procrastination

#436

> Why can I focus for hours on a game but procrastinate when writing an email? OK I got a bit triggered by this sentence. Not at TFA, but sharing my own experience: Games are fun . And I don't mean Type 1 vs Type 2 fun and the email is somehow type 2 fun. I mean that the stimulation / "hit" from a game is just higher than 90-99%% of work tasks (writing a new CLI or optimizer excluded!!). We pile on much stimulation t…

> I'm sure phones are just as stimulating for some. This is one of my big objections do 2FA. My work has been pushing it hard, and from a security perspective, I get it. However, it’s all via an Authenticator app on the phone. We can no longer set down our phones and simply work. To start working, and periodically throughout the day, we are now forced to pickup our phones to authenticate. This invites the chance to s…

Apple Watch with Authy is a great solution for this. I don’t need to have my phone in the same room to use 2FA.

Re: A receipt printer cured my procrastination

#437
post #379

The "tasks on slips" remind me of the Cast Deployment System that was used at Walt Disney World 20 years ago (not sure when it started or how it evolved, but it was in use then). All cast members in every park and other location were dispatched by PCs with receipt printers. To begin a shift or return from a break, you typed in your number to a CDS PC (located basically behind any convenient backstage door). The PC wo…

Reading the description of this system, I wonder if Marshall Brain knew of it when he wrote Manna, which sounds like a fancier version with an AI gloss: https://marshallbrain.com/manna1

Yes, I thought of that when I read Manna like 15 years ago!! Also, I get the impression that he was one of the most prescient minds of a generation. I can only hope his "good" ending is in the cards for us.

Re: A receipt printer cured my procrastination

#438

> Why can I focus for hours on a game but procrastinate when writing an email? OK I got a bit triggered by this sentence. Not at TFA, but sharing my own experience: Games are fun . And I don't mean Type 1 vs Type 2 fun and the email is somehow type 2 fun. I mean that the stimulation / "hit" from a game is just higher than 90-99%% of work tasks (writing a new CLI or optimizer excluded!!). We pile on much stimulation t…

I think I do some of this, but my framing is not explicitly about adopting monastic practices - rather, it's about having a "novelty budget" each day. Every novel stimulus is an opportunity to careen off course.

However, if the task ahead of me is great and I'm motivated, then I automatically seek less novelty to focus on it. IOW, maintaining a boring baseline of routine so that novelty is selective is important as a way of being able to "jump into action". It's good to get off the phone. It doesn't replace the intrinsic motivation.

There's an aspect to productivity advice that is about shouting down your burnout by adding more productivity hacks or taking stimulants or flagellating oneself. Burnout's root cause has to be approached by asking the tougher questions about life and aligning with a philosophy that is truthful to that. The work itself will have moments of routine boredom, exhilaration, and heartbreak, but the motive has to endure all of it.

Re: A receipt printer cured my procrastination

#439
post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm sure phones are just as stimulating for some. This is one of my big objections do 2FA. My work has been pushing it hard, and from a security perspective, I get it. However, it’s all via an Authenticator app on the phone. We can no longer set down our phones and simply work. To start working, and periodically throughout the day, we are now forced to pickup our phones to authenticate. This invites the chance to s…

Hmm. I wonder if there would be a market for a super simple TOTP authentication device with an e-paper display. Kind of like those RSA tokens with the LCDs, but more modern and able to hold any number of TOTP credentials. Getting the credentials loaded could be a bit of a pain without a camera for QR code scanning. Easiest solution would be via Bluetooth to a companion app, which you would probably want anyway for pe…

Token2 make this: https://www.token2.com/shop/product/molto-2-v2-multi-profile...

They also do single-token cards: https://www.token2.com/shop/category/programmable-tokens

Re: A receipt printer cured my procrastination

#440
post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This stops working after a while. The real deal is you begin the realise the 'points' you accumulate playing this game can't be redeemed to do something fun or satisfying. This game begins to appear totally pointless as you age(Points are less useful as you age, and dying with lots of points means time and effort was spent to acquire a thing that can't be spent now). Which causes even more procrastination. I think hu…

Yeah. Sometimes the reason you can't focus on something is that some part of your brain is trying to tell you that you shouldn't . Unfortunately, that part of the brain usually sucks at coming up with an alternative plan, and "do something else, anything" is not very actionable. And you still need to pay your bills somehow. The natural reward for work is work done. I don't need a motivational system to do the dishes.…

Or if you work remotely, lie. Complete your projects and do whatever you want with your newly minted free time. You still need to be available and maybe keep a status indicator green but otherwise you should be free to reclaim 10 - 20 hours a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. Thoughts?
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