Yes, also if you ever run into an issue that is stumping you for more than 30 minutes, take a breather. Guaranteed the solution will come to you while you calm down or you'll come back and it'll come to you. Don't let yourself spend hours on a problem frustrated, it just makes solving it harder.
Lately I've been using timers daily
71–80 of 130 posts
Re: Lately I've been using timers daily
#72That's cool, but it seems arbitrary - since you can stop/change the timer at will.
Still cool.
Re: Lately I've been using timers daily
#73"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone"
- Blaise Pascal
Re: Lately I've been using timers daily
#74Stop 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.
This, 1000%.
If you're always jamming new media into your brain, it's like you're constantly writing to a hard drive without ever giving it time to defragment.
Re: Lately I've been using timers daily
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 c…
I need to be very tired to just stare out the window. Get fidgety and somehow anxious. But a motorcycle ride or a nice drive? Even doing the dishes? Now we’re talking! The mind and body are occupied in a mostly autonomus task so the rest of your brain can process and digest. It’s great. Dare I say I almost enjoy doing chores now. Another great option for me is boxing. For those 3 minutes in the ring, you are _not_ th…
Running on trails is like that for me - you must focus or you'll have some face time with a rock.
But I also think that just sitting is a more advanced and more rewarding type of meditation. My belief is that it is a skill which can be practiced.
One technique is to go through each body part and relax it. Eventually it happens automatically.
Re: Lately I've been using timers daily
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry to be that guy, but IME the fidgety & anxious feeling is almost always some need in one’s life that is being unmet. If you sit with that feeling it often becomes clear exactly what the source is. YMMV especially if you’ve experienced some serious trauma.
In my experience, sitting with the feelings pretty reliably leads to panic spiraling. I just don't think my brain is as capable of pulling back a level as yours seems to be. And I'm not sure how to change that.
You have to keep going. You must endure and let your brain process, and learn to relax and exist in a non-stimulated state. Facebook and Tik-tok have fried our brains so much that sitting in silence for 30 minutes is painful because we are used to constant dopamine.
Try going on walks, doing guided meditations, leaving your phone in another room and reading a book for 30 minutes. You'll find your brain slowly relax, think more creatively and in a more coherent fashion. It's painful at first, but it's the most important thing you can do.
Re: Lately I've been using timers daily
#77Stop 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 went through a "productivity" phase where I tried to listen to podcasts every day at 1.5x speed or more to be more efficient... it did not last long.
Re: Lately I've been using timers daily
#78Stop 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 c…
> 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.
I find it very difficult to sit in complete silence. It's as if the silence exerts some pressure on me. But I've recently discovered brown noise and it works wonderfully well for me.
It has become my go to sound/noise whenever I'm doing something that requires thinking. This is my favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P48QELwruQs
Re: Lately I've been using timers daily
#79nods approvingly while reading hn instead of just sitting on a bench
Re: Lately I've been using timers daily
#80Off topic, but just wanted to say I love the way this guy has repurposed a github repo to be a blog. One of the most effective integration of aesthetics and functionality of minimalism I've seen.