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Impossible for the HN crowd: Do nothing for 2 minutes

donothingfor2minutes.com

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Re: Impossible for the HN crowd: Do nothing for 2 minutes

#81
After a long day of studying and answering e-mails, coming home to this was amazing. I knew that I needed to take a break: That's why I logged on my computer and checked Hacker News.

But relaxing like this was much more soothing than reading about programming languages or hacker-essays. I've heard a lot of times that taking a break for 10-15 minutes where you just close your eyes and relax is good for you, but I've never really tried it. Maybe I will do this more often after this.

Also, would it be possible to make one for 10 or 15 minutes as well? Sometimes, 2 minutes isn't enough.

Re: Impossible for the HN crowd: Do nothing for 2 minutes

#82
This used to be impossible for me too. Even on adderall this would have been fairly challenging at times. Recently however my stress level was getting so bad that I started looking for ways to remain calm, even under extreme pressure. Long story short, I came across a book on Amazon called "Zen Meditation and Wisdom for a Better Life: A Gift to Busy People, Regardless of Religion".

I'm a skeptic when it comes to "Religion" type stuff, but meditation is one of those practices that has survived so long that I wondered if there was something practical to it. The main point in that book is that meditation has nothing to do with religion, it's a personal productivity technique. It's fundamentally about training your mind to focus on one thing for a period of time. It seemed interesting and I didn't have to buy anything other than the book I'd already purchased to try it. So I started doing it ten minutes a day, and let me tell you, the results have been impressive for me. It's nothing more mystical than the ability to really intensely focus on something, one thing, without letting your mind wander. If you think that's easy - give it a try, for just ten minutes. It's surprising just how hard it is to contain your mind for that long.

Give it a try, before long, sitting still for two minutes is so easy you won't believe it. As a side benefit you may learn how to relax at an unbelievable rate during those two minutes.

Re: Impossible for the HN crowd: Do nothing for 2 minutes

#89
post #82

This used to be impossible for me too. Even on adderall this would have been fairly challenging at times. Recently however my stress level was getting so bad that I started looking for ways to remain calm, even under extreme pressure. Long story short, I came across a book on Amazon called "Zen Meditation and Wisdom for a Better Life: A Gift to Busy People, Regardless of Religion". I'm a skeptic when it comes to "Rel…

Along with the viewpoint of being skeptic about religious stuff, I can most certainly understand. But of all these religions that exist, there must be some sort of truth between them all, considering the many congruencies. One document I have been treading through is this one: http://hermetic.com/crowley/book-4/aba1.html

The premise that is argued is a very strong one, being "Is there any truth at all in the claims of various religions?" It is as academic as one can be, with appropriate cites and books to read and refer to. However, it is a "Howto" manual that does require quite a bit of work.

As an aside, I bet you (and others) have had the problem of itching and scratching and burning and freezing and biting and everything else that could go wrong when you try to meditate. I had it when I first started to practise, and the general feelings of discomfort only seem to multiply. Asana is the Hindu technique used in order to quiet the mind and body. It's in the same document.

Re: Impossible for the HN crowd: Do nothing for 2 minutes

#90

Workrave[1] and antirsi[2] have helped me take breaks like this regularly. Beyond the wrist relief it's nice to take a short break and refresh my mind before continuing work. [1] http://www.workrave.org/ [2] http://tech.inhelsinki.nl/antirsi/

I use these: http://www.scirocco.ca/takeabreak.html and http://www.dejal.com/timeout/

There is a work method based on this as well: http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/

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