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Follow through and don't use what people do on HN/Reddit/etc. as 100% truth. Allow yourself to take breaks, but just continue exploring and doing. People are a

Follow through and don't use what people do on HN/Reddit/etc. as 100% truth. Allow yourself to take breaks, but just continue exploring and doing. People are always trying to sell themselves and embellish what they do. Plus, in posts, you're only viewing a small window of their lives. You have no idea if they suffer the same problems and just happened to write about completing one thing, ignoring all the failures along the way because no one talks about failure. In short, don't use other people as a yard stick, but focus on yourself and being happy with what you do. I haven't released any product, personal project, or website, but I have worked hard at my company and have been happy with things I've done for it. Does it hinder my opportunities? Probably. Do I really care? Not really, because it isn't required of me to live a good life.

maimeowmeow 7y ago
This so much, in real life, Im not very productive, but on my reddit account, Ive write so much advice youd think I was some 10x developer, when most of the time Im just sweetening things up. At work, we have a bunch of accounts that troll on the alt right subreddits, and its a common joke that everyone secretly does the same thing at home.
- npcdevops 7y ago
  ^ Don't feed the trolls.
jshowa3 7y ago
If you want some practical advice: 1. Stop going on HN and Reddit. If you spend a lot of time reading about what other people do, you won't do it. If HN and Reddit helps you progress, spend 30 minutes a day on it. 1a. Start small and simple and build from there. If things are getting too complicated, scale back. Always scale back. It reduces frustration and anxiety as well as builds confidence. 2. Set a schedule. Take you phone calendar and put a block of time to work on X and set a reminder. This primes your brain to have a plan and an expectation. 3. Schedule short time blocks, 30 minutes to an hour. You only have a limited amount of time in a day and trying to do something for long stretches of time will a) take away time to focus on other things you want to do b) will have a diminishing return effect. 4. Establish a routine. Set those blocks in 3 and do it on a schedule. Try and do that task in those time blocks for a couple weeks. The most important thing is the routine. You can increase those time blocks only when you're comfortable meeting that routine. 5. If you miss a day, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT and just catch the next go around. Things come up in our lives that we don't expect and we either can't do it or don't want to. But don't make yourself feel like a failure if you do. The point is consistency. 6. Finally, TAKE THOSE SMALL VICTORIES! I know its difficult, you'll doubt yourself, but please... take them. When I wrote my first "Hello World" program, I took the time to realize how awesome it was and how simple it was! DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE MILLIONS THAT CAN DO IT TOO! It will take a long time. But the beauty is, you'll get better at the above steps and be able to execute faster so it doesn't feel long anymore.
- stronglikedan 7y ago
  > If HN ... helps you progress, spend 30 minutes a day on it. Using the "past" feature [0] is a great time saver in this regard. Let people with more time do the real-time curation, and focus on the results of their efforts. The link is on the main menu between "threads" and "comments". [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/front https://news.ycombinator.com/front
- kevan 7y ago
  Zooming out, the big picture here is to create systems for yourself (whatever works for you) that make success more likely in moments when your motivation is low. For example, I pack my gym bag the night before and put it by my work laptop so I have zero friction in the morning. I know I don't have much motivation or willpower to do this in the morning, so I work around that and give myself zero excuses to not bring my workout gear.
  - LrnByTeach 7y ago
    Yes, planning and eliminating excuses 'ahead in time', is half the game won > big picture here is to create systems for yourself (whatever works for you) that make success more likely in moments when your motivation is low.
- ryall 7y ago
  Is add one thing to this great advice, schedule downtime for yourself and make sure you stick to it. Willpower/discipline is a finite resource, make sure you don't burn out. If you look at top athletes, none of them work at 100% all hours of the day. Mental stamina is just the same as physical, your body needs that recovery time and will get stronger because of it.

maimeowmeow 7y ago

This so much, in real life, Im not very productive, but on my reddit account, Ive write so much advice youd think I was some 10x developer, when most of the time Im just sweetening things up. At work, we have a bunch of accounts that troll on the alt right subreddits, and its a common joke that everyone secretly does the same thing at home.

npcdevops 7y ago
^ Don't feed the trolls.

jshowa3 7y ago

If you want some practical advice: 1. Stop going on HN and Reddit. If you spend a lot of time reading about what other people do, you won't do it. If HN and Reddit helps you progress, spend 30 minutes a day on it. 1a. Start small and simple and build from there. If things are getting too complicated, scale back. Always scale back. It reduces frustration and anxiety as well as builds confidence. 2. Set a schedule. Take you phone calendar and put a block of time to work on X and set a reminder. This primes your brain to have a plan and an expectation. 3. Schedule short time blocks, 30 minutes to an hour. You only have a limited amount of time in a day and trying to do something for long stretches of time will a) take away time to focus on other things you want to do b) will have a diminishing return effect. 4. Establish a routine. Set those blocks in 3 and do it on a schedule. Try and do that task in those time blocks for a couple weeks. The most important thing is the routine. You can increase those time blocks only when you're comfortable meeting that routine. 5. If you miss a day, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT and just catch the next go around. Things come up in our lives that we don't expect and we either can't do it or don't want to. But don't make yourself feel like a failure if you do. The point is consistency. 6. Finally, TAKE THOSE SMALL VICTORIES! I know its difficult, you'll doubt yourself, but please... take them. When I wrote my first "Hello World" program, I took the time to realize how awesome it was and how simple it was! DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE MILLIONS THAT CAN DO IT TOO! It will take a long time. But the beauty is, you'll get better at the above steps and be able to execute faster so it doesn't feel long anymore.

stronglikedan 7y ago
> If HN ... helps you progress, spend 30 minutes a day on it. Using the "past" feature [0] is a great time saver in this regard. Let people with more time do the real-time curation, and focus on the results of their efforts. The link is on the main menu between "threads" and "comments". [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/front https://news.ycombinator.com/front
kevan 7y ago
Zooming out, the big picture here is to create systems for yourself (whatever works for you) that make success more likely in moments when your motivation is low. For example, I pack my gym bag the night before and put it by my work laptop so I have zero friction in the morning. I know I don't have much motivation or willpower to do this in the morning, so I work around that and give myself zero excuses to not bring my workout gear.
- LrnByTeach 7y ago
  Yes, planning and eliminating excuses 'ahead in time', is half the game won > big picture here is to create systems for yourself (whatever works for you) that make success more likely in moments when your motivation is low.
ryall 7y ago
Is add one thing to this great advice, schedule downtime for yourself and make sure you stick to it. Willpower/discipline is a finite resource, make sure you don't burn out. If you look at top athletes, none of them work at 100% all hours of the day. Mental stamina is just the same as physical, your body needs that recovery time and will get stronger because of it.