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The downside for me is that I'm a person that is of an addictive nature and I can't do things half... Me too. I have always struggled with how to allocate my

by edw519 16y ago

The downside for me is that I'm a person that is of an addictive nature and I can't do things half... Me too. I have always struggled with how to allocate my limited time. Every time I have wanted to do something in the past few years, the first question that came to me was, "How much time will this take away from my work?" At first, if the answer was nonzero, I didn't do it. But I have slowly learned that nonzero answers were OK, and in many cases, quite welcome. About a year ago I vowed that I'd quit HN on the day that I'd pass 50,000 karma... Funny, some time ago, I vowed that I'd never quit HN, no matter how high (or low) my ROI. I was one of the first ones here and plan to be here to help turn out the lights (perish the thought). Jacques, please understand that you are part of my addiction to HN. Your contributions have been priceless. I suspect you have reached the point in your life where you have a responsibility to "pass on" the gifts you have received. You probably have many other ways to do this, but none, I imagine, as effective as Hacker News. Your contributions here have changed lives. I hope you haven't pulled a Matt Maroon and obfuscated your password. I urge you to reconsider. It is possible for an addictive overachiever to get most of his work done and still be part of HN. I am living proof. Part of being a successful achiever is not giving up. I hope I'm not alone in not giving up on you. There must be a workable solution to your problem. Consider us resources to find it. What do we have to do to help you continue to be part of this community without sacrificing too much else?

seiji 16y ago
Terribly addictive things: drinking, video games, social networking, and online forms. Is it ethical to prod your alcoholic drinking buddy because he's fun to be around? Maybe the one not wanting to be alone has a problem too and just can't see it. When somebody admits they found a negative influence in their life, congratulate them, acknowledge you'll miss them, then let them move on.
- pyre 16y ago
  While I agree with the sentiment, I think that the results of an HN addiction can be more productive than the results of alcoholism. Contributing to reasoned debate on HN probably helps to educate a lot of people even if they don't participate themselves.
hello_moto 16y ago
Getting work done is one thing. Taking your work another level (for whatever reason) is another thing. There are many "interesting" stories floating around HN about startups, companies, success stories, and probably technical superiority. Sometime, people want to be in the storyline and not on the bench having long-winded arguments (not discussion, but arguments as if there should be one true answer). I joined HN more than 3.5 years ago. A few months ago, I began to disengage from HN. My life turned around for the better. I lost weight, got more things done (not just work, but other things in life), met new people, learned a lot more, understand myself better, and overall, happier. I know some of you become friends here but you know that awkward feeling when you actually meet your online friend in real life? ... yeah... I got that feeling so I know it's not working for me. Not all people have the same feeling/outcome like I do. Maybe it's just my personality that I tend to be more outgoing in real-life than spending time online arguing about Python vs Ruby, VCs vs Angels, Apple vs Google, the future (those discussions were fun had I read them less frequent). Being part of HN feels akin to the starbuck-laptop-user lifestyle, Godin/Tim Ferriss/GTD readers, MBA grads. People want to be a part of a community that they think special (or can improve themselves). Maybe they would, who knows. At the end of the day, I felt that it's time for me to move on. It's like part of growing up. I learned what I needed to learn from HN "otaku" (to certain extend...). Wow... it's been a while since the last time I left comment here. Back to dormant. Y'all have a good day and do whatever you guys enjoy (be it being a part of HN or an outsider).
tectonic 16y ago
I love HN, but I think you may be over-estimating its importance.

by edw519 16y ago

seiji 16y ago

Terribly addictive things: drinking, video games, social networking, and online forms. Is it ethical to prod your alcoholic drinking buddy because he's fun to be around? Maybe the one not wanting to be alone has a problem too and just can't see it. When somebody admits they found a negative influence in their life, congratulate them, acknowledge you'll miss them, then let them move on.

pyre 16y ago
While I agree with the sentiment, I think that the results of an HN addiction can be more productive than the results of alcoholism. Contributing to reasoned debate on HN probably helps to educate a lot of people even if they don't participate themselves.

hello_moto 16y ago

Getting work done is one thing. Taking your work another level (for whatever reason) is another thing. There are many "interesting" stories floating around HN about startups, companies, success stories, and probably technical superiority. Sometime, people want to be in the storyline and not on the bench having long-winded arguments (not discussion, but arguments as if there should be one true answer). I joined HN more than 3.5 years ago. A few months ago, I began to disengage from HN. My life turned around for the better. I lost weight, got more things done (not just work, but other things in life), met new people, learned a lot more, understand myself better, and overall, happier. I know some of you become friends here but you know that awkward feeling when you actually meet your online friend in real life? ... yeah... I got that feeling so I know it's not working for me. Not all people have the same feeling/outcome like I do. Maybe it's just my personality that I tend to be more outgoing in real-life than spending time online arguing about Python vs Ruby, VCs vs Angels, Apple vs Google, the future (those discussions were fun had I read them less frequent). Being part of HN feels akin to the starbuck-laptop-user lifestyle, Godin/Tim Ferriss/GTD readers, MBA grads. People want to be a part of a community that they think special (or can improve themselves). Maybe they would, who knows. At the end of the day, I felt that it's time for me to move on. It's like part of growing up. I learned what I needed to learn from HN "otaku" (to certain extend...). Wow... it's been a while since the last time I left comment here. Back to dormant. Y'all have a good day and do whatever you guys enjoy (be it being a part of HN or an outsider).

tectonic 16y ago

I love HN, but I think you may be over-estimating its importance.