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This is excellent advice which has even been echoed by Warren Buffet [0]. Time is a finite resource and therefore everything we do is a trade-off between depth

This is excellent advice which has even been echoed by Warren Buffet [0]. Time is a finite resource and therefore everything we do is a trade-off between depth and breadth. In a given day, you could spend 1 hour learning 24 subjects, or 24 hours learning 1 subject. One isn't necessarily better than the other, but it's a constraint we all operate around. Learning 24 subjects may be interesting and fulfilling to some, but from a professional standpoint those that tend to be most influential in their respective fields are those that devote the most time towards their subjects. There are exceptions of course, but this is the general advice for the general population. Recently, I've started to adopt a similar perspective by rigorously evaluating everything with a simple question: "20 years from now, will my kids be proud that I did this?" If the answer is no, I stop it. So far, I've stopped playing video games and using social media, and I've noticed that I've gotten an extra 10-15 hours per week to spend on things that will make me a better person in the long term, like reading, working out, and spending time with my friends and family. The same approach could be used with any endeavor: "In X years, will I be better at <subject> if I continue to do Y?" [0] https://jamesclear.com/buffett-focus https://jamesclear.com/buffett-focus

redis_mlc 7y ago
This. Delegating social media and other trivial pursuits to family and friends can free up an additional 10-15 hours per week for HN! :) More seriously, to get the most out of HN: 1) skip the aviation and database threads and just read my posts. (There are very few qualified commenters on those topics.) 2) for other topics, read a few posts and if it looks interesting, find an in-depth article or blog on that topic.
closeparen 7y ago
I find I have a pretty stable need for a certain amount of unfocused, low-energy time. Social media and other "junk food" activities are just ways to fill it. They can and should be replaced by more effective forms of rest (meditation, sleep, walking, etc) but intellectual work just isn't happening in that state. Or if it does, it leads to a harder crash later. I have to roll my eyes a little at the "produce X% more by working through your breaks" thing. If you can do that sustainably, why were you taking breaks to begin with?
- newshorts 7y ago
  The most effective form of “rest” I’ve found is 10 minutes of boredom before bed. I don’t meditate, I let my mind wander and don’t judge anything. The only rule is I’m not allowed to physically move, I find a comfortable position and must remain in that position for 10 minutes. It’s excruciating at first, but about 5 minutes in my mind has processes whatever it had stored up and I’m tired. About 8 minutes in I’m shutting my eyes. Sometimes I have to give and just go to bed.
  - flancian 7y ago
    I'm glad that you found something that works for you! FWIW, that description seems compatible with meditation technique. Meditation can be non judgmental in that way, and just be a matter of experiencing the state of your mind.
ldd 7y ago
> For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons. ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- neuronic 7y ago
  This resonates well with me. I honestly do not understand the benefit of dropping video games in favor of <random hobby>, for example reading. Alternate / do both if you enjoy it! Before you recoil in disgust, let me note that I have read many many books and love reading. I value literature a lot but when it comes down to what I do in life and what things REALLY REALLY give me in the end, then books don't perform better than a range of selected video games (to my own gusto). In then end, a book doesn't propel to new positions more than a game does, unless it'sa book meant to teach me new technology or so. It's simply another form of media, another form of story telling and conveying experiences. And while I enjoyed "Marc Aurel's Meditations" and took a lot of benefit out of it, Persona 5 also provided me with some good, memorable experiences that make me rethink life. Even just the "Take your time" loading screen spinner... If I put them on a scale it's simply even for me in value.
  - ldd 7y ago
    I'm with you on Persona 5. I haven't finished it, but it has already influenced my life in a positive way. You should consider playing "Tales of Berseria". It poses an interesting question: "Why do bird fly?", and gives interesting answers.

redis_mlc 7y ago

This. Delegating social media and other trivial pursuits to family and friends can free up an additional 10-15 hours per week for HN! :) More seriously, to get the most out of HN: 1) skip the aviation and database threads and just read my posts. (There are very few qualified commenters on those topics.) 2) for other topics, read a few posts and if it looks interesting, find an in-depth article or blog on that topic.

closeparen 7y ago

I find I have a pretty stable need for a certain amount of unfocused, low-energy time. Social media and other "junk food" activities are just ways to fill it. They can and should be replaced by more effective forms of rest (meditation, sleep, walking, etc) but intellectual work just isn't happening in that state. Or if it does, it leads to a harder crash later. I have to roll my eyes a little at the "produce X% more by working through your breaks" thing. If you can do that sustainably, why were you taking breaks to begin with?

newshorts 7y ago
The most effective form of “rest” I’ve found is 10 minutes of boredom before bed. I don’t meditate, I let my mind wander and don’t judge anything. The only rule is I’m not allowed to physically move, I find a comfortable position and must remain in that position for 10 minutes. It’s excruciating at first, but about 5 minutes in my mind has processes whatever it had stored up and I’m tired. About 8 minutes in I’m shutting my eyes. Sometimes I have to give and just go to bed.
- flancian 7y ago
  I'm glad that you found something that works for you! FWIW, that description seems compatible with meditation technique. Meditation can be non judgmental in that way, and just be a matter of experiencing the state of your mind.

ldd 7y ago

> For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons. ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

neuronic 7y ago
This resonates well with me. I honestly do not understand the benefit of dropping video games in favor of <random hobby>, for example reading. Alternate / do both if you enjoy it! Before you recoil in disgust, let me note that I have read many many books and love reading. I value literature a lot but when it comes down to what I do in life and what things REALLY REALLY give me in the end, then books don't perform better than a range of selected video games (to my own gusto). In then end, a book doesn't propel to new positions more than a game does, unless it'sa book meant to teach me new technology or so. It's simply another form of media, another form of story telling and conveying experiences. And while I enjoyed "Marc Aurel's Meditations" and took a lot of benefit out of it, Persona 5 also provided me with some good, memorable experiences that make me rethink life. Even just the "Take your time" loading screen spinner... If I put them on a scale it's simply even for me in value.
- ldd 7y ago
  I'm with you on Persona 5. I haven't finished it, but it has already influenced my life in a positive way. You should consider playing "Tales of Berseria". It poses an interesting question: "Why do bird fly?", and gives interesting answers.