12 ms·

Ask HN: How much do you contemplate per week?

105 points by jereees 5y ago

Feel also free to mention methods, places and what have you.

high_byte 5y ago
5 days a week excluding sleep, but I often contemplate in my dreams too. it's a curse
idkidkidkidk 5y ago
i would say <5 minutes a week
- kuratkull 5y ago
  How long were you contemplating that answer?
cjsawyer 5y ago
Wake up, coffee, start working until I get stumped, lunch, work until stumped again, take a half hour walk or shower, then depending on the time either take detailed notes about my ideas or put them into code. If a problem is too big to chew in those breaks then thinking about it _is_ the “work” for the day. To actually answer the question, probably around 6hrs per week. I work on half wacky theoretical idea projects and half code monkey implementation
groby_b 5y ago
Define "contemplate" :) Carved out time to "sit and think"? I consider this a suspect method, because undirected thinking on demand is difficult. (It might work for you. It doesn't for me) Carved out time to contemplate a specific problem? Depends on how many big problems are at the stage where that makes sense. I'd say 1-4h/week. Making random connections and sort-of daydreaming about them for 5 minutes? All day, every day. It ends up in a commonplace book. I don't currently review the book, the act of taking the note alone is valuable enough. If I notice I keep thinking about something, I transfer it into a doc and grep through that during directed sessions.
perfmode 5y ago
at the moment, my formal meditation practice is 3 hours per day. 60 mins on wake, 30 mins before bed, and 15m/30m sits punctuating transitions throughout the day. for me, contemplation occurs in the echoes of meditation.
danielovichdk 5y ago
Contemplation for me is a sign of something is missing or not totally dialed in in my life. Or it can be that i need to process something emotionally. I believe it is healthy to spent time on. It's your therapy some how.
jareklupinski 5y ago
I've started contemplating less and less and started almost immediately asking for feedback, even on tiny nuggets of an idea. If my knowledge is limited to the point where I have to wonder about something, there is likely someone out there who already knows the answer :) Finding them is the hard part, but people love connecting information-havers with information-seekers!
silisili 5y ago
If you mean just 'thinking on things', pretty much all the time. I realized when I was younger I never felt 'bored' like everyone else seems to. I'm perfectly content to just sit and stare at the sky thinking of god knows what. Even my wife sometimes comes in and asks what I'm doing when I'm seemingly just sitting on the couch staring at the wall at times. The downsides are that I have trouble sleeping unassisted, as I'll just lay in bed thinking til the sun comes up, and also have trouble staying focused on movies or even conversation, as my mind will be elsewhere. If you mean work/product/big picture specific... probably a few hours a week.
- aphextron 5y ago
  >The downsides are that I have trouble sleeping unassisted, as I'll just lay in bed thinking til the sun comes up, and also have trouble staying focused on movies or even conversation, as my mind will be elsewhere. I'm the exact same way. Podcasts are a godsend. The trick is finding one that's just interesting enough to keep your attention, while simultaneously being just boring enough to fall asleep to. I find that really dry, technical historical lectures work great.
  - devenson 5y ago
    I agree completely. Commercials and flashy endings are to be avoided.
  - Wistar 5y ago
    Oh, man. I do this, too, but mostly with youtube. I have discovered that Jim Al-Khalili, Brian Greene and Hannah Fry are too interesting to fall asleep to but that there are plenty of Royal Institute lectures that serve really well and have no, or very few, commercial insertions.
    - irchans 5y ago
      This is crazy. I never thought that anyone else would use those lectures to sleep. I like them when I'm awake also!
idolaspecus 5y ago
Oftentimes when I'm working on a problem I lie on the floor face down and think about it for hours. In terms of what you might call "mentally detoxifying contemplation", physical work on my house and yard and whatnot is great. I think the mentally salubrious effects of hard work are the real deal and too much overlooked these days.
- mlurp 5y ago
  I'm curious, how do you lay face down? Do you turn your head sideways or have a special pillow? It sounds painful to me.
  - idolaspecus 5y ago
    Yeah I guess not technically face down, I turn my head sideways.
- HellDunkel 5y ago
  Now that you mention this i can remember the effects of physical, repetive work. It is actually quite different to working out/excercise. Wonder why...
gherkinnn 5y ago
Unless I’m focused on something very specific, almost always. I enjoy it.
screye 5y ago
10-ish hrs a week. Methods: * Long conversations with a fellow contemplator * Long replies to certain intriguing ideas on internet forums with fellow contemplators * Also digesting as a subconscious activity all the time
- jll29 5y ago
  HN, right?
  - screye 5y ago
    Not really. HN is rarely conductive for longer conversations, although the ones I do have are always high quality. A couple of subs on reddit are my go-to place for these conversations. However, I'd rather have them stay niche (15k-ish subs) than have them blow up and lose their charm.
dexter89_kp3 5y ago
Journalling twice a day: post waking up and pre-sleeping. Meditation: once a day for 15 mins. Whenever I am stuck on a problem, idea or try to digest a paper. So overall 10-20 hrs a week, with the third outlet consuming the maximum time
tlb 5y ago
I find the best way is walking in the woods, with no people around. I do that 3-4 times a week for 40-90 minutes. Usually with the dog. It helps to have a long retractable leash attached to my waist, so I don't have to hold it or negotiate every clump of grass she wants to sniff. I can think through some smaller issues in my office, leaned back in my chair, feet up on my desk. But it's easy to get sucked back into the screen.
- hanniabu 5y ago
  Are you able to walk at normal pace when you do this? I've found that if I want to do any real thinking that I need to walk at a slow dill-dally, "putting around" pace. If I walk normal pace I can't seem to achieve any meaningful level of thought. This could just be either because I'm distracted easily and the fast I'm walking the quicker I'm exposed to new stimulation to steal my attention or because when you walk faster you need to pay more attention to your step, not really sure.
  - irchans 5y ago
    I think I do my best thinking when jogging slowly.
- LindyTalker 5y ago
  This is what we call a lindy walk, friend
- tmaly 5y ago
  I do the same thing. There is a nature preserve that is a 12 minute walk from me. I am the only person there with the swans and the ducks. It is amazing to just have the natural peace to think through things.
kuratkull 5y ago
Most of my free time I'd say, so probably depends on how much free time there is, hopefully a lot.
cratermoon 5y ago
What do you mean by 'contemplate'?
- jereees 5y ago
  Deliberately open ended :)
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
szundi 5y ago
Hey, that's my job as a CEO, woohooo
HellDunkel 5y ago
Once or twice a week i choose to not take the bike to work but rather walk instead. Id lucky this puts me in a somewhat inspiring contemplative state for 30 min. Not much room/time elsewhere.
- hallway_monitor 5y ago
  I used to have an hour commute of mostly highway driving. Almost as good for contemplation as walking.
throaww11 5y ago
I'm really into mindfulness. I downloaded the Calm App[1] recently, and it has been really beneficial. I feel like Alan Watts[2] would be really into it, if he was alive today (RIP). My routine is waking up at 6AM, taking a cold shower, and then sitting down on the tile of the bathroom, freezing cold, and thinking about my next startup. I feel like this is my way of Beating the Averages[3]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calm_(company) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calm_(company) [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts [3] http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html
trutannus 5y ago
Often. I read a lot of philosophy type books and often think about them when I'm idle. I often subject my partner to my contemplation, and thankfully they're willing to engage.
debaserab2 5y ago
I've had a phenomenon occur to me this week that I've experienced a few times before. I was stuck on a coding problem for the entire afternoon one day. For whatever reason things weren't clicking and I couldn't solve the problem I had. I went to bed and as I was waking up the next morning, the complete solution came to me. I wasn't dreaming, but I was in that hazy half-awake half-asleep mode where I'm not consciously thinking about anything. I've had this happen a few times before where I go to bed stuck on a problem and miraculously wake up with the solution. It's a very strange (but happy) feeling.
- personjerry 5y ago
  Sounds like you found this trick: https://www.fastcompany.com/3023078/how-dali-einstein-and-aristotle-perfected-the-power-nap https://www.fastcompany.com/3023078/how-dali-einstein-and-ar...
- goshx 5y ago
  Oh yes, I've solved many coding problems by leaving my desk to grab a cup of coffee or get water.
  - BooneJS 5y ago
    I drank so much coffee in the office. At home it takes longer and I get distracted.
- waynesonfire 5y ago
  happens to me all the time. i'll also often return from a dog walk with several potential solutions to try.
- nickthemagicman 5y ago
  Happens to me all the time, with all kinds of things I'll grind leetcode and be stuck on a problem and wake up the next day and be able to do the problem. I'll study new information and wake up the next day and that information is intuitive. I'll practice guitar for hours and be unable to consistently play a certain riff then wake up the next day and be able to play it effortlessly. Strange what sleep does.
newbie578 5y ago
Depends if you mean on purpose or accidentally. Because I contemplate on purpose perhaps once or twice per week, where I lie down and think a little about life. But the accidental ones, those are the real deal. As an ever fateful watchmen, just when I stray a little, a wild thought pops in my head which takes my focus for at least half an hour, where my imagination goes wild on the ride. I would say it happens once or twice per day at least, and I must say that I noticed it became more often after I started listening to audiobooks. I don't know exactly why, but I would assume it stirs the imagination?
heurist 5y ago
My job is contemplating. I am a director at a well-funded startup. My day is meetings, design, and thinking. Cannabis helps me relax in the evening, and that's when I decompress and let my brain figure out the next steps I need to take across my projects, write explanatory documents, etc. I have to pay extra attention to health and sleep so that I can have more control over my focus and reliably transition my mind to family time. In general, patience, strategy, and self-motivation have helped me achieve goals I would never have dreamed of 10 years ago.
- jressey 5y ago
  I am enjoying the same experience. My day at work is collecting information, and then during walks and dinner, while watching sports, before falling asleep, it's all daydreaming about work. This may sound like a bummer to some people, but I couldn't really think of a better way to spend my day than by playing a business strategy sim in my head. I also recognize the advantages of healthful, hygienic habits.
padobson 5y ago
I wake up at 6:30am and feed my cats. Then I sit in a comfortable chair with my journal and Bible and stare out the window and I journal and contemplate and read and write and pray. I used to do this with coffee, but I found the caffeine was actually shifting my energy window forward, even shortening it. Now I'll do calisthenics and spend a few minutes outside, taking deep breaths, if I need to wakeup before I sit down. The amount of time varies, depending on what's going on in my life. I may spend more time journaling, note taking, reading, or just staring out the window and chewing on the thought. I have sessions that last fifteen minutes and others that last three hours.
- kakkan 5y ago
  That's super fascinating. Does praying enrich your life? Do you think it's something you could replace with meditation?
  - padobson 5y ago
    It absolutely does. I've been praying pretty consistently since I was very young, around 5 years old. When I discovered that wasn't normal for everyone, even people I go to church with, I was pretty surprised. When I started meditating a few years back, I took to it like a duck in water. I had no problem doing 20-30 minutes right away. But I don't get the same thing out of it that I do out of prayer. Meditation is like local maintenance - a reboot or a defrag. Prayer is more like a software update, connecting back to the home server for bug fixes and feature upgrades. It's the feeling of being connected to something greater than yourself that seems to be the key difference.
    - codyb 5y ago
      When I was in college and I was in the Ultimate Frisbee club we played with a group of young Christians and it seemed very much to me like meditation (something I was more familiar with) and prayer were very similar. The concept of God may just make it more pointed, or more like a conversation. Thanks for the share. You may want to check out Anthony De Mello if these are things you enjoy, I've been enjoying his meditations very much lately. Found out about him on HackerNews. He does Christian meditations with an Eastern style. But there's very little that is preachy about them.
100011_100001 5y ago
I have structured and unstructured contemplation. I journal every morning right after I write my to-do for the day, which is pretty much self-reflections. I also have a weekly review on Sundays where I reflect on my week, what I did well, what kind of sucked etc. For work, I contemplate first, then write code second. A lot of times I do it while typing my thoughts. An actual example after a failed test > FAILED: the container doesn't have git so it can't run...so that means git tagging should happen prior to the gradle or docker container... > I kind of like this because that means it will only have to happen once outside both workflows....which eliminates a bunch of the issues > I need an init workflow in a way....checkout workflow > I can't test this, I think test jenkins pushing to prod gitlab is causing issues. Commented it out. Then I pretty much think during most of my spare time whatever piques my interest at the time. The only times I am not contemplating is when I try to be present for my children, or watching a show with my SO.
- phaemon 5y ago
  To contemplate words for a moment, the phrase is "pique my interest". "Pique" is an odd word. "Pique my interest" is a positive thing but "a fit of pique" or just feeling piqued are negative.
  - 100011_100001 5y ago
    Thanks. I updated the spelling. English as a second language has created a weird discrepancy in my brain for words that sound the same, but are written differently. not - knot where - were ...and now peak - pique At least I don't confuse "you are" vs "your". Now explain plurals to me: cat - cats dog - dogs bird - birds mouse - mice <--- why? goose - geese moose - moose <--- why not meese?
    - gen220 5y ago
      I think it’s the Germanic roots bleeding through. A “German” way to pluralize a noun is to “open up” the vowel, and occasionally add an “uh” at the end, for effect. Maus -> Mäuse (kind of sounds like mice, listen to Google translate) For moose, it would be spelt “muse” in German, which would be pluralized “müse”. But umlaut does not exist in English, we use “oo” for “u”, and the “uh” is silent: so we get “moos” and “moos” :) Also, apparently moose is an Algonquian loanword! TIL. Perhaps the plural in Algonquian dialects was not distinguishable to English speakers in the 1600s.
hollerith 5y ago
I try to avoid contemplation except when I am in front of my computer because that is where it is easiest to transition from contemplating something to taking actions about that thing. (An example of an action would be my setting a reminder for me to contemplate further in the future.)
nickthemagicman 5y ago
Ill sit in the shower sometimes for hours and just think. I have to be careful that the thinking doesn't turn into unsubstantiated worry and fretting though. I have to manage my thoughts.
meristohm 5y ago
For those of you who struggle with going to sleep due to racing mind, this practice helps me: I sometimes have brief moments of hyper-awareness as I approach sleep, where sounds are rich and images vividly detailed, but as soon as I attend to the experience it fades, like the wood-elf party in The Hobbit[0]. After reading about how USAF pilots used to be coached in the 1940s to fall asleep quickly (by flexing and relaxing body parts)[sorry, no reference yet], I started trying/not-trying to sneak up on the elves. One way I set the stage is to imagine my consciousness at the edge of the solar system, then galaxy, then universe, and further and further, then holding it there longer and longer. Another way is to look at the colors inside of my eyelids and allow those to be seeds for abstract art and eventually concrete, recognizable images materialize. This took about two years of practice and now I have no anxiety about falling asleep, can do it quickly and without nagging my partner to turn the light off. It is such a delight to finally see and hear the previously-elusive autogenous art. I don’t know how long the experience lasts, and unless I’m interrupted by a loud noise or touch it almost always leads directly to sleep. Other factors: I’ve been off alcohol for more than a year, and reduced coffee to hot water added to the dregs of my spouse’s French press. I don’t run as much as I used to, and I feel running and lifting more would help me sleep better. Good luck! [0] https://www.worldcat.org/title/hobbit/ https://www.worldcat.org/title/hobbit/
- cm2012 5y ago
  For me, I learned back in middle school that imagining an erotic fantasy would drive away any real thoughts and make me sleep almost instantly.
- jimmygrapes 5y ago
  You might be thinking of this[0] 1981 book which claims similar for the Navy. I've personally used this same technique taught to me by some random from IRC who claimed to be an ex-con, and despite his questionable credentials it has legitimate results. I believe I've read about it in at least one science fiction novel, too. [0]: https://archive.org/details/Relax-and-Win_Championship-Performance-by-Lloyd-Bud-Winter https://archive.org/details/Relax-and-Win_Championship-Perfo...
Scarbutt 5y ago
0% The Internet has rob me of that.
- mateo1 5y ago
  It's true for me too. Especially because of internet connected smartphones, when there's free time I waste it reading other people's thoughts instead of creating my own. I would not be the person I am today if I grew up in this new world. I actually enjoy it when I get bored these days.
seph-reed 5y ago
I'm not sure if it counts as "contemplation," but I spend a lot of ideas pre-packaging responses to the various beliefs I have that are unintuitive and therefor will make me look dumb (or evil) if expressed poorly. I used to think about the future and dreams and stuff... nowadays, I don't think I'll ever really find a place I fit. So I live in the mountains, and nature is very good up here.
analog31 5y ago
I can "think" for a long time, but my peculiarity is that I think with my hands. So I make things, and play music. Also, I'm terribly disorganized, and I speculate that making things, even programs, is a way of helping my brain with organization.
ModernMech 5y ago
I used to work with a guy who said "Friday is for big thoughts". I live by that now, and each week I don't do much actual work on Friday, instead opting to think about the work I did earlier in the week, and to intentionally think about what I'll do the following week.
jll29 5y ago
Interesting topic. I've recently started to re-connect with acquaintances around the globe via virtual coffee meetings (video calls), and with a steaming pot of hot liquid in tow (even decaf does the job, it's more about holding on to something steaming than caffeine for me) this can be quite contemplative. I try to do one such call per week, typically towards the end of the week, and often I manage, occasionally not when work is too crazy. It's not as good as physical travel to see people, of course, but we all need to make the best of the current situation. (Speaking of travel, train rides and walking are great activities to foster contemplating - see also https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-Walking-Frederic-Gros/dp/1781688370 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-Walking-Frederic-Gros/dp... ). BTW, stay safe, all!
sedeki 5y ago
I also contemplate a lot, to a point where I feel different about it and always have. I've always assumed it's related to add.
ffhhj 5y ago
Think about this. Imagine a gambler that wins a game and wants to keep his money. Then he stops and never plays ever again in the same casino. But he wants to win some more money. So what if he takes his money to another casino? He could lose or win. Let's say he wins again, and goes around the city playing in different casinos. In the long run his earned money will be 0. So, it's better to win once in the first casino and then stop. The gambler dies, and his son gets the money. Now his son is a new gambler who lives in a different city. If he plays in other casinos he could win or lose, but in the long run his earned money will be 0 too. It means that for a gambler to actually win he must win only once, then he must not play ever again, or any other gambler with his money, since entropy is "connected" to that money, because money makes part of the same system.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
ixacto 5y ago
Went in an all afternoon hike yesterday up to a mountain lake as soon as my afternoon meetings were done. Thought about the life universe and everything. It was great, going to do it more.
rrwright 5y ago
Before the pandemic, I would walk 45 minutes to and from the office each day. It was magnificent time to think. I’d often leave the office thinking about a thorny technical problem, and on the way home, inspiration would strike. That happened so often that I started noticing it was always at the same point on my walk home. I’d see that place up ahead and privately joke to myself, “I’m about to have a great idea!” Then I’d forget about my private joke and go back to thinking and walking. Then I’d have a great idea! Sure enough, it was at that same spot. The spot wasn’t magic. I’m convinced that it was the amount of time I spent walking. It was enough to start loosening my tight mental grip on the problem and let my mind roam. That relaxed mental processing was immeasurably valuable. In a few weeks, I’m choosing to go back to office. What I’m looking forward to most is reaching that spot on my walk home.
betwixthewires 5y ago
About a third of my waking life is spent contemplating. It has been this way for a couple of years. Overall it has been productive. I've explored countless ideas, learned about new topics, articulated my views, understood concepts and viewpoints I disagree with, changed my mind on some both ways in the process. It has been a little counterproductive. It is easy to get lost in your own head after a while. Overall I wouldn't recommend spending so much time in deep thought, but spending a decent amount at least for some period in your life will really help you discover who you are, who other people are, and things about the world around you that you wouldn't otherwise.
floppiplopp 5y ago
At least two weeks.
softwaredoug 5y ago
I journal most nights pretty much about whatever is bothering me emotionally. This helps me get it out there and be more conscious of underlying emotions. A lot of stress for me comes from bottling up emotions... Also i like to go on long runs with no headphones. This helps me step back and process whatever is happening and think of new approaches to rough problems when I’m not in the weeds of the problem. Anything that triggers boredom, IMO, is a healthy tool. Sometimes thats a day off in solitude on a long hike. Other times it’s just a vacation where I don’t bring my laptop.
lgats 5y ago
Alan Watts on Thinking https://youtu.be/gbngLDPSaDw https://youtu.be/gbngLDPSaDw
meiraleal 5y ago
Every 3 hours, when I smoked a joint
mtalhaashraf 5y ago
A lot. Find it impossible to listen to music because I start thinking and then have to turn the music down to focus on my thoughts. One thing I've noticed is that thinking is like a habit. It does not matter what topic I think about, I can sit there and be in my thoughts for days and sometimes even weeks.

105 points by jereees 5y ago

Feel also free to mention methods, places and what have you.

high_byte 5y ago

5 days a week excluding sleep, but I often contemplate in my dreams too. it's a curse

idkidkidkidk 5y ago

i would say <5 minutes a week

kuratkull 5y ago
How long were you contemplating that answer?

cjsawyer 5y ago

Wake up, coffee, start working until I get stumped, lunch, work until stumped again, take a half hour walk or shower, then depending on the time either take detailed notes about my ideas or put them into code. If a problem is too big to chew in those breaks then thinking about it _is_ the “work” for the day. To actually answer the question, probably around 6hrs per week. I work on half wacky theoretical idea projects and half code monkey implementation

groby_b 5y ago

Define "contemplate" :) Carved out time to "sit and think"? I consider this a suspect method, because undirected thinking on demand is difficult. (It might work for you. It doesn't for me) Carved out time to contemplate a specific problem? Depends on how many big problems are at the stage where that makes sense. I'd say 1-4h/week. Making random connections and sort-of daydreaming about them for 5 minutes? All day, every day. It ends up in a commonplace book. I don't currently review the book, the act of taking the note alone is valuable enough. If I notice I keep thinking about something, I transfer it into a doc and grep through that during directed sessions.

perfmode 5y ago

at the moment, my formal meditation practice is 3 hours per day. 60 mins on wake, 30 mins before bed, and 15m/30m sits punctuating transitions throughout the day. for me, contemplation occurs in the echoes of meditation.

danielovichdk 5y ago

Contemplation for me is a sign of something is missing or not totally dialed in in my life. Or it can be that i need to process something emotionally. I believe it is healthy to spent time on. It's your therapy some how.

jareklupinski 5y ago

I've started contemplating less and less and started almost immediately asking for feedback, even on tiny nuggets of an idea. If my knowledge is limited to the point where I have to wonder about something, there is likely someone out there who already knows the answer :) Finding them is the hard part, but people love connecting information-havers with information-seekers!

silisili 5y ago

If you mean just 'thinking on things', pretty much all the time. I realized when I was younger I never felt 'bored' like everyone else seems to. I'm perfectly content to just sit and stare at the sky thinking of god knows what. Even my wife sometimes comes in and asks what I'm doing when I'm seemingly just sitting on the couch staring at the wall at times. The downsides are that I have trouble sleeping unassisted, as I'll just lay in bed thinking til the sun comes up, and also have trouble staying focused on movies or even conversation, as my mind will be elsewhere. If you mean work/product/big picture specific... probably a few hours a week.

aphextron 5y ago
>The downsides are that I have trouble sleeping unassisted, as I'll just lay in bed thinking til the sun comes up, and also have trouble staying focused on movies or even conversation, as my mind will be elsewhere. I'm the exact same way. Podcasts are a godsend. The trick is finding one that's just interesting enough to keep your attention, while simultaneously being just boring enough to fall asleep to. I find that really dry, technical historical lectures work great.
- devenson 5y ago
  I agree completely. Commercials and flashy endings are to be avoided.
- Wistar 5y ago
  Oh, man. I do this, too, but mostly with youtube. I have discovered that Jim Al-Khalili, Brian Greene and Hannah Fry are too interesting to fall asleep to but that there are plenty of Royal Institute lectures that serve really well and have no, or very few, commercial insertions.
  - irchans 5y ago
    This is crazy. I never thought that anyone else would use those lectures to sleep. I like them when I'm awake also!

idolaspecus 5y ago

Oftentimes when I'm working on a problem I lie on the floor face down and think about it for hours. In terms of what you might call "mentally detoxifying contemplation", physical work on my house and yard and whatnot is great. I think the mentally salubrious effects of hard work are the real deal and too much overlooked these days.

mlurp 5y ago
I'm curious, how do you lay face down? Do you turn your head sideways or have a special pillow? It sounds painful to me.
- idolaspecus 5y ago
  Yeah I guess not technically face down, I turn my head sideways.
HellDunkel 5y ago
Now that you mention this i can remember the effects of physical, repetive work. It is actually quite different to working out/excercise. Wonder why...

gherkinnn 5y ago

Unless I’m focused on something very specific, almost always. I enjoy it.

screye 5y ago

10-ish hrs a week. Methods: * Long conversations with a fellow contemplator * Long replies to certain intriguing ideas on internet forums with fellow contemplators * Also digesting as a subconscious activity all the time

jll29 5y ago
HN, right?
- screye 5y ago
  Not really. HN is rarely conductive for longer conversations, although the ones I do have are always high quality. A couple of subs on reddit are my go-to place for these conversations. However, I'd rather have them stay niche (15k-ish subs) than have them blow up and lose their charm.

dexter89_kp3 5y ago

Journalling twice a day: post waking up and pre-sleeping. Meditation: once a day for 15 mins. Whenever I am stuck on a problem, idea or try to digest a paper. So overall 10-20 hrs a week, with the third outlet consuming the maximum time

tlb 5y ago

I find the best way is walking in the woods, with no people around. I do that 3-4 times a week for 40-90 minutes. Usually with the dog. It helps to have a long retractable leash attached to my waist, so I don't have to hold it or negotiate every clump of grass she wants to sniff. I can think through some smaller issues in my office, leaned back in my chair, feet up on my desk. But it's easy to get sucked back into the screen.

hanniabu 5y ago
Are you able to walk at normal pace when you do this? I've found that if I want to do any real thinking that I need to walk at a slow dill-dally, "putting around" pace. If I walk normal pace I can't seem to achieve any meaningful level of thought. This could just be either because I'm distracted easily and the fast I'm walking the quicker I'm exposed to new stimulation to steal my attention or because when you walk faster you need to pay more attention to your step, not really sure.
- irchans 5y ago
  I think I do my best thinking when jogging slowly.
LindyTalker 5y ago
This is what we call a lindy walk, friend
tmaly 5y ago
I do the same thing. There is a nature preserve that is a 12 minute walk from me. I am the only person there with the swans and the ducks. It is amazing to just have the natural peace to think through things.

kuratkull 5y ago

Most of my free time I'd say, so probably depends on how much free time there is, hopefully a lot.

cratermoon 5y ago

What do you mean by 'contemplate'?

jereees 5y ago
Deliberately open ended :)

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

szundi 5y ago

Hey, that's my job as a CEO, woohooo

HellDunkel 5y ago

Once or twice a week i choose to not take the bike to work but rather walk instead. Id lucky this puts me in a somewhat inspiring contemplative state for 30 min. Not much room/time elsewhere.

hallway_monitor 5y ago
I used to have an hour commute of mostly highway driving. Almost as good for contemplation as walking.

throaww11 5y ago

I'm really into mindfulness. I downloaded the Calm App[1] recently, and it has been really beneficial. I feel like Alan Watts[2] would be really into it, if he was alive today (RIP). My routine is waking up at 6AM, taking a cold shower, and then sitting down on the tile of the bathroom, freezing cold, and thinking about my next startup. I feel like this is my way of Beating the Averages[3]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calm_(company) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calm_(company) [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts [3] http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html

trutannus 5y ago

Often. I read a lot of philosophy type books and often think about them when I'm idle. I often subject my partner to my contemplation, and thankfully they're willing to engage.

debaserab2 5y ago

I've had a phenomenon occur to me this week that I've experienced a few times before. I was stuck on a coding problem for the entire afternoon one day. For whatever reason things weren't clicking and I couldn't solve the problem I had. I went to bed and as I was waking up the next morning, the complete solution came to me. I wasn't dreaming, but I was in that hazy half-awake half-asleep mode where I'm not consciously thinking about anything. I've had this happen a few times before where I go to bed stuck on a problem and miraculously wake up with the solution. It's a very strange (but happy) feeling.

personjerry 5y ago
Sounds like you found this trick: https://www.fastcompany.com/3023078/how-dali-einstein-and-aristotle-perfected-the-power-nap https://www.fastcompany.com/3023078/how-dali-einstein-and-ar...
goshx 5y ago
Oh yes, I've solved many coding problems by leaving my desk to grab a cup of coffee or get water.
- BooneJS 5y ago
  I drank so much coffee in the office. At home it takes longer and I get distracted.
waynesonfire 5y ago
happens to me all the time. i'll also often return from a dog walk with several potential solutions to try.
nickthemagicman 5y ago
Happens to me all the time, with all kinds of things I'll grind leetcode and be stuck on a problem and wake up the next day and be able to do the problem. I'll study new information and wake up the next day and that information is intuitive. I'll practice guitar for hours and be unable to consistently play a certain riff then wake up the next day and be able to play it effortlessly. Strange what sleep does.

newbie578 5y ago

Depends if you mean on purpose or accidentally. Because I contemplate on purpose perhaps once or twice per week, where I lie down and think a little about life. But the accidental ones, those are the real deal. As an ever fateful watchmen, just when I stray a little, a wild thought pops in my head which takes my focus for at least half an hour, where my imagination goes wild on the ride. I would say it happens once or twice per day at least, and I must say that I noticed it became more often after I started listening to audiobooks. I don't know exactly why, but I would assume it stirs the imagination?

heurist 5y ago

My job is contemplating. I am a director at a well-funded startup. My day is meetings, design, and thinking. Cannabis helps me relax in the evening, and that's when I decompress and let my brain figure out the next steps I need to take across my projects, write explanatory documents, etc. I have to pay extra attention to health and sleep so that I can have more control over my focus and reliably transition my mind to family time. In general, patience, strategy, and self-motivation have helped me achieve goals I would never have dreamed of 10 years ago.

jressey 5y ago
I am enjoying the same experience. My day at work is collecting information, and then during walks and dinner, while watching sports, before falling asleep, it's all daydreaming about work. This may sound like a bummer to some people, but I couldn't really think of a better way to spend my day than by playing a business strategy sim in my head. I also recognize the advantages of healthful, hygienic habits.

padobson 5y ago

I wake up at 6:30am and feed my cats. Then I sit in a comfortable chair with my journal and Bible and stare out the window and I journal and contemplate and read and write and pray. I used to do this with coffee, but I found the caffeine was actually shifting my energy window forward, even shortening it. Now I'll do calisthenics and spend a few minutes outside, taking deep breaths, if I need to wakeup before I sit down. The amount of time varies, depending on what's going on in my life. I may spend more time journaling, note taking, reading, or just staring out the window and chewing on the thought. I have sessions that last fifteen minutes and others that last three hours.

kakkan 5y ago
That's super fascinating. Does praying enrich your life? Do you think it's something you could replace with meditation?
- padobson 5y ago
  It absolutely does. I've been praying pretty consistently since I was very young, around 5 years old. When I discovered that wasn't normal for everyone, even people I go to church with, I was pretty surprised. When I started meditating a few years back, I took to it like a duck in water. I had no problem doing 20-30 minutes right away. But I don't get the same thing out of it that I do out of prayer. Meditation is like local maintenance - a reboot or a defrag. Prayer is more like a software update, connecting back to the home server for bug fixes and feature upgrades. It's the feeling of being connected to something greater than yourself that seems to be the key difference.
  - codyb 5y ago
    When I was in college and I was in the Ultimate Frisbee club we played with a group of young Christians and it seemed very much to me like meditation (something I was more familiar with) and prayer were very similar. The concept of God may just make it more pointed, or more like a conversation. Thanks for the share. You may want to check out Anthony De Mello if these are things you enjoy, I've been enjoying his meditations very much lately. Found out about him on HackerNews. He does Christian meditations with an Eastern style. But there's very little that is preachy about them.

100011_100001 5y ago

I have structured and unstructured contemplation. I journal every morning right after I write my to-do for the day, which is pretty much self-reflections. I also have a weekly review on Sundays where I reflect on my week, what I did well, what kind of sucked etc. For work, I contemplate first, then write code second. A lot of times I do it while typing my thoughts. An actual example after a failed test > FAILED: the container doesn't have git so it can't run...so that means git tagging should happen prior to the gradle or docker container... > I kind of like this because that means it will only have to happen once outside both workflows....which eliminates a bunch of the issues > I need an init workflow in a way....checkout workflow > I can't test this, I think test jenkins pushing to prod gitlab is causing issues. Commented it out. Then I pretty much think during most of my spare time whatever piques my interest at the time. The only times I am not contemplating is when I try to be present for my children, or watching a show with my SO.

phaemon 5y ago
To contemplate words for a moment, the phrase is "pique my interest". "Pique" is an odd word. "Pique my interest" is a positive thing but "a fit of pique" or just feeling piqued are negative.
- 100011_100001 5y ago
  Thanks. I updated the spelling. English as a second language has created a weird discrepancy in my brain for words that sound the same, but are written differently. not - knot where - were ...and now peak - pique At least I don't confuse "you are" vs "your". Now explain plurals to me: cat - cats dog - dogs bird - birds mouse - mice <--- why? goose - geese moose - moose <--- why not meese?
  - gen220 5y ago
    I think it’s the Germanic roots bleeding through. A “German” way to pluralize a noun is to “open up” the vowel, and occasionally add an “uh” at the end, for effect. Maus -> Mäuse (kind of sounds like mice, listen to Google translate) For moose, it would be spelt “muse” in German, which would be pluralized “müse”. But umlaut does not exist in English, we use “oo” for “u”, and the “uh” is silent: so we get “moos” and “moos” :) Also, apparently moose is an Algonquian loanword! TIL. Perhaps the plural in Algonquian dialects was not distinguishable to English speakers in the 1600s.

hollerith 5y ago

I try to avoid contemplation except when I am in front of my computer because that is where it is easiest to transition from contemplating something to taking actions about that thing. (An example of an action would be my setting a reminder for me to contemplate further in the future.)

nickthemagicman 5y ago

Ill sit in the shower sometimes for hours and just think. I have to be careful that the thinking doesn't turn into unsubstantiated worry and fretting though. I have to manage my thoughts.

meristohm 5y ago

For those of you who struggle with going to sleep due to racing mind, this practice helps me: I sometimes have brief moments of hyper-awareness as I approach sleep, where sounds are rich and images vividly detailed, but as soon as I attend to the experience it fades, like the wood-elf party in The Hobbit[0]. After reading about how USAF pilots used to be coached in the 1940s to fall asleep quickly (by flexing and relaxing body parts)[sorry, no reference yet], I started trying/not-trying to sneak up on the elves. One way I set the stage is to imagine my consciousness at the edge of the solar system, then galaxy, then universe, and further and further, then holding it there longer and longer. Another way is to look at the colors inside of my eyelids and allow those to be seeds for abstract art and eventually concrete, recognizable images materialize. This took about two years of practice and now I have no anxiety about falling asleep, can do it quickly and without nagging my partner to turn the light off. It is such a delight to finally see and hear the previously-elusive autogenous art. I don’t know how long the experience lasts, and unless I’m interrupted by a loud noise or touch it almost always leads directly to sleep. Other factors: I’ve been off alcohol for more than a year, and reduced coffee to hot water added to the dregs of my spouse’s French press. I don’t run as much as I used to, and I feel running and lifting more would help me sleep better. Good luck! [0] https://www.worldcat.org/title/hobbit/ https://www.worldcat.org/title/hobbit/

cm2012 5y ago
For me, I learned back in middle school that imagining an erotic fantasy would drive away any real thoughts and make me sleep almost instantly.
jimmygrapes 5y ago
You might be thinking of this[0] 1981 book which claims similar for the Navy. I've personally used this same technique taught to me by some random from IRC who claimed to be an ex-con, and despite his questionable credentials it has legitimate results. I believe I've read about it in at least one science fiction novel, too. [0]: https://archive.org/details/Relax-and-Win_Championship-Performance-by-Lloyd-Bud-Winter https://archive.org/details/Relax-and-Win_Championship-Perfo...

Scarbutt 5y ago

0% The Internet has rob me of that.

mateo1 5y ago
It's true for me too. Especially because of internet connected smartphones, when there's free time I waste it reading other people's thoughts instead of creating my own. I would not be the person I am today if I grew up in this new world. I actually enjoy it when I get bored these days.

seph-reed 5y ago

I'm not sure if it counts as "contemplation," but I spend a lot of ideas pre-packaging responses to the various beliefs I have that are unintuitive and therefor will make me look dumb (or evil) if expressed poorly. I used to think about the future and dreams and stuff... nowadays, I don't think I'll ever really find a place I fit. So I live in the mountains, and nature is very good up here.

analog31 5y ago

I can "think" for a long time, but my peculiarity is that I think with my hands. So I make things, and play music. Also, I'm terribly disorganized, and I speculate that making things, even programs, is a way of helping my brain with organization.

ModernMech 5y ago

I used to work with a guy who said "Friday is for big thoughts". I live by that now, and each week I don't do much actual work on Friday, instead opting to think about the work I did earlier in the week, and to intentionally think about what I'll do the following week.

jll29 5y ago

Interesting topic. I've recently started to re-connect with acquaintances around the globe via virtual coffee meetings (video calls), and with a steaming pot of hot liquid in tow (even decaf does the job, it's more about holding on to something steaming than caffeine for me) this can be quite contemplative. I try to do one such call per week, typically towards the end of the week, and often I manage, occasionally not when work is too crazy. It's not as good as physical travel to see people, of course, but we all need to make the best of the current situation. (Speaking of travel, train rides and walking are great activities to foster contemplating - see also https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-Walking-Frederic-Gros/dp/1781688370 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-Walking-Frederic-Gros/dp... ). BTW, stay safe, all!

sedeki 5y ago

I also contemplate a lot, to a point where I feel different about it and always have. I've always assumed it's related to add.

ffhhj 5y ago

Think about this. Imagine a gambler that wins a game and wants to keep his money. Then he stops and never plays ever again in the same casino. But he wants to win some more money. So what if he takes his money to another casino? He could lose or win. Let's say he wins again, and goes around the city playing in different casinos. In the long run his earned money will be 0. So, it's better to win once in the first casino and then stop. The gambler dies, and his son gets the money. Now his son is a new gambler who lives in a different city. If he plays in other casinos he could win or lose, but in the long run his earned money will be 0 too. It means that for a gambler to actually win he must win only once, then he must not play ever again, or any other gambler with his money, since entropy is "connected" to that money, because money makes part of the same system.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

ixacto 5y ago

Went in an all afternoon hike yesterday up to a mountain lake as soon as my afternoon meetings were done. Thought about the life universe and everything. It was great, going to do it more.

rrwright 5y ago

Before the pandemic, I would walk 45 minutes to and from the office each day. It was magnificent time to think. I’d often leave the office thinking about a thorny technical problem, and on the way home, inspiration would strike. That happened so often that I started noticing it was always at the same point on my walk home. I’d see that place up ahead and privately joke to myself, “I’m about to have a great idea!” Then I’d forget about my private joke and go back to thinking and walking. Then I’d have a great idea! Sure enough, it was at that same spot. The spot wasn’t magic. I’m convinced that it was the amount of time I spent walking. It was enough to start loosening my tight mental grip on the problem and let my mind roam. That relaxed mental processing was immeasurably valuable. In a few weeks, I’m choosing to go back to office. What I’m looking forward to most is reaching that spot on my walk home.

betwixthewires 5y ago

About a third of my waking life is spent contemplating. It has been this way for a couple of years. Overall it has been productive. I've explored countless ideas, learned about new topics, articulated my views, understood concepts and viewpoints I disagree with, changed my mind on some both ways in the process. It has been a little counterproductive. It is easy to get lost in your own head after a while. Overall I wouldn't recommend spending so much time in deep thought, but spending a decent amount at least for some period in your life will really help you discover who you are, who other people are, and things about the world around you that you wouldn't otherwise.

floppiplopp 5y ago

At least two weeks.

softwaredoug 5y ago

I journal most nights pretty much about whatever is bothering me emotionally. This helps me get it out there and be more conscious of underlying emotions. A lot of stress for me comes from bottling up emotions... Also i like to go on long runs with no headphones. This helps me step back and process whatever is happening and think of new approaches to rough problems when I’m not in the weeds of the problem. Anything that triggers boredom, IMO, is a healthy tool. Sometimes thats a day off in solitude on a long hike. Other times it’s just a vacation where I don’t bring my laptop.

lgats 5y ago

Alan Watts on Thinking https://youtu.be/gbngLDPSaDw https://youtu.be/gbngLDPSaDw

meiraleal 5y ago

Every 3 hours, when I smoked a joint

mtalhaashraf 5y ago

A lot. Find it impossible to listen to music because I start thinking and then have to turn the music down to focus on my thoughts. One thing I've noticed is that thinking is like a habit. It does not matter what topic I think about, I can sit there and be in my thoughts for days and sometimes even weeks.