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Whenever I read something like this it always comes across as insufferably pompous and actually quite a limiting and sad life. I would much rather just handle a

Whenever I read something like this it always comes across as insufferably pompous and actually quite a limiting and sad life. I would much rather just handle a mix of different things and have some variety to my day and life than this super buttoned down approach. I’m glad it works for the author but when I’m making a cup of tea I think I’ll keep scrolling Instagram thanks. I fully expect to downvoted into oblivion for this comment.

cdirkx 5y ago
Everything is okay in moderation, it's just that moderating yourself requires some discipline and some of the uses of the internet are actively trying to get you addicted. One "solution" is thus to just never interact with certain stuff, although I agree you then miss out on some of the good parts of the internet.
- chasd00 5y ago
  to me, general internet browsing without an intent is like eating a bag of doritos. It's fine from time to time but don't down a "family size" bag all in one sitting, it's just not good for you.
- samhw 5y ago
  > some of the uses of the internet are actively trying to get you addicted No offence intended, but I find this trope really exhausting. Web products - like any other product in the world - are designed to be enjoyable, and a side effect of that is that you will want to use them more. That's not what addiction is. I don't wake up in cold sweats needing to scroll through Instagram. My tolerance doesn't increase, I don't experience withdrawal, I wouldn't suffer if you removed it from me. It's a horrendous mutilation of the meaning of the word, using it to mean 'an enjoyable habit'. I've been addicted to heroin, and I could talk at you for days about the difference. This, along with other popular tropes like the 'corporations are responsible for 95% of carbon emissions' one, seem to be designed to excuse the individual from straightforward behavioural issues, like not being able to control their procrastination. I'm not complaining because I feel corporations are attacked, but because this isn't a healthy way to face (or rather not face) your problems.
  - Apocryphon 5y ago
    > 'corporations are responsible for 95% of carbon emissions' Well, is that factoid wrong though? Sometimes personal responsibility is just a smokescreen pushed by bigger fish to guilt the smaller ones, red herrings. Same situation as the California water shortage where personal use is massively dwarfed by agricultural use of water.
    - samhw 5y ago
      Well, the obvious question is "why do you think those corporations exist, and for what reason are they emitting that carbon?"
      - Apocryphon 5y ago
        Well? Do you have any links, or why even bring up a popular notion only to debunk it offhandedly?
        samhw 5y ago
        Any links for what?
        Apocryphon 5y ago
        The wrongheadedness of 'corporations are responsible for 95% of carbon emissions'
        samhw 5y ago
        I'm not making a recondite point here. I think maybe you're thinking I'm saying something more complex than I am. My point is that companies exist because they provide goods and services which people want to buy. The S&P 100 aren’t sitting around a carbon campfire, passing a massive carbon joint, while they chat about how much they enjoy destroying the environment.
sokoloff 5y ago
I don’t get much pompous extract from the author (in contrast to many other “here’s how I structure my days to maximize my inherent awesomeness” articles; the Stephen Wolfram ones come to mind here). In my own life, I have one (niche hobby) site I probably spend too much time on and watch a lot of YouTube when I’m bored (almost exclusively on the TV so displacing sports/other TV). I’ve noticed that if I let mindless consumption drift into too many areas, it takes over like weeds, but just a little bit of consciousness helps me keep/regain the balance I want in my life. I see the structure as the author keeping the balance they want and sharing some details about it.
Veen 5y ago
Perhaps you're not someone who needs this kind of advice. If you don't struggle with procrastication or distraction, then it seems pointlessly rigid because it's intended to solve a problem you don't have. But not everyone is like you. Many people are easily distracted and prone to procrastination. They can't easily switch from one task to the next, and they struggle to stay focused. I'm like that: it's why I'm commenting on Hacker News instead of writing the article I've been paid to. It's enormously frustrating to have goals and obligations you fail to achieve because your brain refuses to cooperate. A rigid framework that forces people like that to marshal their time and attention more effectively can be a big help.
- crispyambulance 5y ago
  The thing is, even if one IS susceptible to distraction and procrastination, the OP's solution may not and probably does not apply. It's nice that the OP has a life where they are only answerable to themselves and where they can carve out time as they see fit and the only challenge is their own self-control. Noticeably absent from the article is the mention of any spouse or kids. So what we're talking about with the OP is a single, self-employed, well-to-do knowledge worker who has found a way to exercise self-control. That's fine, more power to them, and it's great that this advice may apply to one segment of the long tail demographics of the internet, but the range of people for whom the OP advice "doesn't apply" is huge and includes far more than just people who struggle with procrastination and distraction.
  - inanutshellus 5y ago
    How is any of this conjecture valuable? Since when is life-advice of any kind "for everyone"?
    - Apocryphon 5y ago
      What’s the utility of life advice that’s meant for a general audience, but can only be utilized by a specific niche?
Voeid 5y ago
That's because it is incredibly pompous, condescending and little more than anonymous "blog posts" that serve as a preview/advertisement for a product they are peddling. "What if we told you that there is a game: (...)" "Let’s call this the ultimate game: your real life." Thanks for this golden nugget of knowledge, buddy.
zelphirkalt 5y ago
There shouldn't be a lot of downvoting for merely stating your own preferences and what impression the article left for you personally. The thing that is sort of annoying and that I have the impression lately increases in frequency on HN, is, when people put wrappers around their comments, especially the kind of wrappers pre-addressing potential downvotes. It does not really add anything, except for "I think HN community will be bad.". Haters gonna hate anyway, I guess, so no need to add such wrappers. I have experienced downvoting like that before, but usually it is about properly reading what the comment actually says and some do not do that. Some go ahead and start interpreting things into it. However, do you really think you wrapping the comment with that pre-addressing is going to help it? I doubt it.
- atatatat 5y ago
  This must be the uninteresting reading the guidelines refer to.
Levitz 5y ago
>Whenever I read something like this it always comes across as insufferably pompous and actually quite a limiting and sad life Others have commented on how it is pompous (I agree) but I'd like to talk about the "limiting and sad life" bit. I used to browse the net constantly in any room of spare time, I'd do it while waiting for anything, while relaxing at home, commuting, in my lunch break, you name it, while doing other mindless, yet active tasks such as cleaning or walking I'd listen to music. Some two months ago I just decided to stop. I realized that all those things weren't really adding much to my life at all, I might try to stay up to date about this or that event, and I definitely still listen to music, but I do so with intent. I intentionally do certain things with a certain objective in mind instead of allowing myself to waste time out of habit. In doing so, I'm more focused when it comes to achieving those objectives, I don't scroll through news because that's what was at the top of Reddit. I check news sources because I want to learn about the state of something. I don't grab a random album and press play, I think about what I want to listen. I also feel I'm way more aware of what my life is because my mind has way more spare time. I get bored sometimes, yes, and being bored brings very interesting thoughts that I've really come to appreciate. I feel that a constant usage of internet is actually limiting and creates a sad life while the opposite is liberating and brings a feeling of fulfillment.
- guythedudebro 5y ago
  And here y'are writing this comment bud
Apocryphon 5y ago
It reminds me of this, from Krazam: https://youtu.be/_o7qjN3KF8U https://youtu.be/_o7qjN3KF8U https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23014970 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23014970
raldi 5y ago
Please don't end your comments that way. I had already upvoted your comment halfway through but then on personal principle had to flip it to a downvote.
- C19is20 5y ago
  Does up- or down-voting actually do anything? Genuine question. The app i use for hn only allows upvotes, which i do use.
  - b3morales 5y ago
    Your account isn't able to downvote, so that's probably why you don't see them. The feature is unlocked when the account gets over 500 karma. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17731487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17731487
browningstreet 5y ago
I stop reading articles like the parent when it goes into "spending time with other people". That's not me. I have no interest in a social life, and when a social life intrudes on me, I usually have to work hard to de-socialize my life. I could write a similar article about "How to use a social life in a healthy way", which for me would be to minimize it. My life might be "limiting", but that's when I'm having the best time: I work and work out (a lot) and adventure on weekends and that's about it.. Mostly with my son, sometimes with my partner, frequently alone, and almost never with other people. When I do it with other people, I never have the deep dive experience that I want in those endeavors. They detract from it, for me. For other people, it's the exact opposite. My partner doesn't like to do any of those things alone, and often seeks out others for them. Different strokes for different folks, but my buttoned down, limited life is exactly what makes me happy. That said, I don't push it on others, but I do like reading material about living the solitary life, or the goodness of being alone, or quiet.
- heurisko 5y ago
  I started reading > I have no interest in a social life Then got to > Mostly with my son, sometimes with my partner Your social life is your partner and son. Unless you are indifferent to them, I think your assessment of your need of a social life is contradictory.

cdirkx 5y ago

Everything is okay in moderation, it's just that moderating yourself requires some discipline and some of the uses of the internet are actively trying to get you addicted. One "solution" is thus to just never interact with certain stuff, although I agree you then miss out on some of the good parts of the internet.

chasd00 5y ago
to me, general internet browsing without an intent is like eating a bag of doritos. It's fine from time to time but don't down a "family size" bag all in one sitting, it's just not good for you.
samhw 5y ago
> some of the uses of the internet are actively trying to get you addicted No offence intended, but I find this trope really exhausting. Web products - like any other product in the world - are designed to be enjoyable, and a side effect of that is that you will want to use them more. That's not what addiction is. I don't wake up in cold sweats needing to scroll through Instagram. My tolerance doesn't increase, I don't experience withdrawal, I wouldn't suffer if you removed it from me. It's a horrendous mutilation of the meaning of the word, using it to mean 'an enjoyable habit'. I've been addicted to heroin, and I could talk at you for days about the difference. This, along with other popular tropes like the 'corporations are responsible for 95% of carbon emissions' one, seem to be designed to excuse the individual from straightforward behavioural issues, like not being able to control their procrastination. I'm not complaining because I feel corporations are attacked, but because this isn't a healthy way to face (or rather not face) your problems.
- Apocryphon 5y ago
  > 'corporations are responsible for 95% of carbon emissions' Well, is that factoid wrong though? Sometimes personal responsibility is just a smokescreen pushed by bigger fish to guilt the smaller ones, red herrings. Same situation as the California water shortage where personal use is massively dwarfed by agricultural use of water.
  - samhw 5y ago
    Well, the obvious question is "why do you think those corporations exist, and for what reason are they emitting that carbon?"
    - Apocryphon 5y ago
      Well? Do you have any links, or why even bring up a popular notion only to debunk it offhandedly?
      - samhw 5y ago
        Any links for what?
        Apocryphon 5y ago
        The wrongheadedness of 'corporations are responsible for 95% of carbon emissions'
        samhw 5y ago
        I'm not making a recondite point here. I think maybe you're thinking I'm saying something more complex than I am. My point is that companies exist because they provide goods and services which people want to buy. The S&P 100 aren’t sitting around a carbon campfire, passing a massive carbon joint, while they chat about how much they enjoy destroying the environment.

sokoloff 5y ago

I don’t get much pompous extract from the author (in contrast to many other “here’s how I structure my days to maximize my inherent awesomeness” articles; the Stephen Wolfram ones come to mind here). In my own life, I have one (niche hobby) site I probably spend too much time on and watch a lot of YouTube when I’m bored (almost exclusively on the TV so displacing sports/other TV). I’ve noticed that if I let mindless consumption drift into too many areas, it takes over like weeds, but just a little bit of consciousness helps me keep/regain the balance I want in my life. I see the structure as the author keeping the balance they want and sharing some details about it.

Veen 5y ago

Perhaps you're not someone who needs this kind of advice. If you don't struggle with procrastication or distraction, then it seems pointlessly rigid because it's intended to solve a problem you don't have. But not everyone is like you. Many people are easily distracted and prone to procrastination. They can't easily switch from one task to the next, and they struggle to stay focused. I'm like that: it's why I'm commenting on Hacker News instead of writing the article I've been paid to. It's enormously frustrating to have goals and obligations you fail to achieve because your brain refuses to cooperate. A rigid framework that forces people like that to marshal their time and attention more effectively can be a big help.

crispyambulance 5y ago
The thing is, even if one IS susceptible to distraction and procrastination, the OP's solution may not and probably does not apply. It's nice that the OP has a life where they are only answerable to themselves and where they can carve out time as they see fit and the only challenge is their own self-control. Noticeably absent from the article is the mention of any spouse or kids. So what we're talking about with the OP is a single, self-employed, well-to-do knowledge worker who has found a way to exercise self-control. That's fine, more power to them, and it's great that this advice may apply to one segment of the long tail demographics of the internet, but the range of people for whom the OP advice "doesn't apply" is huge and includes far more than just people who struggle with procrastination and distraction.
- inanutshellus 5y ago
  How is any of this conjecture valuable? Since when is life-advice of any kind "for everyone"?
  - Apocryphon 5y ago
    What’s the utility of life advice that’s meant for a general audience, but can only be utilized by a specific niche?

Voeid 5y ago

That's because it is incredibly pompous, condescending and little more than anonymous "blog posts" that serve as a preview/advertisement for a product they are peddling. "What if we told you that there is a game: (...)" "Let’s call this the ultimate game: your real life." Thanks for this golden nugget of knowledge, buddy.

zelphirkalt 5y ago

There shouldn't be a lot of downvoting for merely stating your own preferences and what impression the article left for you personally. The thing that is sort of annoying and that I have the impression lately increases in frequency on HN, is, when people put wrappers around their comments, especially the kind of wrappers pre-addressing potential downvotes. It does not really add anything, except for "I think HN community will be bad.". Haters gonna hate anyway, I guess, so no need to add such wrappers. I have experienced downvoting like that before, but usually it is about properly reading what the comment actually says and some do not do that. Some go ahead and start interpreting things into it. However, do you really think you wrapping the comment with that pre-addressing is going to help it? I doubt it.

atatatat 5y ago
This must be the uninteresting reading the guidelines refer to.

Levitz 5y ago

>Whenever I read something like this it always comes across as insufferably pompous and actually quite a limiting and sad life Others have commented on how it is pompous (I agree) but I'd like to talk about the "limiting and sad life" bit. I used to browse the net constantly in any room of spare time, I'd do it while waiting for anything, while relaxing at home, commuting, in my lunch break, you name it, while doing other mindless, yet active tasks such as cleaning or walking I'd listen to music. Some two months ago I just decided to stop. I realized that all those things weren't really adding much to my life at all, I might try to stay up to date about this or that event, and I definitely still listen to music, but I do so with intent. I intentionally do certain things with a certain objective in mind instead of allowing myself to waste time out of habit. In doing so, I'm more focused when it comes to achieving those objectives, I don't scroll through news because that's what was at the top of Reddit. I check news sources because I want to learn about the state of something. I don't grab a random album and press play, I think about what I want to listen. I also feel I'm way more aware of what my life is because my mind has way more spare time. I get bored sometimes, yes, and being bored brings very interesting thoughts that I've really come to appreciate. I feel that a constant usage of internet is actually limiting and creates a sad life while the opposite is liberating and brings a feeling of fulfillment.

guythedudebro 5y ago
And here y'are writing this comment bud

Apocryphon 5y ago

It reminds me of this, from Krazam: https://youtu.be/_o7qjN3KF8U https://youtu.be/_o7qjN3KF8U https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23014970 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23014970

raldi 5y ago

Please don't end your comments that way. I had already upvoted your comment halfway through but then on personal principle had to flip it to a downvote.

C19is20 5y ago
Does up- or down-voting actually do anything? Genuine question. The app i use for hn only allows upvotes, which i do use.
- b3morales 5y ago
  Your account isn't able to downvote, so that's probably why you don't see them. The feature is unlocked when the account gets over 500 karma. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17731487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17731487

browningstreet 5y ago

I stop reading articles like the parent when it goes into "spending time with other people". That's not me. I have no interest in a social life, and when a social life intrudes on me, I usually have to work hard to de-socialize my life. I could write a similar article about "How to use a social life in a healthy way", which for me would be to minimize it. My life might be "limiting", but that's when I'm having the best time: I work and work out (a lot) and adventure on weekends and that's about it.. Mostly with my son, sometimes with my partner, frequently alone, and almost never with other people. When I do it with other people, I never have the deep dive experience that I want in those endeavors. They detract from it, for me. For other people, it's the exact opposite. My partner doesn't like to do any of those things alone, and often seeks out others for them. Different strokes for different folks, but my buttoned down, limited life is exactly what makes me happy. That said, I don't push it on others, but I do like reading material about living the solitary life, or the goodness of being alone, or quiet.

heurisko 5y ago
I started reading > I have no interest in a social life Then got to > Mostly with my son, sometimes with my partner Your social life is your partner and son. Unless you are indifferent to them, I think your assessment of your need of a social life is contradictory.