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How do people have so much time on their hands :(

by arberx 5y ago

aloisdg 5y ago
Maybe they lose less time writing comment on HN. Dont hit me I am guilty of this too.
recursive 5y ago
Everyone has 24 hours per day.
- eyelidlessness 5y ago
  Not everyone has the same ability to utilize those hours. People have children and/or pets and/or loved ones to tend, different cognitive and physical limitations, different economic challenges, different social expectations, different living conditions which may impact all of the above. Speaking for myself: between caring for a puppy, cognitive impairments from ADHD, sustained impact from burnout, and financial responsibilities for family… my ability to carve out free time for a very long list of things I’d like to do extracurricularly is limited to a few hours a week at most. Achieving a “months of work” project in my areas of interest and applicable talents is easily going to take 10x as long. And that also means being much more circumspect about where I choose to focus those interests.
  - recursive 5y ago
    Maybe I'd feel differently if the comment ended with :) instead of :(. But I mean, obviously, yes. Different people can do different things for a zillion different reason. I'm reacting negatively because it sounds like a criticism against the author just for spending a lot of time working on a hobby project just for the sake of it. See also: "why are you having fun when cancer still isn't cured yet?"
    - eyelidlessness 5y ago
      Wow! I took it entirely differently (and still do). I read it as being disappointed that they don’t feel as capable to pursue and invest significant time/effort into their own ideas. Essentially I saw the :( as an admission of envy, not as a judgment. Admittedly, that could very easily be me projecting. I have tons of envy of people pursuing their ideas without the limitations I have to take seriously in my own life. It doesn’t make me sad to see them succeed or use their time the way they do, it makes me sad to have a brain full of ideas and limited ability to reify them.
      - arberx 5y ago
        It's envy. The author is my hero.
- akaij 5y ago
  /s Here! You forgot the sarcasm mark :)
- ummonk 5y ago
  Not if they’re traveling eastwards around the world.
beachy 5y ago
I have trouble with procrastination, but since watching Arnie's take on this I cannot get it out of my head and I have actually found it helpful (yet here I am on HN again :() https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ktRTWMX3M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ktRTWMX3M
- throwamon 5y ago
  Well, it's easy when your goal is clear-cut and 100% ego-directed ("win Mr. Universe"). Not so much when it's related to much larger concerns and uncertainties and pessimism (e.g. fighting global warming).
- Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
  That could be an interesting talk. I'll watch it later.
wly_cdgr 5y ago
Most single people who have a full time job should still have enough free time to devote 1000+ hours a year to personal projects - and even with a family, you should be able to find 400+ hours if your employer has any respect for WLB and/or you know how to set boundaries. That's 2 college degrees a decade worth of time

How do people have so much time on their hands :(

by arberx 5y ago

How do people have so much time on their hands :(

aloisdg 5y ago

Maybe they lose less time writing comment on HN. Dont hit me I am guilty of this too.

recursive 5y ago

Everyone has 24 hours per day.

eyelidlessness 5y ago
Not everyone has the same ability to utilize those hours. People have children and/or pets and/or loved ones to tend, different cognitive and physical limitations, different economic challenges, different social expectations, different living conditions which may impact all of the above. Speaking for myself: between caring for a puppy, cognitive impairments from ADHD, sustained impact from burnout, and financial responsibilities for family… my ability to carve out free time for a very long list of things I’d like to do extracurricularly is limited to a few hours a week at most. Achieving a “months of work” project in my areas of interest and applicable talents is easily going to take 10x as long. And that also means being much more circumspect about where I choose to focus those interests.
- recursive 5y ago
  Maybe I'd feel differently if the comment ended with :) instead of :(. But I mean, obviously, yes. Different people can do different things for a zillion different reason. I'm reacting negatively because it sounds like a criticism against the author just for spending a lot of time working on a hobby project just for the sake of it. See also: "why are you having fun when cancer still isn't cured yet?"
  - eyelidlessness 5y ago
    Wow! I took it entirely differently (and still do). I read it as being disappointed that they don’t feel as capable to pursue and invest significant time/effort into their own ideas. Essentially I saw the :( as an admission of envy, not as a judgment. Admittedly, that could very easily be me projecting. I have tons of envy of people pursuing their ideas without the limitations I have to take seriously in my own life. It doesn’t make me sad to see them succeed or use their time the way they do, it makes me sad to have a brain full of ideas and limited ability to reify them.
    - arberx 5y ago
      It's envy. The author is my hero.
akaij 5y ago
/s Here! You forgot the sarcasm mark :)
ummonk 5y ago
Not if they’re traveling eastwards around the world.

beachy 5y ago

I have trouble with procrastination, but since watching Arnie's take on this I cannot get it out of my head and I have actually found it helpful (yet here I am on HN again :() https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ktRTWMX3M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ktRTWMX3M

throwamon 5y ago
Well, it's easy when your goal is clear-cut and 100% ego-directed ("win Mr. Universe"). Not so much when it's related to much larger concerns and uncertainties and pessimism (e.g. fighting global warming).
Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
That could be an interesting talk. I'll watch it later.

wly_cdgr 5y ago

Most single people who have a full time job should still have enough free time to devote 1000+ hours a year to personal projects - and even with a family, you should be able to find 400+ hours if your employer has any respect for WLB and/or you know how to set boundaries. That's 2 college degrees a decade worth of time