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> Since I started working at a regular job in an office two months back, I don't get enough time to even watch YT videos off of the feed. With the commute, soli

by Hasu 3y ago

> Since I started working at a regular job in an office two months back, I don't get enough time to even watch YT videos off of the feed. With the commute, solid 8 hours at office, I barely have any cognitive or physical energy to do any mentally taxing work even if that means learning something new and exciting. Be kinder to yourself. You're two months into a new job, it takes time to adjust to that. It's also pretty common to work harder earlier in a job to develop a reputation as a hard worker. Reputations like that can stick for years, even as your hours at the desk go down. There are times in life when it's easier to do things you want, and times when it feels like it takes everything you have just to keep everything from falling apart. Don't try to overextend yourself when you're at your limits, recognize the limit and give yourself easy goals. Spend 5 minutes a day on something instead of lying to yourself and trying to do an hour. Do one hour a week instead of one a day. When you have more time or the work you're doing is motivating, it will get easier to continue doing it more and more. Most importantly: don't feel like you NEED to do any of that stuff. Do it if you want to and it interests you. It's a lot easier to motivate yourself to do something you find fun, than something you don't really enjoy but feel like you "should".

jvanderbot 3y ago
This is possibly the best advice. Also: Think longer term now. My unit of time, as I got older, went from hours to days to weeks. Now, I say things like "I'll finish that next month." It's not necessarily that I do less, it's just that I cannot afford to fragment my days as much as I used to so I'm stricter with my schedule. In this respect, it makes perfect sense to allow yourself to think only about your job for, say, 6 months. When your mind wanders, right down the idea as something to come back to. Schedule, ahead of time, a day to just exist with your idea list and tinker a bit, every now and then. But don't expect to be able to follow your interests every minute. Self-regulating in this way is a super power that takes time to build up, but it's immensely rewarding when you can close something, turn to a new thing, and know you have the capacity to finish it.
fsloth 3y ago
”Do stuff that interests you” is possibly the best recipe for happy life ever. That’s the Einstein, Feynman & James Watson recipe as well. But the point is not to be succesfull, the point is to do things that interest you, and avoid those that you don’t. Most people won’t be megastars, but those that did things that interested them lived likely much more fullfilling lives - so it’s a win/win recipe. Avoid the boring stuff. At some point the boring stuff may become interesting to you. Then embrace it. Don’t keep up appearances. Don’t read the hip blogs, listen to the top albums, watch the top series, read the venerable books, study advanced math, unless it interests you.

by Hasu 3y ago

jvanderbot 3y ago

This is possibly the best advice. Also: Think longer term now. My unit of time, as I got older, went from hours to days to weeks. Now, I say things like "I'll finish that next month." It's not necessarily that I do less, it's just that I cannot afford to fragment my days as much as I used to so I'm stricter with my schedule. In this respect, it makes perfect sense to allow yourself to think only about your job for, say, 6 months. When your mind wanders, right down the idea as something to come back to. Schedule, ahead of time, a day to just exist with your idea list and tinker a bit, every now and then. But don't expect to be able to follow your interests every minute. Self-regulating in this way is a super power that takes time to build up, but it's immensely rewarding when you can close something, turn to a new thing, and know you have the capacity to finish it.

fsloth 3y ago

”Do stuff that interests you” is possibly the best recipe for happy life ever. That’s the Einstein, Feynman & James Watson recipe as well. But the point is not to be succesfull, the point is to do things that interest you, and avoid those that you don’t. Most people won’t be megastars, but those that did things that interested them lived likely much more fullfilling lives - so it’s a win/win recipe. Avoid the boring stuff. At some point the boring stuff may become interesting to you. Then embrace it. Don’t keep up appearances. Don’t read the hip blogs, listen to the top albums, watch the top series, read the venerable books, study advanced math, unless it interests you.