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Devil's advocate - I'd have a lot more fun, interest and open "head space" for doing those things if I didn't worry about having to make a living and pay the bi

Devil's advocate - I'd have a lot more fun, interest and open "head space" for doing those things if I didn't worry about having to make a living and pay the bills. Alas, I don't have a > $2,000/month successful MVP under my belt.

scarmig 13y ago
Interestingly, many people whose jobs are less secure, less financially lucrative, and less... suited for the future manage to have hobbies and do things for fun =) I think it's a psychological quirk of the techier or nerdier crowd. Many of us have a great desire for a sense of not only autonomy but complete control over our own lives; indeed, feeling autonomous seems like it requires having complete control over our lives. In as market-based a culture as our own, that amounts to us being sold a story about how having an amount of money X (where X's amount is perpetually significantly larger than present but reachable) will give us that control, and we should perpetually aggregate as much money as possible until we reach X and then can live off capital gains. We like rules, and we like systems of rules that we can optimize against. Most people do, in one way or another. But we have it more than most, I believe, and it is perfectly capable for us to make the numbers work out to retire between 30 and 40 by working a stable desk job. Hence the constant draw and temptation to always push those non-pecuniary, non-market labors sometime into the future, where you'll theoretically have time in spades.
- bgilroy26 13y ago
  This was a great reality check for me thank you! I think in the manner you describe all the time. It's a fine message: don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today.
joonix 13y ago
Yeah. I've completely abandoned what few hobbies I've had due to my distressing employment situation. Not only are many hobbies expensive, I feel guilty having fun when I'm in this situation. It's a rather self-destructive and unreasonable line of thinking but it happens.

scarmig 13y ago

Interestingly, many people whose jobs are less secure, less financially lucrative, and less... suited for the future manage to have hobbies and do things for fun =) I think it's a psychological quirk of the techier or nerdier crowd. Many of us have a great desire for a sense of not only autonomy but complete control over our own lives; indeed, feeling autonomous seems like it requires having complete control over our lives. In as market-based a culture as our own, that amounts to us being sold a story about how having an amount of money X (where X's amount is perpetually significantly larger than present but reachable) will give us that control, and we should perpetually aggregate as much money as possible until we reach X and then can live off capital gains. We like rules, and we like systems of rules that we can optimize against. Most people do, in one way or another. But we have it more than most, I believe, and it is perfectly capable for us to make the numbers work out to retire between 30 and 40 by working a stable desk job. Hence the constant draw and temptation to always push those non-pecuniary, non-market labors sometime into the future, where you'll theoretically have time in spades.

bgilroy26 13y ago
This was a great reality check for me thank you! I think in the manner you describe all the time. It's a fine message: don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today.

joonix 13y ago

Yeah. I've completely abandoned what few hobbies I've had due to my distressing employment situation. Not only are many hobbies expensive, I feel guilty having fun when I'm in this situation. It's a rather self-destructive and unreasonable line of thinking but it happens.