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In my opinion: Our work-like balance got awful when we became greedy. I'm not nearly 50% as smart as the HN demi-gods around here, but I've learned to tame my

In my opinion: Our work-like balance got awful when we became greedy. I'm not nearly 50% as smart as the HN demi-gods around here, but I've learned to tame my desires. I live in a humble house and have shitty possessions - but I only have to work 20 hours a week to keep the lights on. In my opinion, you have to learn to make hard choices with an eye for the long term. Here's an example: For us, we decided that sending our three children to a good Lutheran school was important Our observation was that it was wiser to educate our children in knowledge, but also values and heart. We anticipate that at 18 years of age, they'll be functioning adults and we won't have to prop them up into their 20's.

sigkill 13y ago
The one thing I've learnt is that it's hardest to learn to be content. With the rampant consumer culture and rat race, it's quite hard actually to step out of the 'box' and ask yourself "What the hell am I doing this for, at the end of the day?". To give another analogy, if there are various achievements and rewards for getting good times and scores on super meat boy, it'd be quite hard to stop trying to beat your friends and the top scores list to ask yourself why you're playing SMB in the first place when instead you could just sit down and relax without the worries and tension of the game.
vpeters25 13y ago
It's also about perspective. If you have to wake up every morning at 5:15 am to catch a 1.5 hr bus ride, arrive at work at 8 am, work for 9 hrs until 6 pm (1 hr lunch in between). Then catch another 1.5 hr ride back home. Arrive after 8pm, eat something, go sleep. Now rinse and repeat, every week day for 9 years. Does this even qualify as a balanced work-life? Compare that to wake up at 8 am, have coffee, read hackernews, shower, arrive at work at 9 am, work through 5 pm, arrive back home at 5:30, 5 hrs for dinner, leisure, sports, go gym, play with kids, etc, go sleep. Edit: the top example is my brother's typical workday in Chile, bottom one is mine here in the US.
- miloshadzic 13y ago
  I was sure that the first was typical for a US worker.
api 13y ago
Greedy for what? That's why I decided to exit the rat race to some extent. Look: I can understand working 80 hour work weeks for art, for something you really care about. I also might work like that if I thought I could really get rich-- if I owned the business or owned a big stake in it (and trusted my partners not to screw me out of it). But the tech scene is increasingly neither of these things-- it's making mediocre crap for hustlers. It's making junk that does nothing to advance the human condition. I've also found that beyond a certain level possessions do not affect happiness much.

sigkill 13y ago

The one thing I've learnt is that it's hardest to learn to be content. With the rampant consumer culture and rat race, it's quite hard actually to step out of the 'box' and ask yourself "What the hell am I doing this for, at the end of the day?". To give another analogy, if there are various achievements and rewards for getting good times and scores on super meat boy, it'd be quite hard to stop trying to beat your friends and the top scores list to ask yourself why you're playing SMB in the first place when instead you could just sit down and relax without the worries and tension of the game.

vpeters25 13y ago

It's also about perspective. If you have to wake up every morning at 5:15 am to catch a 1.5 hr bus ride, arrive at work at 8 am, work for 9 hrs until 6 pm (1 hr lunch in between). Then catch another 1.5 hr ride back home. Arrive after 8pm, eat something, go sleep. Now rinse and repeat, every week day for 9 years. Does this even qualify as a balanced work-life? Compare that to wake up at 8 am, have coffee, read hackernews, shower, arrive at work at 9 am, work through 5 pm, arrive back home at 5:30, 5 hrs for dinner, leisure, sports, go gym, play with kids, etc, go sleep. Edit: the top example is my brother's typical workday in Chile, bottom one is mine here in the US.

miloshadzic 13y ago
I was sure that the first was typical for a US worker.

api 13y ago

Greedy for what? That's why I decided to exit the rat race to some extent. Look: I can understand working 80 hour work weeks for art, for something you really care about. I also might work like that if I thought I could really get rich-- if I owned the business or owned a big stake in it (and trusted my partners not to screw me out of it). But the tech scene is increasingly neither of these things-- it's making mediocre crap for hustlers. It's making junk that does nothing to advance the human condition. I've also found that beyond a certain level possessions do not affect happiness much.