3 ms·

For me it comes from decision paralysis. "I should finally go through a Haskell tutorial! Well wait, there's still so much I should learn about python. I sho

by cven714 12y ago

For me it comes from decision paralysis. "I should finally go through a Haskell tutorial! Well wait, there's still so much I should learn about python. I should build something with it. Maybe a simple web site, I already have familiarity with that. I could use one of those frameworks, Django, Flask, Bottle, Pyramid...that reminds me, I never got through my ASP.net book, I spent $30 bucks on that, should at least finish it. Ah but I'm right in the middle of Slaughterhouse Five, and thats been really good--Fuck it, whats on reddit."

cranium 12y ago
Well, you should totally do the Haskell part!
oevi 12y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buridan%27s_ass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buridan%27s_ass
- erikig 12y ago
  Thanks, you have enlightened me as well as contributing to today's procrastiducation.
ryandvm 12y ago
Damn it. You were already reading my freaking mind and then you had to say you were in the middle of Slaughterhouse Five too?!? (Did a bunch of us buy that on a Kindle Daily Deal or something?)
- socksy 12y ago
  Slaughterhouse Five is a short and compelling book. Why not read a page of it now?
elwell 12y ago
> I never got through my ASP.net book, I spent $30 bucks on that, should at least finish it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_costs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_costs
- macarthy12 12y ago
  LOL..
- praneshp 12y ago
  Thank you. I intuitively knew such a thing existed, this was great to read.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
shorttime 12y ago
I can definitely relate to that that, in more ways than one. One recent example was just packing for a move. The company that hired me is paying for the move and movers to basically pack everything up and ship it off to my new location. I wanted to do some of the packing myself to hasten the overall moving day and also so I know where some of my things would be. Well it turns out, just packing a simple book shelf turned out to be much more time than I expected. I had all of these different ideas floating through my head - should I donate this book? Should I toss it? Should I give it to a friend? Is this even my book, did I borrow it? Is this packed "correctly" so that the movers would bless it off to meet their standards? Would they have to repack? Did I over pack this too much? So many different ideas and decisions. When the movers came in, they just had a single, simple mission - PACK EVERYTHING AND GET IT OUT. There was no decisions to be made, it all had to move. I think this is a learning opportunity for me but I haven't figured out how to utilize it yet.
markwong 12y ago
this is precisely what i am thinking now.
duncanawoods 12y ago
I am building a product for you. In the meantime, I can recommend the book "Decisive: How to make better choices in life and work" by Chip & Dan Heath. Its not self-helpy but very practical and succinctly lays out a set of useful techniques. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Decisive-make-better-choices-life/dp/1847940854 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Decisive-make-better-choices-life/dp... For the example you gave, that type of indecision can be caused by lacking a specific goal so you don't have any meaningful criteria to separate the options. Clarify your goals in sufficient detail and the best option that supports your goal will likely become obvious. If that doesn't help then one of suggestions in the book would be things like 10:10:10 where you imagine yourself 10 minutes, 10 weeks, 10 years into the future, and consider the best and worst outcomes of each option. This is great way to pursue long-term high impact routes which can be clouded by short-term emotion. Conflict between short-term pain / long-term aspiration can be one component of decision paralysis e.g. learning Haskell today might be painful but life-changing whereas incremental python learning might be easy short-term but long-term low impact.
- socksy 12y ago
  What's the product idea? Do you have somewhere to collect emails?

by cven714 12y ago

cranium 12y ago

Well, you should totally do the Haskell part!

oevi 12y ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buridan%27s_ass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buridan%27s_ass

erikig 12y ago
Thanks, you have enlightened me as well as contributing to today's procrastiducation.

ryandvm 12y ago

Damn it. You were already reading my freaking mind and then you had to say you were in the middle of Slaughterhouse Five too?!? (Did a bunch of us buy that on a Kindle Daily Deal or something?)

socksy 12y ago
Slaughterhouse Five is a short and compelling book. Why not read a page of it now?

elwell 12y ago

> I never got through my ASP.net book, I spent $30 bucks on that, should at least finish it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_costs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_costs

macarthy12 12y ago
LOL..
praneshp 12y ago
Thank you. I intuitively knew such a thing existed, this was great to read.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

shorttime 12y ago

I can definitely relate to that that, in more ways than one. One recent example was just packing for a move. The company that hired me is paying for the move and movers to basically pack everything up and ship it off to my new location. I wanted to do some of the packing myself to hasten the overall moving day and also so I know where some of my things would be. Well it turns out, just packing a simple book shelf turned out to be much more time than I expected. I had all of these different ideas floating through my head - should I donate this book? Should I toss it? Should I give it to a friend? Is this even my book, did I borrow it? Is this packed "correctly" so that the movers would bless it off to meet their standards? Would they have to repack? Did I over pack this too much? So many different ideas and decisions. When the movers came in, they just had a single, simple mission - PACK EVERYTHING AND GET IT OUT. There was no decisions to be made, it all had to move. I think this is a learning opportunity for me but I haven't figured out how to utilize it yet.

markwong 12y ago

this is precisely what i am thinking now.

duncanawoods 12y ago

I am building a product for you. In the meantime, I can recommend the book "Decisive: How to make better choices in life and work" by Chip & Dan Heath. Its not self-helpy but very practical and succinctly lays out a set of useful techniques. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Decisive-make-better-choices-life/dp/1847940854 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Decisive-make-better-choices-life/dp... For the example you gave, that type of indecision can be caused by lacking a specific goal so you don't have any meaningful criteria to separate the options. Clarify your goals in sufficient detail and the best option that supports your goal will likely become obvious. If that doesn't help then one of suggestions in the book would be things like 10:10:10 where you imagine yourself 10 minutes, 10 weeks, 10 years into the future, and consider the best and worst outcomes of each option. This is great way to pursue long-term high impact routes which can be clouded by short-term emotion. Conflict between short-term pain / long-term aspiration can be one component of decision paralysis e.g. learning Haskell today might be painful but life-changing whereas incremental python learning might be easy short-term but long-term low impact.

socksy 12y ago
What's the product idea? Do you have somewhere to collect emails?