This post makes a few detours, but the section about their own work is always interesting to me. I've always been a "pull on the threads and then pattern match"-kinda worker, rather than a "productivity-chaser" or "advice-seeker". I just pull on the threads that interest me, and over time these threads always have a way of coming back together. It's the difference between being goal oriented and process oriented. This is a much slower, much longer arc to building your taste, skills, and reaching some semblance of your abstract goals, but the other way just wasn't fun to me.
When I was in undergrad I remember reading a lot of blogs and hoping to live up to their idealistic views (shoutout pg), because I hadn't quite yet identified what career I wanted to lead. I dropped out, and then around 24/25 the desire for those goals really shattered. I pursued a very self-directed path that has thankfully worked out (so far-still ample time for it to falter). As this post points out, the only advice that is universal on the internet is that there is no universal advice. Find what rings true to you and lean into it.
What a fantastic essay. Long ago I had the same hunch and likened having the internet around me to running with a parachute.
These days I am little better at avoiding consumption, if not worse. I think it's inevitable. And I think on net it may be a good thing. Yes you lose time and focus by dipping your toes into the zeitgeist, but you also make sure you work on things that are relevant. The open vs closed door from Hamming's You and Your Research.
The closed-door researcher produces more work, but the open-door researcher produces impactful work. Who was ultimately more productive?
The key, I find, is to do a bit of both. Work on hard things with deep focus and validate against the zeitgeist regularly.
edit: Found it. Almost the exact same post (in gist) from 2011 when I was 24, similar age as OP. https://swizec.com/blog/my-ideas-are-shitty-so-im-going-on-a...
I can relate quite a bit. I've experienced this state of overwhelm a few times and I developed some interventions for myself over time. I wrote post about it, if you want to take some inspiration:
> After knowing myself as someone who has always been good with words for years, seeing that I can’t choose the right word when speaking, or that I can’t convey the message or information I want to give more clearly and simply when writing, naturally bothers me
Wow. I’ve been dealing with this for a while and it never occurred to me that it may be correlated (or caused by) by my incessant hunt for information and media at all times. I’ve always thought that if I wasn’t learning, and staying up to date on the latest frameworks, I’m not growing.
I had a profound connection with this article, so much so that I’m willing to say it’s the most important information I’ve consumed in the last 5 years… but herein lies the conundrum… now I feel FOMO creeping in, perpetuating this incessant need to find others like it… sigh
Excellent blog post. Summed up what I've been thinking for the past few years. I find myself endlessly consuming content (videos, podcasts, etc.) that I would deem "educational". It feels good, like you're learning something new, improving yourself. But at the end-of-the day you aren't. Your brain is just sitting there passively - not really doing any hard work. Instead of your brain generating ideas and solving problems, that process has been palmed off to the internet.
Hey I read your article.
Have you ever considered:
1) Ditching social media (everything - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn - everything. I don't mean delete the app. I mean delete all your accounts, and all the apps. No going back.)
2) Ditching your smart phone (Buy a brick phone)
I'm completely serious. I'm currently living this way, the phone was a recent addition in the last month. But social media, has been for years. I don't watch TV segments either (news etc).
I spend almost no time on my phone now. I spend my time building things, coding things, learning things (University courses/papers). I'm planning on kicking things up a notch next year.
The horizon for my learning in 2025 is:
- Game programming in TypeScript/C#/.NET/Unity
- Modding existing games (C/C++/C#)
- Low-level Graphics programming in C/C++
- Embedded programming in C
- Small amount of electronics
- Small amount of Assembly
- Diving into Backend Programming and Testing (.NET)
- Fleshing out my browser extension (React/TypeScript)
- Gaming (Fallout 4, Stardew Valley, Minecraft)
- Picking up University Papers (Probably Computer Science, Electronics, Machine Learning)
You should email me if you have any questions <hello> @ <PAPILLON><sOfTWaRe> <DOT> <dev>
If not, consider trialling, I mean REALLY trying the no social media and dumb phone thing.
The problem with fast consumption is it's shallow, and the only way around it I've found is the 1:3 rule. For every ten minutes of information consumption, you'll need at least another thirty minutes of tinkering about with your hands, keyboard, pencil and paper, etc. to have any chance of really absorbing and understanding that information.
However, this is much harder and more demanding of your concentration and focus than just passively absorbing some interesting online content, particularly if the content relies on some background knowledge that you're missing, in which case it may take much, much longer to get up to speed on it.
Note that LLMs are an incredible aid to grasping new material. Ask any decent LLM "what are the necessary background prerequisites for understanding this statement: <HN comment on arcane math or tech>" and it will usually point you in the right direction.
Interesting use of the word Consumption, I am reminded how Tuberculosis (TB), was called consumption and was a huge bane to people until antibiotics were discovered.
Also hard to disconnect when these content sites make money from you staying glued. From features to trending content; it’s all designed to keep you moving from one thing to the next, but always on the site.
As a software developer there’s the added pressure to, always be improving or be irrelevant. This is on top of the fear of missing out from content creators farming engagement. That’s a lot of pressure to stay engaged and keep watching.
I don’t always disconnect myself. But I am happiest when I find a better balance between what I consume and create. I feel better when I’m creating something. And some times that means I have to be more selective about what and when I consume.
Try using playlists and schedules. Allow yourself a space to explore and consume. Just be mindful and try not to go over your planned time for it. I find it helps prevent me from feeling guilty about spending too much time and alleviates the feeling that I might miss out on something neat.
Yep - I am writing a HN comment instead of doing my work at this very moment.
> Although it has been on my mind for a long time, I haven’t been able to read a comprehensive book based on these studies
Deep Work by Cal Newport focuses on these ideas pretty heavily, and he cites plenty of studies to back up his arguments. Like the author of the blogpost says, "There’s no guarantee that what works for them will work for you", but I found my productivity increased noticeably after I applied some of the advice from the book.
This post was really well written, I've felt the same way for a long time and I guess and never stopped and think about it.
Thank you for putting it down into words.
After reading it, a couple of days ago, I went on a hunt for books around that topic. I am leaving one here for you if you want to check it out since you mentioned there aren't any. I picked it up from kindle unlimited and so far I am enjoying it: https://amzn.to/4ixJkwm
Best of luck on your career and again thanks for this post.
I’m a big believer in learning tied to projects and goals, at least for the consumption that the author is describing. It usually feeds back into building, which feeds back into learning.
But more broadly, it comes down to where you draw the line and call content distraction, and what you do about digital distractions.
I recently did a digital declutter, as described in Cal Newport's book Digital Minimalism.
One hobby I picked up much more easily than anticipated: microcontroller programming. With the spare energy and mindspace freed up from scrolling social media, I'm now expanding my skillset and reading far more books.
I'm not claiming to have boosted my skills to an unrealistic degree, but the benefits of giving up the dumb online activity are very real, very tangible, and very valuable IMO.
For what it's worth, I've recently started writing a small open-source tool to avoid consuming too much in the way of videos and social networks.
https://github.com/Yoric/keep-it-focused/
We'll see whether that works.
I personally find that learning about a subject you're interested in with an aim to solving a specific problem takes away the mundane part of the learning process. And the more problems I discover to solve motivate me to delve even deeper.
there's only one way this ends we all literally just stop
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Reading that post was a waste of my time.
Then stop consuming! A champion has discipline. A champion athlete doesnt grow morbidly obese off pizza and then complains it’s the pizzas fault - stop, or drastically reduce, eating.
“It’s not easy”, of course it isn’t, all greatness requires sacrifice, are you going to go to the gym (learn new programming skill) or sit there eating donuts?
> I can’t stop myself from thinking that working on a book for 6 months, doing its projects, is a huge waste of time for me, and because I already feel late, I find myself, yet again, in a cycle.
That’s such an important observation. Many of us have become so fooled by the notion of fast consumption and immediate gains that we have all but stopped putting in the meaningful work.
You could do worse than read "The distracted mind", by neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley. It gave me deeper insight into the human-specific additions to my monkey brain.
It doesn't keep me from getting better at mine. Lol
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>> Since graduating from undergraduate studies (which marks exactly one year as I write this post)
Author sounds young .. yes, absolutely try to consume less and create more, it's way more life-affirming than the opposite configuration, but:
Getting better at your job, like everything else in life, is just a function of time. Show up, and then show up consistently. Put in the time. Be patient. Lead with an open mind and an open heart -- opportunities go to those who are present way more often than those who aren't. Willingly take on shitty jobs, do them well, and you'll find yourself being trusted with bigger and better jobs. Learn when to be the worker bee and when to be the queen bee. Say "yes" until you're truly able to say "no". Try to accept that, at the end of the day, things don't matter as much as you think they might -- I'm talking about projects, stress, deadlines, shit that floods your veins with cortisol. The only thing people will truly remember is how you made them feel during a crisis, not the minutiae of what you actually contributed -- and those personal relationships will be the gasoline in the engine of your career.
I really believe people will go far if they focus on this kind of stuff, and way less on structured self-improvement, productivity hacking, finding "secrets", shortcuts via programs, seminars, coaches, and tools, and all that shallow, nutritionless baloney.