Comment by Rjevski | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Rjevski | Hacker News Reader

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I can relate to this, but there are things you can do to at least limit the time-wastes. Here's a breakdown of his list and how I solve some of those problems.

* eating: eat while you work or do something else; plus it also allows you to skip your lunch break at work, get more shit done and go home early.

* cooking: don't. If you live in a major city there should be a few healthy (not fast-food crap) takeaway options available. Just order while on your way home and dinner will be there shortly after you arrive.

* bills and bank related activities: switch to a bank that doesn't suck. I use a fully-online bank called Monzo since more than a year and I honestly can't remember the last time I actually had to spend more than a handful of minutes for "banking" activities. Ditch suppliers/utilities that waste your time for those that get out of your way.

* budgeting: again, try to find a bank with an app that does it for you or makes it easier.

* cleaning: outsource it.

* car upkeep: if in a major city ask yourself if it's worth the trouble to own a car. In my case Uber works out fine.

* pet upkeep: don't get pets? I love cats more than anything else and yet even I don't get one because I barely have time for myself, let alone the cat.

* general repairs and replacements for things breaking or going obsolete: outsource it, order online, etc.

* religious activities: don't?

* home upkeep/renovations/gardening: outsource it?

But I'm definitely interested in others' perspectives on this and how they solve this problem.

The author's problem is that there's a gap between what he's doing and what he thinks he ought to be doing. On the plus side he's already got some perspective via his humorous writing.

In addition he might try and do nothing for a spell: I've found this to be impossible. One can then relax and watch oneself doing the truly essential tasks. Automatically. This is the 'ability to let that which does not matter truly slide' (Tyler Durden in Fight Club).

I agree with most, but not the cooking, make enough for 2 or more meals at once, you can amortize the time over them, reddit.com/r/mealprep has a lot of ideas for people making large batches at once. Plus a lot of cooking can be things like roasting chicken which takes a long time but it's hands off so barely counts doesn't matter. For more hands on stuff I listen to audio books so entertainment time and cooking time overlap. I'll add

* shopping: This doesn't have to be an hour long ordeal, for me it's a <5 minute stop on the way home 3 or 4 times a week.

* exercise: Build it into the daily commute, IME a 30 minute drive will translate to a 30-60 minute bike ride, then you can scrap the car upkeep.

* shaving: only shave every few weeks.

* hair cuts: No 2 all over takes about 10 minutes and your good for another 3-6 months. Can even do this yourself in theory (in practice I can't).

Now if I could just stop procrastinating with all this free time...

Could feasibly get the shopping trips down to 1-2 by freezing meat, eating vego later in the week after you've used the meat, etc. If you use milk, time buying that with a petrol/gas stop if you run short. Daily grocery runs strike me as pretty wasteful unless it's en route or part of your walking/exercise routine.

Great suggestions otherwise though.

I walk to the shop every day, which takes around half an hour. For me it's nice to just stretch my legs and get some fresh air.

Between walking to/from work and the shops, I get a nice hour outside every day.

It also breaks up the monotony a bit. I go crazy if the only 2 places I spend time at all week are work and home. I specifically try to spend time away from home in my evenings.

> * hair cuts: No 2 all over takes about 10 minutes and your good for another 3-6 months. Can even do this yourself in theory (in practice I can't).

The heck is No 2?

What is this mythical 10 minute haircut? I never had a 10 minute haircut.

I strongly suggest giving male pattern baldness a try then. It's been a real time saver for me.

Also, he's referring to the clipper settings. Number 2 is about a quarter of an inch.

For women, too? :P

I'm a woman. I get a 2 or 3 guard around the back and sides, trimmed on top and leave me some bangs in front. I go every few months. It's initially quite short, but starts looking like a typical little old lady haircut after a while, which is appropriate, what with me being a little old lady. (Er, except for that little part. I'm not that petite.)

I cut my hair real short for health reasons. But not having to fuss constantly with long hair has been a huge secret of success as a woman. It is not lost on me that some women with PhDs -- like the "Mother of Dark Matter" and the first female Field's Medalist -- had quite short hair.

Vera Rubin, Mother of Dark Matter, pics:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=vera+rubin&FORM=HDRSC2

Maryam Mirzakhani, first female Field's Medalist, pics:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Maryam%20Mirzakhani&qs=...

I can see that. I don't think I am brave enough for such a change. Ditching makeup is bad enough already...

I expect people's answers will depend on several things: how much money they have, how much labor they can share, how much time they have, what privacy tradeoffs they're willing to make in the name of convenience, what their hobbies and skills are, etc. I happen to enjoy cooking, gardening and maintaining my car, so I do those things myself. I also find that eating takeaway or on the go leads to mindless, unhealthy eating, so even if I don't want to cook, I try to make it a priority.

But cleaning? I've got no interest, nor do I feel I get much value from it, so I outsource. I also make a real effort (failing often), to not do things that I don't feel add value: browsing social media or hacker news, opening articles I will never read in tabs in my browser, organizing things (send them to the thrift store), shopping (I shop online quite a bit), and so on.

I think that sometimes it's healthy to waste some time.

If I did all that you suggested, I honestly don't know what I'd do with all that spare time.

I think that household chores are good for your mental health. While you're cooking dinner, or mopping the floor, or fixing that broken curtain rail, it gives you time to disconnect from everything. You've got a task at hand that you can focus on and exclude everything else.

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