The Top Shelf Principle (2019)
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The biggest impediment these days is ubiquitous, always-on Internet. In some ways I miss when it was a place you had to go (a physical desktop sitting somewhere) and something you had to decide to turn on (with some delay, so you wouldn't do it on a whim), as in the dial-up days.
I actually prefer delayed gratification, and will eat my least favourite items on my dinner plate first, so that I might savour the best at the end.
I do this with fridge contents as well, and sometimes save things I love until they spoil, ultimately denying myself the satisfaction entirely.
> The only problem is, I'm all out of chores.
The author could try cleaning up the melted gelato that's all over the pretzels on the middle shelf and the almonds on the lower shelf. Who puts gelato in a cabinet?
A little more seriously though, I find it hard to relate to an author who puts working and playing video games on the same shelf, and who also puts chores and interacting with people on the same shelf. As far as I can tell, the ranking of things into "shelves" mostly has to do with how digital they are (assuming "work" here is done on a computer). Is that a common sentiment? For me, even as a relatively introverted person, I would rather be outside, spending time with family, or reading a book then working (even as much as I do enjoy my relatively cushy work as a software engineer).
> When I'm losing, it's pain coupled with RAGE, depending on how bad the loss is, or how futile I feel playing.
This doesn't sound very healthy, and is kind of scary. What is this enraged person capable of in this state?
A feeling of RAGE (in all caps!) caused by a video game might be revealing some serious anger issues that (in my opinion) should not be left unaddressed.
It doesn't have to be a mental illness, just a matter of different wiring.
Recognizing how oneself is wired, and taking steps to mitigate the negative or unhelpful results of that wiring, seems like an what a well adjusted person would do.
Part of being an adult is learning to control how you react to the way you feel.
The only anger issue is the belief that it validates wrong behavior. Otherwise experiencing, recognizing, and doing right behavior is completely healthy.
This is where the author loses me. Just because I dont have BBQ ribs and pizza in the immediate vicinity doesn't mean I cant compare what I have to what I want...
Yes, it does alter behavior through convenience (having an item on hand vs having to go get it). But that doesn't make me more satisfied with cauliflower... It just makes me be less satisfied through laziness.
Oh and do disable all notifications. Even if they don't trigger a newsfeed addiction, they're interruptions. You don't want those.
Yes, but you only have so much time and effort for training. So if you can fix some things without expending will power, that's a win.
> changing habits is hard, and as a society we haven't found a good way to systematically address the problem
Don't think there is one. Just case by case solutions. But they all boil down to finding the motivation to control a harmful behaviour.
Come to think of it, the person in TFA managed to exercise enough self control to turn off their notifications :)
Are you on the spectrum? If you are, why don't you just stop being on the spectrum? :)
I think the two of you have similar experiences, but a very different reaction to this article.