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Comment by ozzythecat | Hacker News Reader

> The goal is to have moments of clarity where you’re able to see “ah that’s what’s going on in my mind right now”.

I think this is valuable advice, and it applies not only in this productivity context but in any day to day situation.

I feel worked up, angry, disappointed with those around me in certain situations. Whereas 5 years ago, I might get worked up and complain about all of it to my manager, I’ve learned to recognize my own emotional state. I feel X because of Y reasons.

In 30 minutes after I’ve had a snack or maybe just a glass of water, I’ll feel significantly better and will want to take back anything I say now. Not because I’m wrong or that what someone did or didn’t do is actually right, but because I need to control my emotion and how I respond. There’s a correct way to approach the problem.

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but because I need to control my emotion and how I respond.

You discovered one the benefits of meditation.

Well, part of the problem meditation addresses is the desire to control one’s thoughts - which is usually counter productive. The more one tries to control and fight what is, the more pain that usually results.

It’s usually more productive to notice them, notice their nature, and let them go when and where they do not serve your interests. With a small pat on the head, and some not small amount of empathy and caring.

Which is hard of course, especially when there are real reasons for them. But if they do not help, it’s better for everyone.

I think what you're describing is called Ironic Process Theory [1]. I do agree that wrestling with your thoughts is counterproductive. I think that it's much more effective to try to view them dispassionately, to analyze them to death to make them go away.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironic_process_theory

It’s usually more productive to notice them, notice their nature, and let them go when and where they do not serve your interests.

You discovered mindfulness, which is something meditation enables you to achieve.

Not my discovery, but yes. For anyone else following - Zen Buddhism may be useful for you.

That's a concept called Flow researched heavily by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

I highly recommend checking out his works to get through these fluffy blog posts into what the actual research says.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W94FE6/

Not sure it's quite the same thing. I think it's closer to a state of mindfulness than flow.

In a flow state you are, by definition, fully absorbed in an activity and are not necessarily very "self aware" in this kind of way.

if i'm not mistaken, that total absorbtion would be referred to as one-act samadhi in a buddhist conception.

the total absorption could be referred to as one of dhyānas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhy%C4%81na_in_Buddhism

Experiencing dhyāna is possible without achieving samadhi, but it is very unstable

Csikszentmihalyi flow state implies that one is involved in some activity, but in dhyānas you don't need to do anything.

Flow is completely, totally different. GP is discussing self-reflection and learning to be mindful of oneself and one's surroundings - which is basically meditation.

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