Productivity vs. Guilt and Self-Loathing
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Everyone seems to be getting stuff done, except you.
I so often think that productivity, guilt and self-loathing go hand-in-hand. I've been wondering if entrepreneurs are particularly susceptible to to the dips and highs that come from these three things locking together, or if everyone feels that way?
You have to remind yourself that people are showing off their accomplishments here. It seems like everyone is an all-star and they stamp out genius products everyday, but really you're not seeing all the hard work (weeks, months, years even) poured into those projects.
Don't sweat it, just remember to go at your own pace, challenge yourself on a daily basis, and be proud of your accomplishments. We all run at different strides, don't judge yourself based on someone else's accomplishments.
I sound a little preachy, but hey, we all need the pep talk sometimes. :)
A person in a depressed state of mind would answer: "Except me!" To themselves though, since they're aware of that fact and it can only make them feel worse. Why can't they just be productive? They're quite capable of repeating the various motivational mantras out there; those are more likely to just contribute negatively to the feedback cycle they're in.
Ok, enough HN, I've got to go do some work. See you all in 25.
You know that pile of books that you'll never read that sitting
next to the computer you are reading this blog post on? That pile
is too tall. You'll never read all those. That pile of books is a
monolith of guilt. It's a monument of sadness and failure. Pick
the book or two that you can read this week and put the rest
away.
Modern Compiler Impl in ML, Real World Haskell, Programming Haskell, Types and Programming Languages, Software Foundations, chapters on parsing in EOPL1, chapters on types in EOPL3, chapters on types in PLAI,
And that doesn't include some papers I've got printed out for the subway. I just got a new book delivered today, bought practically on a whim (the Coq'Art book), just because why not? Maybe I have some kind of attention deficit problem, but I really find it valuable to read multiple takes on the same topic (in this case, as you might infer, compilers and types), which means working through a bunch of books concurrently.
I find it thrilling and exciting to have so much more to read, so much more to learn. The stack of books is a monument to wonder and knowledge, it's a deep well to draw on and to be immersed in.
Which is something I definitely agree with. I used to have books lying around my room. Not only were they visual clutter, but I would get in the habit of picking one up, flipping through the pages, and then getting distracted with another book. Ever since I started keeping all my books in my bookshelf though, I've been much better at focusing on just one and finishing it before moving on to the next.
I love reading, but I intentionally take up books for leisure reading that I know will be a challenge. Some longer or more difficult works are definitely projects, projects that I need to consciously put work into.
Having the book sitting out there, visible, a physical reminder, is probably my most powerful motivational tool for getting these books read. For me this is the main reason I still buy and read physical books.
I guess it also helps that, for me, reading is something I get excited about. It is how I unwind. Having a book in my library that I haven't read yet does not make me feel guilty. Maybe the book makes me excited with anticipation, maybe I feel apathetic towards it. But I don't feel anxious, because the world will keep spinning just fine if I fail to read a book.
edit: I should amend to say that this is also a matter of taste. Having books all over the place will definitely make you switch reading material sometime, and will probably keep you from finishing some books. I'm of the school of thought that says, fine. I'll fail to finish some books. Not the end of the world. Sometimes a book just takes a couple of tries before it gets its teeth into you.
For many people that pile of books that they aren't going to read this week represents promises they've made to themselves that they didn't keep. I was just saying, be honest and take a few books off your desk. Those books are on my shelves and I'll read them when I'm ready for them.
In my work life, I feel I need to fight that instinct. But not in my reading life. That's part of what makes it a refuge for me.
I think you're right, it's definitely partly a matter of taste or mindset. I must have a similar mindset to you, and maybe other people have a different attitude. I'm not worried or anxious about being unable to finish a book this week, or this month or even this year. Maybe it's also about setting reasonable expectations, and as the OP writes, not guilt-tripping yourself when you don't keep a brutal and impossible to maintain pace. Most of what is worth reading isn't easy to get through in 7 days.
Contrast that with an old roommate of mine who thought of this stuff a lot more like Scott does. He would feel really, really guilty about starting a book and not finishing it in a reasonable time or at all. He felt he "owed" it to the author to finish it if started.
I just can't think that way. It took me three tries to get past page 100 of Dune but once I did, I absolutely loved the book. Same goes for Stars in my pocket like grains of sand: I took over five years to finish that book and it was really good.
Feel "guilty?" No, guilt is reserved for when you hurt someone.
Great post, Scott. Here are some things I do to build off your main points:
Stop Checking Email in the Morning - Batch email checking into something you do two or three times per day at certain times.
Don't make Guilt Piles - If you do make them, keep them out of site and accumulate them for a long plane ride, car trip, or vacation.
If it's important, Schedule It. - Again, I schedule my email and my browsing .I actually roughly schedule my whole day. Happy to send to anyone just email me at wu at skim dot me.
Let go of Psychic Weight - This is a hard one but the key to overcoming digital overconsumption and information overload is to recognize you'll never be able to get through it all.
Schedule Work Sprints - I have two one and a half to two hour slots of real productivity per day. Sometimes I get to three.
Stop Beating Yourself Up - Constant struggle
I'm somewhat new to this productivity thing but got into it after recognizing that my web browsing was becoming addictive and unproductive. It was producing "the guilt and self-loathing" you mentioned if I couldn't keep up with it. It ultimately led me to build Skim.Me. We're making your daily online browsing routines more productive. Not just tools or a platform but really an entire user experience that wants to move content consumption away from addictive page views and time spent towards a disciplined approach to building better, sustainable habits.
We automatically onboard you using our plugin, aggregate from your favorite sites/apps (not just news & social) across devices, and help you browse in timed batches through the day without showing you how many unread or unchecked you have. Hope some people check it out when we launch (http://skim.me). v1 in three weeks.
I'm relieved I'm not the only one who only really gets 3-4 hours of productive work on an average day.
Tiny steps are okay as long as you make a lot of them ...