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Comment by sivers | Hacker News Reader

P.S. to my Hacker News peers : This is a one reason why I decided not to live in the SF/Bay area. So many people so like me that I felt pulled into all the in-person kind of stuff. I feel more productive & more balanced when living in a more remote place.

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It definitely is more relaxing in a remote place, and that sometimes leads to less stress and anxiety. But I think in a remote place you need a lot of self-discipline or intrinsic motivation to keep focus and create some amazing things. In a high-density area (ie, Bay Area) there's a lot more distractions, but because of the high energy sometimes it can help with motivation (ie, peer influence) to keep focus. In a high-density area, I find it helpful to take regular getaways out of town.

I find this conflicting ... Get away so that you're not surrounded by people the same as you. Then, once there, you don't get to know any of these different people. At least not deeply enough to call friends. Maybe this is good work productivity advice, but I think this is bad life advice.

He prefers to interact with many people at a distance(email, blog posts, phone calls, occasional visits etc.) rather than many people face to face (lunch meetings, networking events etc.)

It is just a matter of personal preference, being very local might be the right thing for other people.

i left the bay area for the same reason

Curious, how does Portland compare from that standpoint?

Similar, but less intensely so. Great city. Love it.

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