2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/ Lussumo Vanilla & Feed Publisher http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265897#Comment_265897 2010-10-20T21:11:08-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 razrangel http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2075

Tell me about the little things you've done to improve yourselves. Whether it's to make your brainmeats go faster, cleverer, creativer... uh, more creatively, or just more knowledgeable. How have ...

I've been fighting myself to quit wasting my days for months if not a couple of years now. Without going into details (the details: NEET, a handy if embarrassing term), I don't need to get up in the morning and so most days go to bed around 4 or 5am (right about the time Warren is insulting Twitter by way of saying good morning) and rise around noon or one pm. I have an alarm - two actually - and often turn them off and crawl right back into bed without really waking up. Because that's my sleep pattern I can't fall asleep at a normal hour.

It feels like such a minor change, but losing the morning heavily impacts everything else, from sending out prompt emails to recruiters to studying for my Japanese class (the only thing I can proudly point to as Improvement) to exercising to eating reasonably. How do you get little things on track? It's the little things, after all, that require the most major habitual changes.

In other news: anyone do any translation work? How about anything related to voice overs?]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265899#Comment_265899 2010-10-20T21:30:04-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Lucid Seraph http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=9441

I attempted to discontinue my caffeine consumption; this proved futile. I did manage to start taking multivitamins and I began cooking for myself. The latter saves money at the cost of time, but ...

I did manage to start taking multivitamins and I began cooking for myself. The latter saves money at the cost of time, but improves my morale immensely (there are few things as nice as eating your own home-cooked meals) and the former helps fill in the large gaps in my nutrition left by being poor and having little free time to shop.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265901#Comment_265901 2010-10-20T21:36:03-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 James Puckett http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2911

Buy a ticking kitchen timer. Set it to 60. Work till it dings. Repeat.

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265903#Comment_265903 2010-10-20T21:43:56-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 StefanJ http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=961

Walking 2.5 miles in the morning has definitely slimmed me down some.

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265909#Comment_265909 2010-10-20T22:46:20-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 rough night http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2694

razrangel - I've had a very similar sleep and schedule situation as you, and here's what I do: I get a page-a-day calendar and write the time I woke up on that day's page every morning. If I get up ...

My ideal schedule is actually not far from the one you're trying to escape. All my housemates work the late shift or are self-scheduled like me, so 11:30 is when I try to wake up to be most productive and see my friends more. My problem was that I was waking up at 4-5pm and missing out on friend time, and missing daylight during the wintertime. When I first started my sleep plan, the rewards were for waking up at 2pm, and I've knocked it back half an hour at a time over the course of almost two years.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265910#Comment_265910 2010-10-20T22:46:44-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Purple Wyrm http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6726

I bought three large plastic storage tubs. When I have a week off in mid November I plan to label said three tubs as "Keep", "Maybe Keep", and "Ditch" and spend a few ...

Whether I will actually do this is yet to be seen, but at least I went out and bought the tubs.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265912#Comment_265912 2010-10-20T23:09:37-07:00 2010-10-20T23:19:28-07:00 Fan http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6919

Being paid by the hour, I keep a timesheet in which I log the times when I'm actually working. I switch off the timesheet when I stop working. "You can't manage what you don't measure." ...

log the times when I'm actually working. I switch off the timesheet when I stop working. "You can't manage what you don't measure." Being paid by the hour is some incentive to accumulate the hours.

Exercising: my mum moved her exercise bike to in front of her TV. I have a book (several books, but one at at a time) that I read for pleasure, which I only read while on the bike. I time that too (the bike has a clock and odometer): the book is an incentive or sweetener to get on, and the timer (reaching a full hour, or 10 km) is my success criterion/gate for getting off again.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265928#Comment_265928 2010-10-21T03:18:42-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Ben Klumaster http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2723

I've recently convinced my body (we'll see if it sticks) that when I get up in the morning and my body's full of deep cold, the appropriate response is press-ups. I'm hoping to get warm and fit ...

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265933#Comment_265933 2010-10-21T03:54:49-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 jonah http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6503

@James Puckett Haha. I just bought a timer for that same purpose on Monday. I haven't opened the package yet though.

Haha. I just bought a timer for that same purpose on Monday. I haven't opened the package yet though.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265934#Comment_265934 2010-10-21T04:10:34-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Finagle http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5254

I used to have a long, lazy Sunday morning where I sat around reading the paper and listening to NPR and whatnot, then spent the rest of the day panicking because Monday was almost here and I hadn't ...

I then feel way better about wasting the hell out of the afternoon and evening, because I put in those few hours in the morning. And it has taken me until nearly the age of 40 to convince myself that 3 hours of work first thing beats a few hours of panicky procrastination.

I went on from there to generally shift a bunch more stuff to my mornings, and now get up between 2 - 3 hours before I have to leave for work, as opposed to the 20-30 minutes I used to indulge myself in. Not waking up each morning with a pounding hangover also help here, I should add.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265935#Comment_265935 2010-10-21T04:13:07-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Twist http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4276

I need a timer. My sleep schedule fluctuates from a normal 10pm sleep - 6am wake all the way through to the same cycle yours in on. I've gotten in the habit of just working with it as it doesn't ...

My sleep schedule fluctuates from a normal 10pm sleep - 6am wake all the way through to the same cycle yours in on. I've gotten in the habit of just working with it as it doesn't impact anything in my life right now.

I've recently started take multi-vitamins, glucosamine and fish oil (for my wonderful early onset athritis) and probiotics which have helped my health dramatically in the past few months I've been taking them. I'm definitely seeing massive improvements in my ability to sit and focus on my work with the improvements in my health as well.

I don't know if its a big or little change but the most important change I've made is laying down some personal boundaries with my friends. There was a bit of a blow up a few weeks ago because a few friends had been passing comment in public about me sleeping with someone else. It was a joke, but not everyone present knew that and next thing I know I'm in the middle of drama that'd make your average 16 year old happy. So yeah, boundaries are good, set in stone, told clearly to all concerned, and my ass kicking docs are awaiting the first person to step out of line.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265938#Comment_265938 2010-10-21T04:30:48-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 taphead http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2284

Translation work, you say? Yes, that's been my occupation for about 15 years now. Directly related to the above: Despite having the source material in PDF form or what have you, I always print it ...

Directly related to the above: Despite having the source material in PDF form or what have you, I always print it out. The stack of paper helps me track my progress, make notes, etc. I use a letter opener as a visual guide going through each page.

Another thing I do is use a stopwatch to track the time it takes to translate each page. I don't write it down anywhere or actually use the stats for anything, but I find I focus better when on the clock, as it were. May not be the thing to do if you're stress-prone.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265939#Comment_265939 2010-10-21T04:39:07-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 keyofsilence http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7294

I screw my bus tickets up around the edges, but only a little. This way, the bus driver will often holepunch the same place more than once. Bam, free bus journey. I got four free journeys on my ...

I got four free journeys on my last ticket - thus saving me £9.60.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265965#Comment_265965 2010-10-21T09:04:30-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Paprika http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8000

That stopwatch / egg timer thing gets used in the pompodoro technique It's really good for writers block.

pompodoro technique It's really good for writers block.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265966#Comment_265966 2010-10-21T09:20:17-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 curb http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1334

A little change I've made of late is to get into the habit of eating breakfast. Like I say, it's a little thing, but it does help me avoid low blood sugar crankiness at mid morning, and I no longer ...

As for the sleep thing - I find cutting myself off from anything electrical about an hour or so before bed helps if I want to get a good night's sleep and drop off at a reasonable hour. I heard somewhere that TV, web surfing and video games are three of the worst things to indulge in right before sleeping if you want to fall asleep quickly and easily. Hope that helps.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=265997#Comment_265997 2010-10-21T10:49:26-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 joe.distort http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1173

ive never understood the whole 'i cant go to sleep at a normal hour' thing. stay up all night. unless you smoke meth or shoot red bull, this should correct it after one day. changes ive made in ...

changes ive made in the past few years that all feel better:

-stop drinking like a madman, moderation is key
-smoke A cigar when the cravings hit, havent bought or smoked cigarettes in 6 months. having one thing that is craving-driven every few days instead of habitually smoking cigs just because thats what you do has given me so much more energy
-sleep earlier, maintain a similar wake up time all week
-eat more fruits, vegetables and (quality) dairy
-working out. it seems like a no brainer, but getting regular exercise has helped EVERY facet of my life-energy, concentration, creativity, mood etc
-DRINK WATER

although these arent really 'life hacks' more like 'things humans are supposed to' (except the cigars, but whatever fuck off)]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266007#Comment_266007 2010-10-21T11:58:16-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Twist http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4276

Depends. My sleep patterns are dictated by what my brain decides it wants to do. I can go three or four days without sleep if I try to force the matter, so I just work with it. If I can't sleep its ...

I'm actually completely nocturnal if I completely leave it up to my body clock, but I like to be able to go shopping and see the sun occasionally.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266012#Comment_266012 2010-10-21T12:59:58-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 razrangel http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2075

Timer is a good idea. So is incrementally revising my wake up time, though the self-imposed punishments and such run into other bad habits. When it comes down to it I want to change just about ...

The laptop is probably an incidious factor in me staying up late. I'm easily nocturnal and frequently have insomnia so it's been easy to let it go and just hang out online until predawn. (But like @Twist said, there are things that can only be done during the day.)

Thanks, keep noting up intentional changes!

@Taphead what languages and in what field? Do you need a certification of some sort?]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266014#Comment_266014 2010-10-21T13:11:08-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 JP Carpenter http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2485

I got myself back on track after a serious depression some years ago, where I'd been insomniac for a couple of months, by starting to treat days as work days. I used a diary to schedule work, all of ...

Need to do something similar again, have been really burned out and scattered for months - although don't have the space due to hellishly hectic work right now... picking up some thoughts from this though!]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266031#Comment_266031 2010-10-21T15:40:07-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 taphead http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2284

@razrangel - English/Finnish, technical translations. Mostly patents these days. At least here in Finland a degree is nice if you're hunting for a full-time job, but as a freelancer I've found ...

Oh, and I do have one cookbook on my resume. That was fun. :)

I've also started a small-scale diet: No second helpings during meals, only cheese OR cold cuts on sandwiches, wine rather than beer when drinking. Walking. Seems to work pretty well.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266040#Comment_266040 2010-10-21T16:49:48-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 reosarevok http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=3732

@razrangel I've translated RPG books and AAA videogames, English -> Spanish, and I still don't have a degree. So you don't actually *need* any kind of certification. On the other hand, a lot of ...

I've translated RPG books and AAA videogames, English -> Spanish, and I still don't have a degree. So you don't actually *need* any kind of certification. On the other hand, a lot of in-house full time jobs, as taphead said, require a degree. Not necessarily a degree in translation, mind you, most seem to be OK with ANY degree and some translation experience. I've done some Spanish -> English too, but I'm not really comfortable working into a language which is not my mother tongue, even if I am quite fluent in it.

@taphead
Do you work only into Finnish, or do you go both ways?
That small-scale diet seems quite similar to what I am / should be doing. Except because I haven't left the house in 4 days, which amounts to little walking...]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266041#Comment_266041 2010-10-21T17:02:56-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 taphead http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2284

@reosarevok - Mostly into Finnish, but I have on occasion swung the other way, too. I started in software localization and slowly migrated to my current field. It's nice work, if you can get it.

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266052#Comment_266052 2010-10-21T20:25:11-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 lemmycaution http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5290

I guess this is the spirit of the thread but if not sorry. I traded in my massive brick of an ipod in for a seemingly teeny 2 gig off brand. I enjoy a lot more new music now. I found myself ...

I traded in my massive brick of an ipod in for a seemingly teeny 2 gig off brand. I enjoy a lot more new music now. I found myself spending more time flipping through the ipod on shuffle than listening to music "no don;t want to hear that now" or "don;t know what that is, I need proper walking music now" and skipping around. Now before I go to bed I make a playlist and force myself to listen to it, and only it the next day. Now when I get a new album I actually listen instead of losing it in the weeds of eternal ipod storage. I don;t skip around so much knowing i have programmed almost exactly the amount of music i will be listening to in that day.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266073#Comment_266073 2010-10-22T00:03:49-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 razrangel http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2075

@J0nCarp3nter - that's exactly the sort of thing I need to pull off. @taphead & @reosarevok Very intresting to learn. I go back & forth with Spanish and English, but only really started ...

@taphead & @reosarevok Very intresting to learn. I go back & forth with Spanish and English, but only really started anything that is truly translation work. I guess any career path for me is going to require freelancing, likely long term. Ugh. I'm not crazy about it, but I'm not suited to much that's corporate-ish. I'd love to work on RPG books and games. heh. }:>

Didn't pull off the hacks today. Establishing a routine seems to be something that profoundly eludes me. However little things can become habitual if I don't think about them. Hence, lifehack. Because it almost feel like I have to trick myself into improving.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266158#Comment_266158 2010-10-22T09:04:08-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Elana http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1166

My best tip for escaping a funk of this sort is to appreciate partial victories. Maybe the worst enemy of productive achievement is the temptation to "write off" an effort, a timeslot, or a ...

I'm really enjoying this thread, by the way.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266269#Comment_266269 2010-10-22T18:41:51-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Jarreddo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4838

I had a lot of trouble sleeping until I started going for a walk every day. Getting some real exercise really helps level out your energy. And now I work so early in the morning I have to get up ...

Also, I never once expected that at ANY point in my life I would want to buy a kitchen timer. Damn you people.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266307#Comment_266307 2010-10-23T00:54:51-07:00 2010-10-23T01:02:40-07:00 sneak046 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4574

I have over the past week (with a little inspiration from this thread) cut back dramatically on the amount of coffee I'm drinking at the office - from my morning espresso + 4 big mugs of purest black ...

I'm trying to drink water instead during the work day. It has definitely helped me stay focussed on tasks.

Also, my girlfriend recently had the fortune to be granted an allotment from the local council, and spending a few hours at weekends digging/planting/weeding etc has been a great way to spend time, get fresh air and exercise with her. Being able to have a shared project like this is a bit of a first because while she spends a great deal of time at home due to health issues, I work long hours so am usually too shattered in the evenings to be up for a lot of activities beyond vegging on the sofa (possibly watching the films of John Landis, or streams of old wrestling...).

ETA: @Elana - as an inveterate 'writer offer of days' of old, I concur with your method of celebrating even the smallest victory. It was only doing this that I managed to get out of a funk myself, when the best achievement I could manage most days was avoiding smoking before midday.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266363#Comment_266363 2010-10-23T10:22:16-07:00 2010-10-23T10:25:07-07:00 Mono http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=9270

I have spent the last couple of years learning not to fret or feel guilty about "wasting time" when it's my day off. For me, this requires concrete actions: when I wake up having slept ...

For me, this requires concrete actions: when I wake up having slept until the afternoon, or when I spend hours reading, drinking tea or aimlessly surfing the net, and the guilt starts to creep in, I tell myself -aloud if necessary- to STOP IT. Sometimes I even slap myself.

It is a way of staying conscious of the maxim that spending your unscheduled time trying to turn it into a copy of your working life constitutes "wasting time", not the other way around.

It does not make me "more effective", but it does make my existence more enjoyable.

This does not come to me easily, hence the use of the inner authority.

Sounds like hippie crap, I know. Works for me, though.


edited for spelling]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266373#Comment_266373 2010-10-23T11:58:26-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 sneak046 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4574

@Mono Jeez, I thought I was the only person who did that...it's not the weekends that bother me - perhaps 'cos these aren't ordinary working days for me - but if I take a day of leave from work, ...

Jeez, I thought I was the only person who did that...it's not the weekends that bother me - perhaps 'cos these aren't ordinary working days for me - but if I take a day of leave from work, boy do I feel guilty about schlepping about the house.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266478#Comment_266478 2010-10-24T00:15:11-07:00 2010-10-24T00:16:09-07:00 sacredchao http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1501

My therapist keeps telling me to set goals every day as to what I'm going to get done, because people who do so tend to get more done that they want to get done. One of these days, I'll try that.

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266490#Comment_266490 2010-10-24T02:14:01-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 glukkake http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1693

@sacredchao I love to do lists for that reason. I'll throw on anything from an outline of a big project to simple things like "make lunch" or "go to bank". This way I can visually ...

Also, sometimes when I'm writing out the list, I realize that it'd take just as long to write it down as it would be to accomplish the task and I get right on it.

I have both a pad of paper I keep next to my computer & an on-going list on a whiteboard on my wall, so I don't forget the long-term stuff.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266493#Comment_266493 2010-10-24T02:36:00-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Fan http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6919

Borrowing an idea from work, I give my to-do list to my employer: I prepare the list, keep it up to date: add to it, remove things from it. An email at the end of each day is like, "Today I did ...

It can be nice to get a "Yeah, good work!" from someone else - if you have anyone [else], to share your to-do list/progress/accomplishments with.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266501#Comment_266501 2010-10-24T03:52:02-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 BettyBoolean http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8924

I completed the first page of pencils on something I have been thinking about for years!(literally years) yay me! now its in the computer and being inked and coloured. Never thought I would ever do ...

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266519#Comment_266519 2010-10-24T08:36:11-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 sacredchao http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1501

@glukkake - there's a definite feeling of accomplishment when you scratch something off a list as well.

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266535#Comment_266535 2010-10-24T12:01:48-07:00 2010-10-24T12:27:24-07:00 Verissimus http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=3379

Tell me about the little things you've done to improve yourselves. Whether it's to make your brainmeats go faster, cleverer, creativer... uh, more creatively, or just more knowledgeable. How have you ...

Tell me about the little things you've done to improve yourselves. Whether it's to make your brainmeats go faster, cleverer, creativer... uh, more creatively, or just more knowledgeable. How have you gone about it? Have you changed your body around? anywhere from better fitness to grinding, what have you intentionally done to facilitate change?

I've been fighting myself to quit wasting my days for months if not a couple of years now. Without going into details (the details: NEET, a handy if embarrassing term), I don't need to get up in the morning and so most days go to bed around 4 or 5am (right about the time Warren is insulting Twitter by way of saying good morning) and rise around noon or one pm. I have an alarm - two actually - and often turn them off and crawl right back into bed without really waking up. Because that's my sleep pattern I can't fall asleep at a normal hour.

It feels like such a minor change, but losing the morning heavily impacts everything else, from sending out prompt emails to recruiters to studying for my Japanese class (the only thing I can proudly point to as Improvement) to exercising to eating reasonably. How do you get little things on track? It's the little things, after all, that require the most major habitual changes.

Well, you say you don't need a reason for getting up early, but since you're studying for Japanese class, it seems that managing to get up early would be beneficial. So I really think changing the sleep pattern would be the first step.

I know it can be quite difficult to break the habit of going to bed late. Is there any way that you can force yourself to get up early, even after a very short night? Like making appointments with people at 9 AM? That usually helps me, making sure I have very specific tasks that I need to do in the morning and that can't wait until the afternoon.

Once you have forced yourself to get up early a couple of times you may find that you're quite tired by the time night comes around, so that you may be able to go to sleep at a more "normal" time. Also getting some exercise during the day, and going easy on the caffeine at night, may make it easier to go to sleep.

Once you manage that it may be easier to fit more stuff into your daily schedule.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266675#Comment_266675 2010-10-25T14:13:34-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 celan http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5337

I'm trying out the Pomodoro technique mentioned upthread...kinda cool so far but still an issue when I'm sitting in front of the Master Distraction Box that is the modern computer. Also...

Also...
]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266726#Comment_266726 2010-10-25T19:39:42-07:00 2010-10-25T19:41:11-07:00 D.Miranda http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=345

About exercise: as many people, I've tried going to the gym and always ended up letting it go at one point - I was having a hard time making it a regular choice. I've tried shovelglove, which is ...

shovelglove, which is basically a workout with a sledgehammer that you do for 14 minutes a day, from monday to friday. The 14 minutes was chosen as it does not exist as an administrative time frame, so you officially don't have excuses not to do it.
Obviously, it won't help with the cardio, and it won't turn you into a super muscular thing, which is not the point anyway. I did muscle up and I feel that my basic level of fitness has improved.
And by middle November I'll have been doing it for a full year, which is a length of time that I never achieved with gym training. I'm not as fit as I would be if I was going to the gym, but at least I'm still keeping it going, which is very good.

Edited to add: Plus you get to swing a sledgehammer everyday, which is fun, and you build up your head crunching skills in case of a Zombie apocalypse.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266729#Comment_266729 2010-10-25T20:02:42-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Erisah http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6180

I take the stairs two at a time and deliberately pack more into my backpack than I need. Thus, the walk to/from the busstop and uni gives me enough exercise that I'm not feeling like a blob. Also, I ...

Also, I switched from coffee to green tea. Now I'm not jittery and agitated, and I don't run the risk of caffiene overdose- (been there, done that, was not my favourite feeling).]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266731#Comment_266731 2010-10-25T20:26:16-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 oldhat http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=75

1. Ditching all former friends from certain regrettable time period that reminded me of certain time period. No goodbyes, no explanations, just cutting them off and not replying to anything. I ...

I really had to do this. They were that kind of group where everyone was sleeping with everyone else and there was drama everywhere and in the two years I had known them they hadn't changed or grew as people the whole time...I needed out. And I'm happier for it. I also suggest getting rid of people who you only follow on let's say, facebook, because their life is like a horrible soap opera that you can't stop watching. You don't need those people in your life.

2. If I have to be somewhere and am not constrained by time, I walk!
limited to things within the city where I start in the city (and not my hour-long train ride). This one simple thing really helped me shed some pounds and get to know my city a lot better.
]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266736#Comment_266736 2010-10-25T20:53:46-07:00 2013-05-19T14:57:59-07:00 Twist http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4276

@Oldhat: I know that feeling. I'm not ready to ditch my social circle but the drama's that have come out in the past few months have made me really rethink how and who I communicate with which I ...

Its not that I mind the happy-share-love thing. But I've been made acutely aware that everyone fucking everyone means no damned privacy for those of us who aren't. Most pissed.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266738#Comment_266738 2010-10-25T21:14:11-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 Jamie Coville http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=616

I went through a major life hack back in 2001. I had read A Hackers Diet and put myself on a 1000 calorie a day diet, lost a bunch of weight, eventually started going to the gym once I thinned up ...

Mentally I know what has to be done, as I've done it before. I know I need to do it eventually because only bad things will come from staying on this course. Still have no real desire to get on the horse and do it.

Part of it is mixed emotions. When I was thin I had multiple women at work I've zero interest in hitting on me which made work life difficult. I've no desire to go through that again and the extra weight is protecting me from some of that now. So it feels like a lot of starving and suffering just for some bad stuff, but I know what the benefits are too. I also think I'm perhaps too insecure about my weight and should just learn to not be so bothered by it. Lots of people around me are heavier and they don't seem so worked up about it. When my dad made a snarky comment about my weight gain I had a "so what, fuck you" reaction which I still think is the proper one to have. Nobody's perfect and I'm allowed to have flaws.

In a week though my work schedule will change, I'll have weekends off and I'll be ending later at nights so there will be less bullshit from the family disrupting what I want to do. I'm starting to get some different work to do which will be better for me. I'm probably going to chose a new gym that's open 24 hours which will be better. We'll have to see.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266741#Comment_266741 2010-10-25T23:14:15-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 Erisah http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6180

@Oldhat: Oh man, I did that a couple of years ago. I used to live in this little country town where everyone had known everyone since birth, and since my parents hadn't been born there (they moved ...

I'm still facebook friends with a lot of them, and I actually communicate/have coffee with about once or twice a year with a few of them, but otherwise, once I left for uni, that was it.

God that was a good feeling.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266754#Comment_266754 2010-10-26T02:57:26-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 BettyBoolean http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8924

@Jamie Collville don't quit the job!! no words can explain why to someone in your frame of mind but I have done that exact thing from a similar place you are at in the past and I guarantee you would ...

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266790#Comment_266790 2010-10-26T07:30:56-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 mister hex http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4411

@ oldhat - yeah, I pretty much ditched everybody a few years back and I don't mind it at all. I still have a few GOOD friends but the blood-suckers and time-wasters went right into the bin with no ...

Exercise - I say get a bike. It's a very cheap mode of transport that's good for you, doesn't hurt the little plants or the tiny animals and if it's a cool bike (*ahem* like mine), you'll meet people (to possibly replace the people you've binned) or at least get appreciative looks from strangers, especially children. (I've lost count of how many little kids look at me riding my bike and point and clap or even just say "Cool bike.") I could never go to a gym (too expensive, I'm too much of a misanthrope to bother and I'm also almost as lazy as Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, which puts me in the runing for Laziest Man on Earth) but bike riding? Man, that's a dead cert.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266803#Comment_266803 2010-10-26T09:48:36-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 joe.distort http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1173

yeah, getting abike is how i ramped up to going to the gym. i was SOOO out of shape before that signing up for a gym sounded like a huge and embarrassing debacle. once i got over the fact that i was ...

ive actually found that telling people when you dont know what the hell you are doing is working out for me better than me trying to learn/figure it out on my own, getting mad/frustrated, then just saying 'fuck it' and giving up. it was quite hard to start, but im so glad i did]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266806#Comment_266806 2010-10-26T10:05:34-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 Anoxia http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=282

Due to my condition I need to find ways to 'switch off' my brain on a regular basis during the day. This has mostly turned into a few times a day, I try to stop what I'm doing, pick up my mp3 player ...

As for translation, I'm amateur. I did some work for a company that sold ringtones/backgrounds/screensavers for mobile phones, I did the translation of the voice script for their automated service from English to Spanish. I then did the voiceover for both.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266845#Comment_266845 2010-10-26T15:47:27-07:00 2010-10-26T15:49:59-07:00 Finagle http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5254

So the one thing I really haven't taken on lately is my tendency towards ADHD behavior. All the classic stuff - distraction, inattentiveness, simple forgetfulness. Back before February, when I was ...

Well, I quit that job and scaled back drastically. I now work in an office 8.5 hours/day at a smaller IT shop and mostly am responsible for our inhouse stuff. It is a much, much smaller domain of responsibility. My phone doesn't ring at night or on the road, I ditched the smartphone, and for a while made an effort to really throw myself into having a life in addition to work.

Oddly now though, with all of that external pressure removed, I am having an even harder time managing than I did before. When I was working the previous job, I just *knew* that I was fucked for the day if I didn't get up, get my task list in order, check the Intranet, check server statuses, return emails - and all of that was done before the start of work hours.

Now I feel I'm getting soft. I enjoy my relatively greater leisure way too much, and I have for sure swung too far in the opposite direction. I go all weekend without checking email at all, leave work right at 5:00 on the dot, and generally am putting in only the minimum critical effort to get by with relative success. I'm coasting, pretty much, and it is starting to get to me.

Part of this is actual distraction - I work in a 20x20 open room with five or six (depending on the day) cubes and desks, and my ability to concentrate on deeper stuff like scripting just goes right down the toilet when there are co-workers around discussing the smoking of organic chicken, or the latest meme on YouTube. It is a great environment for collaboration and group problem solving, but pretty shitty for any possibility of my giving sustained attention to something subtle like figuring out how to blow out the latest Microsoft patches to 1500 machines without disturbing any users.

I *know* all the things I can and should be doing, but without that monster external pressure bearing down on me that was my last job, I'm just not feeling it. ADHD has been described as a disorder not of attention, but of motivation, and that is making itself manifest for sure. Anyone else with a similar situation have any *motivational* self-hacks? Self motivation is a tricky thing, and despite the growth of Cognitive therapy, I'm really not sure it has advanced beyond the classic positivist exercise of looking oneself in the mirror every day and saying, "In every way, and every day, things are getting better and better!"]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266850#Comment_266850 2010-10-26T16:01:43-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 Fan http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6919

> co-workers around discussing the smoking of organic chicken If you can't work elsewhere, some people in that situation would use earphones. > Anyone else with a similar situation have ...

co-workers around discussing the smoking of organic chicken

If you can't work elsewhere, some people in that situation would use earphones.

> Anyone else with a similar situation have any *motivational* self-hacks?

Just, external motivation: share your to-do list and your timesheet/accomplishments with someone, perhaps your boss.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266857#Comment_266857 2010-10-26T16:37:54-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 WaxPoetic http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1809

I intend to rock graduate school's ass, so I've been deliberately reading 50 to 100 pages daily of theory or philosophy or really difficult fiction in order to get into the habit. Writing letters ...

Writing letters daily started when I left the world that I loved and needed to have something to do here in po-dunk land. Which sucks. (the place, not the action)

Last year, I decided to try Lent, you know, for fun. That was some life-changing right there. I quit smoking, drinking and meat eating, and put my TV away in the closet. In trade, I did yoga every morning, cooked all manner of happy food and read and read and read (and as a consequence, wrote and wrote and wrote about everything that I'd been reading).

This year, I'm doing it again, only actually 40 days InARow instead of 47 days with Sundays off. Really? I mean, I'm mercenary and all about, well, everything, but how do you dig deep when you get one day on the weekend to drink yourself stupid? How?

The small changes are far less shocking to the system and lead to bigger changes in appropriate directions, I find. Also, I don't actually ever have to quit smoking, I can just not have time for it. I am much happier that way.]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266932#Comment_266932 2010-10-27T06:04:02-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 Denari http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7907

Not sure if it counts as a life hack: After literally 10 years of sniffing aroud Zen meditation, but not actually making any sort of commitment, I am now attending two zazen sessions a week. The ...

After literally 10 years of sniffing aroud Zen meditation, but not actually making any sort of commitment, I am now attending two zazen sessions a week. The Tuesday morning one is at 7 am... I'm not a morning person, by any stretch, but just by making myself attend I have a lot more respect for myself.

Does it work? Time will tell, although I'm feeling a lot more centered that I have for a long time, and am gaining more awareness of the tired routines my mind carries out when I'm not concentrating...]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=266933#Comment_266933 2010-10-27T06:07:17-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 Erisah http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6180

@Denari: that's something I keep telling myself I should do more, though the way I zone out the outside world when I'm concentrating on almost *anything* is probably at least quasi-meditating... ...

http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9071&Focus=267177#Comment_267177 2010-10-28T14:40:10-07:00 2013-05-19T14:58:00-07:00 razrangel http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2075

Felicia Day passed along this interesting look at procrastination and how we are hard wired for it. We modulate the hard wires a little bit over time as we grow up but, essentially, once we're ...

procrastination and how we are hard wired for it. We modulate the hard wires a little bit over time as we grow up but, essentially, once we're adults we can only pre-empt with soft hacks.

I never figured I was so smart or talented I wouldn't fall to procrastination, but I used to be better at pre-empting myself. Now I'm really good at undermining my immediate plans, more or less because there are no consequences. So now to sabotage the sabotage. Hm. I think i'll sign on for Nanowrimo. Post my word count every day at the facebook. No videos until I get down the minimum 1600 words.

I hate writing down plans because I always fuck them up. So. This time I just have to not fuck up. Right.]]>