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I'd just like to let you know that I watched the first ninety seconds of this video and felt so personally targeted that I'm in the process of closing all my tabs, turning off my laptop, and heading to bed. I don't want to do anything else today now and I don't even want to finish this video; I'll deal with it all in the morning. Good night and well done.
@@ShaunCheahI felt this too. It was like a weight lifting off my shoulders, only... there's was no wait like a child frantically trying not to drown, when they can stand on the pool bottom and breathe just fine. I find it funny that you immediately went to bed. I like that. I shall do that too. Thank you. Good night.
His version of "'focusing on the journey rather than the finish line'' by saying that we don't enjoy songs by how long they go on for, we enjoy them while we play them "' gives me a more clear understanding than the former because i can now relate it better.
Alan watts says just that. Life is like music, it’s about the song not the end result. If that were the case, the best composers would be those who finished their song quickest lol
@@Tckskater411Is the end result of the composer not creating a song that brings people so much joy? We enjoy some stories as a result of their end or climax. It's ok to have these opinions, I do too. But don't try justify never doing or trying anything in life with them. You'll only fool yourself, and when you look back some day it'll be with regret
The worst thing about being a serial procrastinator is that there's very little you can do to stop things from falling apart when life finally catches up to you. Seeking support is the best thing you can do when this happens. If or when you feel guilty about not doing those things before, remember that you can think about that and feel bad later lol
procrastinating and ignoring the responsibilities makes you detach from reality and makes the ones who believed in you even you disappoint in yourself. I am also procrastinator going through all of this now 😞
@@harishsanjay9304 Start doing things for yourself till you feel like you're good to set foot into the social world. There's no easy way to do this, but the hardships you'll face will turn into fond memories.
You don't do anything for weeks, then the deadline comes up and suddenly i find myself 6 hours a day hyperfocused on a task without any type of thought or distraction. I hate my mind sometimes
@losfogo7149 The mind is a very fickle thing, and your story feels similar to mine. You might have adhd. Meditation and coffee helped me, and I will be going to therapy for this soon. I believe you'll find a way to deal with your issue too. STAY HARD!!
Beautiful. Like Marcus Aurelius said: «Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness» Thank you! I believe you doing a truly important work, spreading ideas that can change lives!
TL;DR: "I didn't say that" - Sun Tzu Okay guys, I did my research and this is what I found about this quote. For context, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor who was one of the first Stoics, is a work that is a list of numbered ideas. And in fact, these are 2 completely different ideas that somehow merged into one on the Internet. Yes, the numbers come one after another, but there is a whole book between them (each book starts with 1). And I haven't found any mentioning of this, had to look for the quotes myself in the literature. Thanks Ctrl + F for existing. Book 7 56. "Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly." I like this interpretation: "..."Life", as in "The story of a given span of one human life" is exactly that: a story. Aurelius is telling us here to kill that story. Be dead, presently. Without the story there is nothing left but to respond to the present's calling, always with a clean slate, always free from the weight of the remembered past and imagined future..." - blip-blop-bloop, a redditor Book 8 57. “We speak of the sun’s light as ‘‘pouring down on us,” as “pouring over us” in all directions. Yet it’s never poured out. Because it doesn’t really pour; it extends. Its beams (aktai) get their name from their extension (ekteinesthai). To see the nature of a sunbeam, look at light as it falls through a narrow opening into a dark room It extends in a straight line, striking any solid object that stands in its way and blocks the space beyond it. There it remains-not vanishing, or falling away. That’s what the outpouring-the diffusion-of thought should be like: not emptied out, but extended. And not striking at obstacles with fury and violence, or falling away before them, but holding its ground and illuminating what receives it. What doesn’t transmit light creates its own darkness." First of all, this is not how light works. But my man lived in the second century, we can forgive him for his lack of knowledge in physics. As for the idea itself, there is nothing to add; he explained it himself. Takeaways: 1) Spread your knowledge 2) Don’t impose your ideas I spent around 2 hours on this investigation. Hope it helps :)
@@artimax7683when you were born you were given a mandatory death sentence to be carried out at some point in time you are unaware of, therefore living in such a manner so as to deny the fact that you are already dead from the moment you were born casts long shadows on a life that could be more fulfilling if you allowed it to be.
Honestly you either learn to not give much of a fuck after a while or it just swallows you whole. It took me 2 semesters in electrical engineering to figure this out.
@@shrumgus5608 Hmmm, a small percentage of my engineering calculus was composed of chemicals. It seems like a well-worth investment if you’re into it. It really depends where you’re from. I’m from the US, and most engineering degrees are pretty much equally as valuable.
I’m on week 1,766. I now have the job I used to dream about and yet I’m still not content. Society is constantly telling us to never be satisfied. Staying present and practicing gratitude takes a lot of work. It’s videos like this that help bring it back. Thanks.
Why do people think they need to feel satisfied? Of all the feelings evolution has selected for us to feel in order to continue, why would satisfaction appear?
stressing about time is something that has affected me deeply over the last few years as I grew from a teenager into an adult. It caused me years of frustration and after spending the last year working on it I have to say I feel that i've improved but this video hits the nail on the head and the way things were worded just clicked with me in a way that i've never been able to understand before. Thank you for making this video, it has brought a whole new perspective into my head.
i have spent more than half a decade in my own head talking to myself and barely kept afloat in relationships and studies and then job. I think time boundation was definitely one of the topics that took lot of space worrying. Only until life finally kicked me in dirt and i gave up on trying to do things on time with planning, i actually did better.
@@robinbaldrian3352don't know if this helps, but for me personally it all started with just taking care of myself better. Washing my face, brushing, flossing, working out, eating better, etc. Working out especially helped a lot, I was noticeably less stressed and I didn't think about my time or productivity for a couple hours afterwards. I don't know if this will apply to you either, but I also started just going into everyday with zero expectations. I'm not going to worry about cleaning, being productive, or using my time wisely, I'm simply going to do things when I want to. Whenever I start feeling bored, I think "okay maybe now is a good time to go clean the table, or fold clothes, or whatever else has to be done." Lastly, again I don't know if this applies to you, but sometimes I catch myself being on RUclips or social media all day. If that's you, get off TikTok or RUclips or Insta, and go watch a movie, read a book, play a story driven video game, listen to an album, watch a new tv show, etc; I say this because in doing these activities, you're consuming art, and becoming more culturally literate, and maybe you'll be inspired to watch, read, or learn new things. Plus, it'll probably help you socially as well, since you'll have more stuff to talk about as you engage with more art. Finally, just hang out with your friends and live life. Experience new things, try everything, be curious. But also don't be afraid to kick back and relax, do nothing. Everything is a balance, good luck man, I hope you can take something away from this
In my teens and I have to stay that it's the greatest thing learning that productivity isn't the thing that defines your worth. In a way, nothing does. Although sometimes I still feel like the urge of beating myself up comes, I've realized that there might be something more to life.
To me I feel like productivity is an illusion, even if I do get everything done, I often feel woefully unsatisfied with myself. It is also why it is easy to procrastinate to me, because the meaninglessness of the so called reward is equivalent towards complacency
If I become super productive with my job, I know they’ll just end up giving me more stuff to do. Productivity never really ends, and honestly just seems like a waste of time. A race to the bottom until you’ve burnt out. I COULD be the model employee, but what would I get out of it? In most jobs, nothing. Just more work, maybe get a nice employee of the month award, that’s it. There is no real incentive anymore for the employee to go beyond the bare minimum for the employer
@@CrimsonWolfStudios I got the tip somewhere that you can go to your boss and ask for a raise, and what they would want to see from you in order to justify the raise. Haven't tried it myself but if you want extra incentive to do well, you could try it.
"not for society, not for anybody, but for you". This is the exact advise I needed to hear. My entire life I was told I was smart and that I shouldn't waste my potential. This made me burnout and I haven't accomplished anything of value externally for 3 years. On the other hand, I've been working through traumas and becoming more comfortable being with myself. Part of me thinks the people who told me I was so smart and should make a name for myself were just using me as an excuse so they could stop trying themselves/are already full of regret because they gave up years ago. You make a good point about us being so insignificant. Who gives a crap if you try and "change the world". Most people will just hurt themselves and not make any significant change. Might as well focus on what we can do for ourselves. I think putting our selves first is the most selfless thing we can do because once we are finally at peace then we can give our best selves to those around us and bring others up to our level. Seems like so many people on social media are all lost and hurt themselves and are trying to help others when meanwhile they should just focus on themselves. Just a thought I had. Peace
You said it, man! This "you're so smart, work to become a world-renowned scientist / doctor / bla bla whatever" get so frustrating when you realize that you have toiled in school for literally decades and now you're miserable. It frustrates you so hard, I know it. You look behind and realize that "I really wanted to have fun and enjoy the things that I am passionate about" - and this Truth still rings true after all those years in school or at work. You feel scammed and made a fool of - your Truth was right there with you when you were little, and almost everyone around you insisted you ignore it and focus on "becoming great". So yes, realizing that you have to - need to - focus on yourself is the epiphany you needed right now. Well done, I resonated a lot with your comment! Also, the more you rant about this, the more of a service you do to anyone in a similar situation, so don't feel in any way bad for "bitching about it" because make no mistake, you are right!
This right here. I got the same messaging when I was younger, "you're so smart, go do great things, etc." and all it resulted in was frustration and burnout. Eventually I started asking myself why I'm doing all this work just so I can create more and more value for people in power, because it's not really adding any value to my own life. The purpose of education is to create sources of capital for those in charge, the last thing they want you to do is prioritize yourself, and so we end up in these mental traps where we define our worth based on our ability to produce.
I am so burnt out trying to be the worlds most succesful, world-changer engineer. You are so right I should be focusing on myself. I want to do so many things in life but can’t find time for them. Lost direction at that point in life.
@@omererenbay1229 I extremely appreciate your reply in reminding me of the comment I made. Wow! 7 months ago...that was right before I knew I got into a beautiful affordable apartment and I still feel kinda lost. But, I guess feeling lost is okay, it means we're trying. We live in a society of zombies with their heads down and minds off.
@@cenanuffz This reminds me of a common thought I have which is, I wish more people would question whether kids are for them, wait to move in with their gf, indefinitely if possible as having your own place is so peaceful, and just work 20-30 hours a week to cover basic living expenses, a few cheap thrills, and invest $100-200/month. The 40 hour workweek is such an outdated standard and people feel they have to work 40 hours. Also, retirement is so broken too. A lot of retirees die soon after turning 65 and going from 40 hours/week of work to zero because they have no purpose. I think we're built as humans to serve others, just gotta find what works for you even if that is just working at McDonald's. Whatever makes you happy. Then from that 20-30 hours a week transition to 10-15 and really you could stay at that amount forever. I understand people underestimating themselves when wishing they had a better job, but, a lot of the time I think they're looking for a massive pay raise to make it "worth it". Well, if you hate your job, even taking a pay cut or if you're earning minimum wage to just find another minimum wage can make all the difference. My Dad paid for a mechanical engineering degree for me, so it never crossed my mind to quit or do anything else. But, my 3rd year in college I had to go back and finish 1 failed credit I had to work at McDonald's as my dad's education investments wouldn't cover part-time. If my dad wouldn't have killed me at the time I would have stayed working at mcdonald's for the rest of my life. I was working 12 hours a week, renting a room with great housemates, had enough for groceries, my cellphone bill, and a cheap game subscription. I stayed in during the weekdays and meditated, watched movies, listened to music, and played games. On the weekends I hung out on campus. It was such a beautiful life. Thankfully my dad is very chill now and just wants me to do whatever makes me happy. I think both his parents dying made him realize life is short. I can honestly do a very similar lifestyle compared to when I was the most happiest in life 10 years ago. I'm married living separate (you should try it, it's so nice having your own place to design and live how you like) and go over to my wife's on the weekends and the odd day here and there. She also makes surprise visits when she does errands to see her cat she keeps at my place. My biggest problem is I'm now on disability income insurance and have been for 7 years. Sure, I have plenty of mental health conditions that qualify me. But, from how I feel I can tell you it's simply because I'm so damn burntout. Mental health "issues" were never a hurdle for me. I just put an immense amount of pressure on myself and still do which is why I've been burnt out for so long. I feel like I don't have permission to heal then get my life together. I don't even feel I have permission to be happy because I'm living off tax-payers dollars. Considering I was originally approved for 5 years, then after that was approved for life, reality should be screaming at me in the face going "It's okay, just fucking live man! Take better care of yourself". As one of my old college buddies said when I explained him this...pride is a bitch.
Productivity may be a my4h but money is not. No one WANTS to get into hustle culture, but young men across the developing world see it as their one and only way to make enough money and live a good life. That's why so many people are so adamantly defensive of it, and why it's so common to see young guys from eastern europe, middle east and south asia be so into it. It is, quite literally, a vain hope. The american dream, neatly repackaged into a convenient, bite sized bottle and shipped into the world.
I had a real epiphany standing in line to get some food one time- which I do almost every day. If I was to be angry that i had to wait everyday- i’d be angry a significant portion of my life, just because I couldn’t live in the here and now, and couldn’t enjoy just being there. Now I people watch, make conversation with random people, sometimes just take it all in. There’s plenty to do in the downtime… but I guess this also goes against another main point in the video, because there mustn’t be a need to force myself to do something in this downtime, rather let it spontaneously happen. Beautiful video, will always watch the next🙏🏽
tbh the fact that you said i only have limited time and will never achieve everything makes me want to structure my life even more and sort out the things i don’t need
See here lies the issue. The fact that YOU DO have limited time means you should fill it with important things that matter to YOU. People fill the need to bash “productive” people but fail to realize accomplishing YOUR goals make you fill fulfilled.
dude. after this I was like “I’m going to set goals to free up time to make my life fulfilled. what are the steps to do that?” and then I realized what I was doing
I bash productive people (not really, I just openly disagree with them verbally) because these people don't see any kind of negativity in pursuing their ambition. Most goals such as wanting a better social status, home, or job , directly competes with someone else's goal of that social status, home, or job. How many lives will you silently ruin in pursuit of your dreams?
As someone who struggles with procrastination and feels like I've never done enough, or need to finish a million things to get no more tasks being left, I needed this vid. If something will take your whole life to be done, and you'll only be happy once it's done, what then once you're done? Do we really need to produce so much? Do we need to remembered by all, when being remembered by some is enough? Why can't we be enough now, or just be fine with what we've done without worrying about what we will do? Biggest takeaway I got from this is that you literally cannot do every cool things or have every cool opportunity that you see out there. Having one "important" experience means you won't have time some other one, so we can't worry so much about doing the "right" activities all the time
ive found that when im extremely productive life never really catches up to me but i never really feel like I'm really living in the moment, whereas when I'm procrastinating for long periods of time, I'm living in the moment having fun for that period or so it seems, but when life catches up to me when the procrastination has gotten the best of me, then it hits hard, very hard.
I’ve always had massive anxiety around “wasting my time” which super ironically takes me out of the present. Even for hobbies, I feel like there are things I “should be working on” when they are ultimately purely for my own enjoyment. The best part is whenever I stop stressing I usually end up organically doing cool things I enjoy and when I stress I usually do things I don’t enjoy that much that are also not very engaging. No one does great, creative, fun stuff when they feel obligated or guilty. It’s something I still struggle with especially after lockdown where I had unlimited time but was under constant stress. Great reminder to not take it so seriously and take the pressure off ourselves.
this revelation hit me when an entertainment website i used to write for let me go. I at first felt upset, but then i felt relief as meeting the weekly quota was lifted from my shoulders. from then on, i decided to write for myself and i've never felt happier.
I would love to hear more about it. Have you just started to write as a hobby and do something else for money, or did you find a way to monetize writing what you enjoyed? I'm obsessed with this question of does doing anything for money ruin the enjoyment of doing it.
At this point in my life I'm really one for balance. Balance each aspect of life. Responsibilities, fun, productivity, rest, focus, relaxation, micro, macro, self introspection, and selflessness.
@@gaugea Balance is cool, I love it, but if not for the unbalanced constantly changing the limit of what's possible, we wouldn't move forward. "Know that your dedication will be misunderstood. Some relationships may break down. The savage is not a socialized beast, and an imbalanced lifestyle often appears selfish from the outside. But the reason I’ve been able to help so many people with my life story is precisely because I embraced being that imbalanced while I pursued the impossible dream of becoming the hardest motherfucker ever. That’s a mythical title, but it became my compass bearing, my North Star." - David Goggings
I’m currently working 40-50 hours a week with a 40min drive each way, going to school afterwards for 2-3 hours (40min away from my work and home), trying to maintain my house/relationships, go to the gym, and finish programming my little video game as a personal project. I have absolutely no time and I still feel like I’m accomplishing nothing. I already didn’t think I wanted kids before I got my own place, but this life experience just solidified my decision. I hope it gets easier.
It sounds like moving would be a good first step. Then possibly college online if possible. You are getting a lot done its just a bunch of stuff that doesn't have measurable achievment flags. The college and game do but they take time. Be proud that you are trying.
Four thousand weeks is a fantastic read, changed my perspective on productivity and efficiency entirely. It answers the question, “what should I do with my time” in a sane and digestible sense. A great antithesis to the endless anxiousness and misguided messaging that resides in a majority of books/podcasts/short-form video content.
i just got an overwhelming feeling of relief when you said "accepting our finitude, we begin to see the goodness in limitations. For one, things matter more when you know they'll eventually end.
I think wanting a legacy is quite valid actually, to a certain extent. I think the fact you're a grain of sand in a desert universe is irrelevant, because you can choose what amount of context to consider any event in to determine its meaning, and it'll change but no choice or meaning will be truer than any other. In other words, we tell finite stories about our lives and things in it, and one of the stories that may appeal to us to tell is of our contribution to society. It may be that the idea of a legacy is rooted more in a desire for fame and status that contribution, but being able to tell a story of ever escalating scale is quite dramatic. A smaller, more localized story can be perfectly meaningful, but the same drama is harder to find
Of course it's valid, but the point of the video is that we are limited beings with limited time and that our ideals should not overshadow the joy we can get from the present
If we are going cosmic in scale, a grain of sand may be nothing to a universe, but it may be everything to a microbe or something as large as an oyster.
I absolutely adore these videos so much; the amount of effort put in to them is insane. I only find myself shocked such good content is virtually free.
"To see a World in a Grain of Sand, and Heaven in a Wild Flower. / Hold Infinity in the Palm of your Hand, and Eternity in an Hour" -- William Blake. That's all the bucket list anyone needs.
The tragic of being a human comes from the hubris and contempt when one considers its own way of coping with life as definitive and morally superior and it’s willingness to assault whoever think differently.
Every time I get inspired to live my life or make the most out of the present moment, I struggle and feel stuck. Because I don’t know what to do with my life. I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I tried reading books, playing piano, studying-basically things that I suddenly want to do because I watched a random video, I read a thought-provoking passage, etc., but whenever I start to do those things, I feel this kind of “I feel like this isn’t what I want to do” feeling, that's why I always give up trying to do those things mid-way. I don’t know how I can find a thing I’d want to do for the rest of my life.
Thats why most humans fuk and have kids. Gives them meaning and purpouse, insinctualy, having a mouth to feed dose make you move, if it your own, your pets, your cattle, or your children. Thats life. Meaning is meaningless, all it means is something to keep you in this life, if you know what that is, its most likley love, then keep building a world for yourself where u can have that, build the soil, the nest, the structre for the house, and even then it will be overwhelming, its just life after all, but its like, forver. So just keep figuring out, dont think about it too hard, pit some music in your ear and keep moving forawrd, thats the only way I can get through this life anyhow. Dont stop moving, but its good to take a rest, do that for the rest-of-your-life.
Reading books, playing piano, and studying takes more effort and brain power than the other things you’d likely rather be doing. The brain is a muscle with these kinds of things, you train to failure faster when you get out of practice. They take effort and sometimes you have to push through little by little to create a habit. Eventually that habit can turn into a passion and become something you’re proud of. Balance is key though, will to power and amor fati are always at odds. But most importantly, make the decision and dont feel guilty.
Its really a matter of just trying everything until something sticks. It took trying out so many things for me until I realized what I really wanted to do. For me, I found that if I was doing one activity but thinking about another activity, I would then pick up that activity I was thinking about, and if I find myself losing track of time doing it, thats how I know its something worth doing.
I think you’re focusing on how you feel too much. Maybe that sounds weird, but feelings are so amorphous and unstable. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever find one thing that you feel great about all the time. I think you should find something practical that you don’t absolutely hate and commit to working at it until you’re good at it. If nothing else, you’ll have the experience of building a skill and the knowledge that you can do that. Whatever the case, sooner or later you’re gonna have to stop WONDERING what you WANNA do and start DECIDING what you’re GONNA do.
@@Slim_Charles This is fantastic advice. I just want to add on the importance of making sure that the goal(s) you do set in this way are achievable, measurable in a meaningful way, and chunked out in a way that you can have reasonable expectations for time to completion. For example: "Six months from now I want to be crossing the gap from amature to entry level professional in my hobbyist coding." That sounds super businessy, but I even find in video games I have a lot better time when a weekend starts and I say: "I'm going to aim to improve enough to at least beat the next three bosses in Lies of P" instead of something like: "I'm going to play a bunch of Lies of P this weekend." It seems nitpicky, but I find like the video highlighted that putting a box around what I want to do with the language I am using shapes my expectations and reactions to a play session. When there is a clear goal I don't have to think about the following when playing: what do I want to do in this session? why am I playing this game? ect. Personally also find that in committing to it you just play, and you even feel more accomplished when you do the thing you wanted since you closed the loop on the plan. IMO the biggest cause of why adults often say their hobbies no longer interest them anymore is because they engage with their hobbies with only the desire to have some type of arbitrary "fun". When in my experience this ephemeral "fun" is not something that can be sought on its own, but is something that happens in the midst of doing things.
Damn, I forgot all about Zombie Farm. Loved playing it on my iPod touch and syncing it to Facebook like Farmville. Life really is about all the simple pleasures, and how you make of it
I love this video! And it felt good to realize that I have applied a lot of these ideas in my life already: - I get a lot of satisfaction from my every day life. The meals I eat, the place I live, the people I spend time with. - I practice killing possible futures by making clear choices. I know what I’m focused on for the next 10 years of my life, because that is the time it will take to cultivate this handful of things into something truly great and special - I prioritize being-with-others
In my lifetime I want this video to go from a reflection of the current state of work, to a time capsule so we may remind future generations of the world we came from. And why it didn’t work.
This resonated with me,i have been running towards and away from so many things, thinking it wasn't or will be the ultimate thing that will make meaning and bring me worth, i have identified that im tired, but haven't quite got the way i can chill
- I think this video frames the productivity-obssessed person as someone who wants to accomplish a lot of things - emphasis on quantity. Someone who cannot have enough time to fulfill all their goals. But I think lots of people have more modest productivity targets, e.g. a couple big, compatible goals. For these folks, productivity isn't any bit futile and some points of the video become less relevant. - We're presented a quote that implicitly criticises (imo) associating self-worth with how one spends their time. However, to me, that seems like a pretty reasonable thing to do. We should absolutely value ourselves relative to our pursuits and priorities, which I'd say is synonymous with our time allocation. - Another quote suggests major religions converge in their emphasis on living in the moment. I'm not sure that's true. Imo Christianity advocates for actually sacrificing the present for heaven?
Associating self worth with how someone spends their time as a consequence to planning out ones whole life. The context is important, when following a to do list to a tee everyday and ruining your self worth everytime you fail to keep up is a recipe for a looong rehab phase. People are fluid and so are their goals, expecting to have the same wishes over a whole year is far fetched let alone a week.
I can see what you may mean, but I believe (and what I think the video is getting at) that associating self-worth with external pursuit, the things that you do, may be tempting but is often also limiting. Sure it is good to have drive and to have motivation to make use of one’s privileges, but again implying that one’s value is determined by how much they accomplish or how much they do at a given time is pretty damning. Though we can do everything in our power to maintain some sort of productivity, many things in the end are just out of our control and there are sure to be things that prevent us from being “productive”. I think that self-worth is much better preserved if we acknowledge that everyone has intrinsic value simply by virtue of being alive instead of attaching it to something outside ourselves.
It's OK to have goals and things you wanna do with your life but when there are a lot of factors outside of your control attaching your self worth to how close you are getting to accomplishing those can very easily become a way to get depressed if things don't go to plan
The to do-list is a central part of my day at this point, but it's always filled with so many things that they carry over to the next day. Trying to let go of the frustration of not being able to do it all in one day isn't always easy.
Cheers for the Oliver Burkeman introduction, that quote at 7:20 hit really close to things I've been processing in recent years. Thanks for your hard work, and for the minor way in which you've changed my life through awareness.
The problem is that I get 0 happiness from life, no dopamine, just stress. When I grind stuff in a game I enjoy it. When I have to do things irl I stress and thus I try to put it off, to run away which only leads to more stress.
Best youtube channel out there in my opinion , the amount of spiritual and emotional knowledge is so valuable i can’t even explain how helpful some of these videos have been answering some questions that i’ve been trying to answer for quite sometime now . Thank you sisyphus you’re already doing something so special you can be at peace no amount of uncertainty or anxiety should make you question yourself. Keep going keep nurturing our minds always be humble and thank you for everything .
Procrastination is just a form of self punishment. Not by doing nothing but by holding the task required in such high esteem that not getting it done becomes a burden. Remember. Burdens can be removed, just unalive the person asking you to do it.
I originally didn’t want to watch this video because I didn’t expect anything interesting. I decided to watch it anyways and I’m actually really glad I did! This is a really interesting perspective that I’ve never really been exposed to before. I still have big things I want to achieve that will take a lot of work and dedication but i feel a little more at peace with the short time ill have on earth. In other words thank you for making this because that’s a lot of anxiety of my shoulders
Men only have two moods: Self Improvement, “I need to leave a legacy”, and Realizing that we’re so much smaller and insignificant than we’ve convinced ourselves to be. Great vid
Just because were small doesn't mean we're insignificant. Little things can make big difference. Money is just little pieces of paper and metal with faces and symbols on them, but they make huge differences.
08:06 I really like this. When I consider what my greatest struggle has been in life, it has always been finding people with time for me. I thankfully found my wife, and I have my parents who keep a surplus for me, but many of my friends always had different schedules and would rarely have or keep time for us (this was before even jobs and relationships became a factor). I think, for this reason, I have always tried to leave free time in my life for people, just incase I/they need it.
I only made it to the 2:35 mark but really that's all I need. This has nothing to do with productivity. The underlying theme is escalating commitment, and that can be applied to pretty much everything. All of the philosophical fluff about life, control and optimization is just that. Fluff. When you do too many things, you escalate commitment to those things. When you do nothing at all, you escalate commitment to doing nothing. A healthy message to take away from all of this is just don't do either. It's not impossible to balance work and fun if you aren't shoehorning a thousand unnecessary tasks into your daily life. If your fun feels like a chore, you really aren't having any fun.
Some great points. I still think there is this balance here. It is pointless to over-stress about "not being productive" or doing too little things. But then again, the lyrics on Pink Floyd's "time" also resonates a lot: And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun. If solely live in the now, you mind find that all of a sudden a lot of doors are closing. Time can go by quickly. Another human contradiction I guess. 🤷♂
Gotta believe in the existence of doors and the mechanism of said doors being operated by anyone other than yourself in order to make that an issue, however. I never met a door I couldnt open. If I had, it would have been a wall.
@@Vanity0666 even tho this is less than truthful sometimes, given our societal organisation, with certain systematic flaws, I think this attitude is a lot more useful than getting upset over how unfair everything is. So yeah! Edit: for example, sometimes it is said or thought only the young would succeed in music. But I say, fuck em. I'm 31 now, but have a passion for music production. It's a hobby, not my source of income, so I can just do what I want there. Just create for creations sake.
@@Quadr44tdid you ever get beaten to the hospital for looking gay? Its alot easier said than done to not get upset about how unfair things are when you are waking up in the hospital from being unconscious and the first thing you think is "i hope my partner is okay and not dead somewhere in this hospital"
the problem with this video is the self-centred conclusion towards which it aims; modern individualism is merely a synthesis of this point of view inherited by deconstructionism started by Nietzsche and followed by the French Theory thinker (Foucault, etc...) upon which modern society thinks. Camus highlights all of those facts, but as this human condition is shared and universal, he suggests it should make us more engaged one to another, be it politically, socially, or just in the presence we give to others.
I always shit about not being productive, then I started being productive and started to burn out, so I took it easy, but I have big dream, private jet and penthouse dreams, unicorn boardroom dreams and I want to do that while my dad is still fit and healthy to see and feel my evolution, and now I’m hustling again, but now I don’t feel like shit, I don’t hate myself for not achieving an arbitrary goal, I keep working hard and struggling but it’s fun now. All I enjoy now are some of my hobbies, working and talking to people who make me feel loved
A lot of times the whole “we’re just little things on a little rock” notion pisses me off so i really appreciated the use of it to convey the relativity of significance. Much more productive imo !
it's still stupid. Legacies don't have to be everlasting and infinite in scope. Nobody is trying to be significant to the universe, they're trying to be significant to other people. As if an infinite amount of barren rocks and stars could ever be more significant than our existence as living beings.
This video helped alot for making me realize what i was doing wrong. I was focusing too much on my future plans due to the responsibility i will eventually have to carry on but now i realize that i cannot be prepared all the time for all events so i just gotta do what i can do with the limieted time i got and i will probably be just fine i am fine with living a life which makes me smile a little everyday i don't want to be a millionaire or billionaire but i just want enough money to enjoy life. I always thought i should do something so the world would remember me care for me and praise me but it was just my delusional thinking and my insecurities taking root. Thank you for making me realize a bunch of things i appreciate it!
I'm glad that in my late 20s I realised that I don't have to compete agains everyone around me that has more than I do. I don't need better career or earn more money, or travel to more places, or meet people more often. I realised that i don't have destructive habits, I'm quite healthy, smart enough, have few friends and acquaintances, and have traveled to quite few places. I'm happy enough most of the time, I don't have huge problems or huge stress at the moment. What else can you want? Copy an influencer ir celebrity lifestyles? I despise those people and the culture that allows them to be so visible. I'm enjoying a normal simple life that's all I need. I don't like podcasts that teach you to biohack yourself, to lift more, to exercise more, eat better, read more, make daily plans, make lists, meditate. I don't want that. If everyone is doing the same things then we're all becoming robots. I don't need to shoot for the stars as I would leave everyone and everything behind me on earth. I want to be here on the ground.
thank you for this video, ive always hated hustle culture because everyone’s work flow and work ethic are different plus it encourages healthy lifestyles in regards to sleep and just being in the present moment
Well, why would one activity really be better spend time than another in the face of absurdity? What I like to tell my self : Your time is well used when it is filled with effort. Effort means letting yourself be fully engaged in a task (flow) and doing it to the best of your ability. Similar to the Japanese philosophy of Ikigai, it doesn’t really matter what you do - make shoes, work out, cook - as long as you can find fulfillment in putting everything in that task. Whether this includes becoming “famous” In society or not is up to you. As always, it’s much more about the day to day journey than the destination. At least that’s what I hope.
I agree a lot with this, well said. Ultimately I believe in the meaning that comes from embracing the process more than a hypothetical magical destination where suddenly all your troubles are gone
im troubled as i would only find fufillment by recognistion and fame. i love doing things not in the spot light but being recognised for something. i procrastinate my ass off too. i been procrastinating starting youtube or comedy, podcast or things for years now. i dont think ill ever commit too. people tell me i could be a comedian or they want to record me or convos for youtube. all this destroys my head. im starting to just settle with learining iT or getting a good job. im terrified im becoming exactly what i didnt want to be
@@TheRealObama420bro you’re exactly like me. I wanna be recognized and have attention and friends, and some people tell me im super funny and should become and entertainer which gives me regrets about not starting a youtube career. But i think im just gonna get a degree in business and live a mediocre life
Pretty unremarkable comment here but the hazy filter you've applied to this video is so valuable to me. Slowly eases in the point of your video as I zone out, comfortably knowing I'm watching something that feels lofi and low maintenance.
I actually finished every task for the whole week once, but instead of feeling free I felt so empty for some reason, the games I wanted to play I didnt want to anymore, the things I wanted to eat I didnt want to anymore, and the places I wanted to visit I didn't want to anymore. Why is that? I assume its because of my ADHD.
Thats happened to me a lot. Ive found that in those moments when you realize you dont actually want to do what you think you want to do, its time to reevaluate your goals, what do you actually want, what actually fulfills you, what do you actually enjoy, instead of trying to please your past self.
Our brains are problem solving machines so it’s like once everything is done, we’re left with our self. It’s normal to feel this way… we’re constantly distracted so once we find a moment of peace it’s like we almost don’t know what to do
It's because you aren't used to being connected to your Self. Go on a solo hike of at least three weeks, preferably three months. No entertainment. You will be driven nuts in about a week, but at the end of it you will start to know who you are and what you want. (Obviously, work up to this with some shorter hikes--day, overnight, two days, four days--if you have never hiked before. And get a PLB, personal locator beacon. You could die, otherwise.)
Happens to me too. And it feels a bit like eating chips. The way I eat them sometimes, is by filling a small plastic container, and start prioritizing the broken chips, start eating those first, because they're broken, they're not the "perfect" chip, and I believe I wouldn't truly enjoy as much eating the broken ones, as much as I would enjoy eating and chomping on the intact ones, therefore I establish a small quest, "I must eat the broken ones, and then enjoy the few intact, good ones". The intact chips are my reward, the best part held in that container must come last, only after I got rid of the "inconvenience", that being the broken chips, I will truly enjoy eating the good ones. So there I go, doing just that, get rid of the "bad" ones, till I arrive to the good chips. And I'm usually left with a slight sense of void nothing too big, but still an odd feeling regardless. I don't really crave for the perfect ones anymore, and it's not because I'm not hungry anymore, it's just that it wouldn't really satisfy me the way I expected. And I realized that I seem to be enjoying much more the process, the task of getting rid of the bad, broken, unperfect chips is the part I find actually more enjoyable, despite oddly enough seeing it as a mere inconvenience, an obstacle to my reward, yet I enjoy the process of getting through that obstacle, while at the same time maybe even hating it. It could be because my brain prefers and finds more satisfying this type of small problem solving, despite finding it stressful to a certain degree, it enjoys more the act of fixing things up, getting rid of the annoying, bad stuff or inconveniences getting rid of things completely before earning it's reward. After receiving said reward, what is there do fix then? What is there to do? There is no task, enjoying yourself is not a task, not for your brain, you're not fixing or getting rid of a problem, you're not removing that rock that sits on your shoulders, because you already did. You're not struggling therefore there is no objective to complete. Anyway that's how I see it, I could be wrong..
From what I can tell about my own experiences, this is probably just a human thing, whether you got ADHD or not. Every time I finish my goals or get a big project done and then there’s nothing left to do, it feels like I lost whatever purpose I had no matter how little it actually mattered in the grand scheme of things. Personally, I rationalized to myself that I just wasn’t happy with the things I was working towards, so maybe the same thing applies to you. Are you happy with who you are and the direction you’re taking your life? Is there anything different you could do to feel more content when it’s you and your thoughts? Maybe thats a place to start investigating and have a serious conversation about with yourself.
You can only work so hard You can only know so much This was a very liberating realization I don’t need to push or force things Things take time just work, learn, try, and grow That’s all there is to it
Sometimes, our circumstances don't give us the choice. Expectations from others, not wanting to bite the hand that fed you. The only out for me is to be better in the present to have a brighter future where I'm no longer a burden to my loved ones but someone they don't have to worry about and who can give back. Guilt haunts me, thus lost time haunts me.
Dont feel guilty if they helped you, they did so and no one forces them to. If they are your Biological prarents then they owe u everything, dumb horny animals breed and make more mouths to feed, unless thats your plan as well, u owe them nothing.
It's not going to help much to hear this, because I know this is mainly an irrational fear you have, but just as the video states you have to let go of what you can't control. It's not going to help further your goals if you are worrying about these things. Think of it like a timed chess game. You can either try to maximize your chances of winning with future moves, or you can waste limited time thinking about past mistakes ("I had a mate in 2 but I missed it") and generally make your experience of the match more unpleasant.
@giannih5072 I appreciate the comment and you are correct in that living in regret is irrational and pointless in the sense that it doesn't help moving forward. In my case I spent years escaping from the reality of my family situation and living off the bare minimum while forgetting my dreams and consuming media, drugs, etc to blunt out the thinking. It's more of a self-reflection thing for me at this point to do better because I am capable of better. I've moved my hobbies into more productive things and life is getting better. Better job, fitness, getting back in touch with childhood dreams like the instrument I used to play, working towards another job that will get me the funding I need to build a business with friends who have come together around some ideas that can use our skillsets. So for me chasing the productivity is how I heal and begin to give back to the people that put up with me and sheltered me even when I was letting myself down. I was in a worse place when I wrote the first comment but things have gotten better since then, and I know how to take breaks when I'm overdoing it, and appreciate that time.
I had to give everything up when I became chronically ill... People seem to forget that I'm in constant pain. 6 years not a single second without it. When I see other people in their early 20s live their lives and I can't breathe too hard because I might trigger a flare... I'm so jealous of the people who can work and lead independent lives
Hustle culture is the epitome of maximal physical effort but no mental effort. It's like trying to win a chess match without any strategy and just by moving your pieces hard and obnoxiously aggressive every time you take your turn
Every french person I know loves that book because it shits on religion and Americans, meanwhile their work culture involves staying at the office until 9PM, pretending to be busy so that the boss thinks you're a team player.
@@authaire How? It's better to be in a feedback loop of failing than not doing anything at all. Bukowski failed to get success with his books for practically most of his life, it's when he became old and frail that he began to get recognition and that was in the early 90s, imagine if he just gave up. There's no reason to stop trying just because you are failing, no total gurantee you will win, but you will definitely be upping your chances compared to those who aren't even trying.
I, myself, am currently watching this video and I declare that it was a very productive and enjoyable use of time, and I do not regret my decision in any shape or form.
It’s a nice feeling to accomplish something you felt was impossible. Yet in the years of practice and toil, you somehow reach a peak of experience, and can say, “hey, I did that, wow!”, you did it because you could, for everyone around you. Not because you wanted to, but because you couldn’t.
I struggle with time and the many mysterious ways it affects me. The part about us being insignificant in the larger cosmic picture could not be more true but it is also not a negligible fact that the cosmic entities don’t have the capacity to judge us. Its the world we live in and people we interact with. And the constant contact with such a productivity and achievement based society can influence you more than any bigger perspective. I am not decrying this video but just putting it out there that sometimes and for some of us, its hard to ignore the pressures of society.
Most blue collar men know this. A plumber can come and fix your problem in 20 mins and charge you 400. It's not about the time or productivity, it's about competency and quality. If you can do the "impossible" in less time, it shud be worth more. Contrapositively, i've worked a white collar job and a part of the job is doing nothing but looking busy while i get paid by the hour, 0 productivity for $15 per hour.
Gosh I felt this. I have lately felt so much guilt enjoying “nonproductive” activities such as reading, watching tv, and playing video games, even though I enjoy them after my kids have gone to bed, after my school work is finished (I currently have a M.Div and Bachelor of Arts Degree, currently pursuing my BSN), after my work is finished (I work in hospice), and when I have spent time doing my devotions. I hate that it feels like such a trap. That I can’t unwind. That I feel guilt for just relaxing because I feel the need to “produce” or “be more”, even though I’m just slowly burning out. Idk. I’m learning to just live in the moment and let myself rest when I need rest, setting aside all of the internet gurus and motivation books that push nonstop productivity and busyness hustle culture. But it’s a tough thing to unlearn.
After this video I learned that beating off and watching youtube videos is actually really meaningful use of time, and the only thing wrong with it was my attitude. Thanks Sissyphus!
Thing is, 4000 weeks is probably plenty of time to do whatever you desire, even if they're big goals, you can still get a degree at 50... But people spend so much time thinking about wether these things are actually achievable and/or feeling overwhelmed along with a few other nasty things that a lot of that time is wasted. people consider themselves ''too old'' ''not good/talented enough'' ''my environment will not approve'' etc. etc. Almost all of those reasons are probably bullsh1t. I too, am very much guilty of this.
I think most goals people have are very achievable -- "I want a decent job, a wife/husband I love, maybe kids". Stuff like that. I rarely see lofty and unrealistic goals as the video implies. You should only worry about goals when you obsess over them pathologically or get in the way of your happiness. Also, if you're young you really _should_ be thinking of goals now. A lot of the people who do actually become upset that they didn't or can't achieve XYZ only become that way because they didn't start early enough. Most common big life goals _do not_ become easier as you get older. If you want more money, switching careers is harder the older you are. If you want a spouse, more people become taken as you get older. If you want kids, you have a time limit on that and you probably don't want to be raising kids at retirement age anyway. I don't say this to stress anyone, but just like compounding returns on investment you are MUCH better off starting sooner rather than later to achieve big goals, and all it takes is a _little_ bit of progress to stay on top. It doesn't have to consume your life, and it shouldn't. So, make goals, just be realistic and do not beat yourself up if you don't achieve your goals. I guarantee this is much better than going your life without any direction and living in the moment to the detriment of yourself in the future. Again, do it in a healthy way where you don't feel guilty for enjoying relaxation and free time and this is the best thing to do. Everything in moderation!
I can't believe this video is about the importance of time and there is 1m 30 second ad break- that's over 10% of your video. The dissonance is amazing to me.
Holy shit. This video deeply resonated with me. Shit I need to dig into this rabbithole. This is a stream of thoughts I have been looking for but was not able to really define it. I think I may have been brainwashed a little by these tons of productivity youtubers here on RUclips in the past years. I gotta get out of this. Thanks so much for sparking the fire in me man.
Berkman: Radical Incrementalism is accepting the limited control you have over the speed of an outcome. Josh: I do not control the speed at which lobsters die. Me: The internet is slow right now.
The only true thing I've learnt is to push electronics away and get bored enough until you do your obligations. And to never forget my Noblesse Oblige.
Hard if these obligations are in the computer. Recent year I have become disgusted of being in the computer, but I have to finish uni. I even started cooking (which I hated before) just to procastinate on schoolwork.
Distractions are as real as you make them. Same as our fears. It is up to the self to decide these things and whether or not they define your satisfaction.
I'm watching this on New Years' Eve, and I'm struggling with this exact problem. My therapist helped me identify it as a lack of "mindfulness". In the vein of CGP Grey's strategy of a "New Years' Theme" rather than a resolution, that's what I'm going with. In the last month, I've tried the necessary steps to it (meditation, practicing gratitude, enjoying my hobbies while I do them, rather than to "get them done", etc.), but it has been the hardest thing I've ever done. I've uprooted the way I live before, but I've never gone this deep, never uprooted what a capitalist society has taught me. I've only read theory, and even then, I'm only doing it to maximize my knowledge like any other currency. So I'm going to stop taking half-measures. I know what will make me feel good and what does make me feel good. I know the different types of good I feel, "pleasure" , "fulfillment", and "self-actualization". I will stop planning to do these things, as planning them is kind of the problem. I will wake up on January first and I will be living this new theme. Instead of dreading the chores of work and grooming and socializing, I'll simply do them, and not plan beyond what things I need to schedule. As I go, I'll type out what I did that met this theme, so that when I start slipping I'll have examples. Like a journal but with more utility. Even that's an example of maximizing productivity but you gotta start somewhere. If I remember, I'll see you all next year.
Love this animations, topics and just overall love this guy This reminds me of the video I never watched (because I procrastinate) of "Productivity Rips You apart" which has a nice thumbnail Keep it up !!
One of that episode's emphasis is that companies should focus more improving its system rather than encouraging its workers to "be more productive and work harder".
The simplest way to cure yourself of anxiety in this connection is to imagine what you would do if the opposite were the case: that you had infinite time. You would be in the same situation of defering everything into the future because you would always have more of it. So maybe finitude isn't your problem . . .
I think how one person is inclined towards a philosophical idea really depends on that persons' state of existentialism at that point in life or how they feel towards the remaining years they have. To some, maybe completing a lot of task/ achieving goals feels rewarding but to others, it may just be seen as very daunting thing to do, to constantly have to complete task/achieve something for years. Some others it's an in-between. Here's what I personally understood from this video, 1- Like it or not, we're all gonna leave earth someday, that's the same end for all of us, death. So why choose to live in a constant state of fear/anxiety/worry when you can slow down and try to enjoy every tiny little thing in life? 2- DO it scared anyway, it does not matter, what matters is how you are in the process 3- Be present in the now
I think with all that "productivity" stuff people are missing the key point: Why would you like to be productive? Is it because you want to have something to show off in front of your friends and colleagues? Is it because you want to prove yourself worthy to yourself or others? Is it because you have no other point in life? Is it because you have no hobbies so the only thing to spend time on is your work? Why do you do that?
These are great questions. Before putting so much pressure on yourself it makes sense to ask yourself whether it's reasonable to do so, or if the desire is honestly come by, whether it's worhwhile or whether it's foisted upon you. I keep having conversations with friends where they use work language to talk about their free time and it feels like an unhelpful and sad internalisation, both for them and me as I feel it rubbing off on me. I don't think people are this way until made to be. I've always been at odds with the notion of maximising on time this way. I'm not convinced I'm transparent enough to myself that I could even plan such a thing effectively, and if I'm honest I've always enjoyed the relative freedom of unplanned time. I like that I could do x on a whim or nothing at all. Either way it's potential that's at my command.
This was one of the greatest videos i’ve ever seen. It culminates all the ideas that mention living in the present and combine them into a less broad explanation. It’s like 1,000 Allen Watts lectures combined. However, I still think Allen Watts is important because it takes a lot of work to actually live in this mind set and not just watch this once think about it then go back to how you were living. Amazing video!
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I'd just like to let you know that I watched the first ninety seconds of this video and felt so personally targeted that I'm in the process of closing all my tabs, turning off my laptop, and heading to bed. I don't want to do anything else today now and I don't even want to finish this video; I'll deal with it all in the morning.
Good night and well done.
Just letting you know, your ad spot was a decent bit louder than the rest of the video, might want to watch that.
... no thanks!
@@ShaunCheahI felt this too. It was like a weight lifting off my shoulders, only... there's was no wait
like a child frantically trying not to drown, when they can stand on the pool bottom and breathe just fine.
I find it funny that you immediately went to bed.
I like that.
I shall do that too.
Thank you. Good night.
@@iamthekaverik You're welcome, and thank you for responding to me and acknowledging my words.
I slept well. I hope you did, too.
His version of "'focusing on the journey rather than the finish line'' by saying that we don't enjoy songs by how long they go on for, we enjoy them while we play them "' gives me a more clear understanding than the former because i can now relate it better.
Alan watts says just that. Life is like music, it’s about the song not the end result. If that were the case, the best composers would be those who finished their song quickest lol
@@Tckskater411 Lol for sure
@@Tckskater411endless store of bangers is Alan Watts
@@Tckskater411Is the end result of the composer not creating a song that brings people so much joy?
We enjoy some stories as a result of their end or climax. It's ok to have these opinions, I do too. But don't try justify never doing or trying anything in life with them.
You'll only fool yourself, and when you look back some day it'll be with regret
so real yes
‘If we can’t live a life fulfilled, we can live a life filled full.’ Absolute BARS
yeah, right before the advertisement
My favorite line from the video!!
that’s what i’m saying
Had to replay that
*snaps fingers*
The worst thing about being a serial procrastinator is that there's very little you can do to stop things from falling apart when life finally catches up to you. Seeking support is the best thing you can do when this happens. If or when you feel guilty about not doing those things before, remember that you can think about that and feel bad later lol
procrastinating and ignoring the responsibilities makes you detach from reality and makes the ones who believed in you even you disappoint in yourself. I am also procrastinator going through all of this now 😞
@@tiagomoraes1510 Then it's time to start all over again.
@@harishsanjay9304 Start doing things for yourself till you feel like you're good to set foot into the social world. There's no easy way to do this, but the hardships you'll face will turn into fond memories.
You don't do anything for weeks, then the deadline comes up and suddenly i find myself 6 hours a day hyperfocused on a task without any type of thought or distraction. I hate my mind sometimes
@losfogo7149 The mind is a very fickle thing, and your story feels similar to mine. You might have adhd. Meditation and coffee helped me, and I will be going to therapy for this soon. I believe you'll find a way to deal with your issue too. STAY HARD!!
Beautiful. Like Marcus Aurelius said:
«Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness»
Thank you! I believe you doing a truly important work, spreading ideas that can change lives!
That makes zero sense
@@yungrichnbroke5199 why?
@@ideadriven-i7h would you be able to explain the quote?
TL;DR: "I didn't say that" - Sun Tzu
Okay guys, I did my research and this is what I found about this quote. For context, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor who was one of the first Stoics, is a work that is a list of numbered ideas. And in fact, these are 2 completely different ideas that somehow merged into one on the Internet. Yes, the numbers come one after another, but there is a whole book between them (each book starts with 1). And I haven't found any mentioning of this, had to look for the quotes myself in the literature. Thanks Ctrl + F for existing.
Book 7 56. "Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly."
I like this interpretation: "..."Life", as in "The story of a given span of one human life" is exactly that: a story. Aurelius is telling us here to kill that story. Be dead, presently. Without the story there is nothing left but to respond to the present's calling, always with a clean slate, always free from the weight of the remembered past and imagined future..." - blip-blop-bloop, a redditor
Book 8 57. “We speak of the sun’s light as ‘‘pouring down on us,” as
“pouring over us” in all directions. Yet it’s never poured out.
Because it doesn’t really pour; it extends. Its beams (aktai)
get their name from their extension (ekteinesthai).
To see the nature of a sunbeam, look at light as it falls
through a narrow opening into a dark room It extends in a
straight line, striking any solid object that stands in its way
and blocks the space beyond it. There it remains-not
vanishing, or falling away.
That’s what the outpouring-the diffusion-of thought
should be like: not emptied out, but extended. And not
striking at obstacles with fury and violence, or falling away
before them, but holding its ground and illuminating what
receives it.
What doesn’t transmit light creates its own darkness."
First of all, this is not how light works. But my man lived in the second century, we can forgive him for his lack of knowledge in physics. As for the idea itself, there is nothing to add; he explained it himself. Takeaways:
1) Spread your knowledge
2) Don’t impose your ideas
I spent around 2 hours on this investigation. Hope it helps :)
@@artimax7683when you were born you were given a mandatory death sentence to be carried out at some point in time you are unaware of, therefore living in such a manner so as to deny the fact that you are already dead from the moment you were born casts long shadows on a life that could be more fulfilling if you allowed it to be.
As a college student constantly haunted by productivity, this video was unbelievably helpful. Thank you
It never really ends, life is as busy as you make it. The only difference is that in college you’re forced to do it
Honestly you either learn to not give much of a fuck after a while or it just swallows you whole. It took me 2 semesters in electrical engineering to figure this out.
If I stop giving a fuck, I won't get my degree tho...
I'm so done.
@@lustejonI’m considering pursuing a chemical engineering degree, have you heard much about those guys?
@@shrumgus5608 Hmmm, a small percentage of my engineering calculus was composed of chemicals. It seems like a well-worth investment if you’re into it. It really depends where you’re from. I’m from the US, and most engineering degrees are pretty much equally as valuable.
I’m on week 1,766. I now have the job I used to dream about and yet I’m still not content. Society is constantly telling us to never be satisfied. Staying present and practicing gratitude takes a lot of work. It’s videos like this that help bring it back. Thanks.
Why do people think they need to feel satisfied?
Of all the feelings evolution has selected for us to feel in order to continue, why would satisfaction appear?
@@synchronicity458programming and mass mind control
@@synchronicity458 This is so true. Satisfaction is a pusher, not a puller, so you will never find it looking forwards, only backwards.
stressing about time is something that has affected me deeply over the last few years as I grew from a teenager into an adult. It caused me years of frustration and after spending the last year working on it I have to say I feel that i've improved but this video hits the nail on the head and the way things were worded just clicked with me in a way that i've never been able to understand before. Thank you for making this video, it has brought a whole new perspective into my head.
Dude, may I ask how you did work on it? I think I have the same issue here and need a starting point. Any advice is appreciated.
i have spent more than half a decade in my own head talking to myself and barely kept afloat in relationships and studies and then job. I think time boundation was definitely one of the topics that took lot of space worrying. Only until life finally kicked me in dirt and i gave up on trying to do things on time with planning, i actually did better.
@@robinbaldrian3352don't know if this helps, but for me personally it all started with just taking care of myself better. Washing my face, brushing, flossing, working out, eating better, etc. Working out especially helped a lot, I was noticeably less stressed and I didn't think about my time or productivity for a couple hours afterwards.
I don't know if this will apply to you either, but I also started just going into everyday with zero expectations. I'm not going to worry about cleaning, being productive, or using my time wisely, I'm simply going to do things when I want to. Whenever I start feeling bored, I think "okay maybe now is a good time to go clean the table, or fold clothes, or whatever else has to be done."
Lastly, again I don't know if this applies to you, but sometimes I catch myself being on RUclips or social media all day. If that's you, get off TikTok or RUclips or Insta, and go watch a movie, read a book, play a story driven video game, listen to an album, watch a new tv show, etc; I say this because in doing these activities, you're consuming art, and becoming more culturally literate, and maybe you'll be inspired to watch, read, or learn new things. Plus, it'll probably help you socially as well, since you'll have more stuff to talk about as you engage with more art.
Finally, just hang out with your friends and live life. Experience new things, try everything, be curious. But also don't be afraid to kick back and relax, do nothing. Everything is a balance, good luck man, I hope you can take something away from this
@@lets_see_777 I do relate with me also talking to myself to deal with procrastination and just questioning if I'm going to pull myself together
In my teens and I have to stay that it's the greatest thing learning that productivity isn't the thing that defines your worth. In a way, nothing does. Although sometimes I still feel like the urge of beating myself up comes, I've realized that there might be something more to life.
It has been a pleasure being with you all during this time in history
This reminds me of the string quartet playing as the Titanic sank. "Gentlemen, it's been a privilege playing with you this evening."
Yo u good?
it really hasn't been all too pleasant, but I'm thankful for you guys nonetheless 🤗.
I'm sure it would have been a lot worse alone!
@@fiddlerfiddle5761na man, a lot of us aren’t.
Have a good one brother
@@AdamBorseti I thought the same 😂
To me I feel like productivity is an illusion, even if I do get everything done, I often feel woefully unsatisfied with myself. It is also why it is easy to procrastinate to me, because the meaninglessness of the so called reward is equivalent towards complacency
then maybe you're not doing what you really want to do
Procrastinating is hard for me. Even right now I’m being constantly reminded to get back to damn work
If I become super productive with my job, I know they’ll just end up giving me more stuff to do. Productivity never really ends, and honestly just seems like a waste of time. A race to the bottom until you’ve burnt out. I COULD be the model employee, but what would I get out of it? In most jobs, nothing. Just more work, maybe get a nice employee of the month award, that’s it. There is no real incentive anymore for the employee to go beyond the bare minimum for the employer
@@CrimsonWolfStudios I got the tip somewhere that you can go to your boss and ask for a raise, and what they would want to see from you in order to justify the raise. Haven't tried it myself but if you want extra incentive to do well, you could try it.
Then you don't feel fulfilled.
"not for society, not for anybody, but for you". This is the exact advise I needed to hear. My entire life I was told I was smart and that I shouldn't waste my potential. This made me burnout and I haven't accomplished anything of value externally for 3 years. On the other hand, I've been working through traumas and becoming more comfortable being with myself. Part of me thinks the people who told me I was so smart and should make a name for myself were just using me as an excuse so they could stop trying themselves/are already full of regret because they gave up years ago. You make a good point about us being so insignificant. Who gives a crap if you try and "change the world". Most people will just hurt themselves and not make any significant change. Might as well focus on what we can do for ourselves. I think putting our selves first is the most selfless thing we can do because once we are finally at peace then we can give our best selves to those around us and bring others up to our level. Seems like so many people on social media are all lost and hurt themselves and are trying to help others when meanwhile they should just focus on themselves. Just a thought I had. Peace
You said it, man! This "you're so smart, work to become a world-renowned scientist / doctor / bla bla whatever" get so frustrating when you realize that you have toiled in school for literally decades and now you're miserable. It frustrates you so hard, I know it. You look behind and realize that "I really wanted to have fun and enjoy the things that I am passionate about" - and this Truth still rings true after all those years in school or at work. You feel scammed and made a fool of - your Truth was right there with you when you were little, and almost everyone around you insisted you ignore it and focus on "becoming great". So yes, realizing that you have to - need to - focus on yourself is the epiphany you needed right now. Well done, I resonated a lot with your comment! Also, the more you rant about this, the more of a service you do to anyone in a similar situation, so don't feel in any way bad for "bitching about it" because make no mistake, you are right!
This right here. I got the same messaging when I was younger, "you're so smart, go do great things, etc." and all it resulted in was frustration and burnout. Eventually I started asking myself why I'm doing all this work just so I can create more and more value for people in power, because it's not really adding any value to my own life. The purpose of education is to create sources of capital for those in charge, the last thing they want you to do is prioritize yourself, and so we end up in these mental traps where we define our worth based on our ability to produce.
I am so burnt out trying to be the worlds most succesful, world-changer engineer. You are so right I should be focusing on myself. I want to do so many things in life but can’t find time for them. Lost direction at that point in life.
@@omererenbay1229 I extremely appreciate your reply in reminding me of the comment I made. Wow! 7 months ago...that was right before I knew I got into a beautiful affordable apartment and I still feel kinda lost. But, I guess feeling lost is okay, it means we're trying. We live in a society of zombies with their heads down and minds off.
@@cenanuffz This reminds me of a common thought I have which is, I wish more people would question whether kids are for them, wait to move in with their gf, indefinitely if possible as having your own place is so peaceful, and just work 20-30 hours a week to cover basic living expenses, a few cheap thrills, and invest $100-200/month. The 40 hour workweek is such an outdated standard and people feel they have to work 40 hours. Also, retirement is so broken too. A lot of retirees die soon after turning 65 and going from 40 hours/week of work to zero because they have no purpose. I think we're built as humans to serve others, just gotta find what works for you even if that is just working at McDonald's. Whatever makes you happy. Then from that 20-30 hours a week transition to 10-15 and really you could stay at that amount forever. I understand people underestimating themselves when wishing they had a better job, but, a lot of the time I think they're looking for a massive pay raise to make it "worth it". Well, if you hate your job, even taking a pay cut or if you're earning minimum wage to just find another minimum wage can make all the difference. My Dad paid for a mechanical engineering degree for me, so it never crossed my mind to quit or do anything else. But, my 3rd year in college I had to go back and finish 1 failed credit I had to work at McDonald's as my dad's education investments wouldn't cover part-time. If my dad wouldn't have killed me at the time I would have stayed working at mcdonald's for the rest of my life. I was working 12 hours a week, renting a room with great housemates, had enough for groceries, my cellphone bill, and a cheap game subscription. I stayed in during the weekdays and meditated, watched movies, listened to music, and played games. On the weekends I hung out on campus. It was such a beautiful life. Thankfully my dad is very chill now and just wants me to do whatever makes me happy. I think both his parents dying made him realize life is short. I can honestly do a very similar lifestyle compared to when I was the most happiest in life 10 years ago. I'm married living separate (you should try it, it's so nice having your own place to design and live how you like) and go over to my wife's on the weekends and the odd day here and there. She also makes surprise visits when she does errands to see her cat she keeps at my place. My biggest problem is I'm now on disability income insurance and have been for 7 years. Sure, I have plenty of mental health conditions that qualify me. But, from how I feel I can tell you it's simply because I'm so damn burntout. Mental health "issues" were never a hurdle for me. I just put an immense amount of pressure on myself and still do which is why I've been burnt out for so long. I feel like I don't have permission to heal then get my life together. I don't even feel I have permission to be happy because I'm living off tax-payers dollars. Considering I was originally approved for 5 years, then after that was approved for life, reality should be screaming at me in the face going "It's okay, just fucking live man! Take better care of yourself". As one of my old college buddies said when I explained him this...pride is a bitch.
Productivity may be a my4h but money is not. No one WANTS to get into hustle culture, but young men across the developing world see it as their one and only way to make enough money and live a good life.
That's why so many people are so adamantly defensive of it, and why it's so common to see young guys from eastern europe, middle east and south asia be so into it.
It is, quite literally, a vain hope. The american dream, neatly repackaged into a convenient, bite sized bottle and shipped into the world.
facts
Facts
🤯
Thats why its a myth.. in Asia East Europe Middle East money is only owned by the oligarchs, the masses just work for a slice of pie
Don’t buy into it. Evolve.
I had a real epiphany standing in line to get some food one time- which I do almost every day. If I was to be angry that i had to wait everyday- i’d be angry a significant portion of my life, just because I couldn’t live in the here and now, and couldn’t enjoy just being there. Now I people watch, make conversation with random people, sometimes just take it all in. There’s plenty to do in the downtime… but I guess this also goes against another main point in the video, because there mustn’t be a need to force myself to do something in this downtime, rather let it spontaneously happen. Beautiful video, will always watch the next🙏🏽
tbh the fact that you said i only have limited time and will never achieve everything makes me want to structure my life even more and sort out the things i don’t need
Listen to me. perfection is something you don't need. Rest and recreation is something you do need. Success is not an equation.
See here lies the issue. The fact that YOU DO have limited time means you should fill it with important things that matter to YOU. People fill the need to bash “productive” people but fail to realize accomplishing YOUR goals make you fill fulfilled.
dude. after this I was like “I’m going to set goals to free up time to make my life fulfilled. what are the steps to do that?” and then I realized what I was doing
EXACTLYYYY @@qwerty1994ize
I bash productive people (not really, I just openly disagree with them verbally) because these people don't see any kind of negativity in pursuing their ambition.
Most goals such as wanting a better social status, home, or job , directly competes with someone else's goal of that social status, home, or job.
How many lives will you silently ruin in pursuit of your dreams?
As someone who struggles with procrastination and feels like I've never done enough, or need to finish a million things to get no more tasks being left, I needed this vid.
If something will take your whole life to be done, and you'll only be happy once it's done, what then once you're done? Do we really need to produce so much? Do we need to remembered by all, when being remembered by some is enough? Why can't we be enough now, or just be fine with what we've done without worrying about what we will do?
Biggest takeaway I got from this is that you literally cannot do every cool things or have every cool opportunity that you see out there. Having one "important" experience means you won't have time some other one, so we can't worry so much about doing the "right" activities all the time
ive found that when im extremely productive life never really catches up to me but i never really feel like I'm really living in the moment, whereas when I'm procrastinating for long periods of time, I'm living in the moment having fun for that period or so it seems, but when life catches up to me when the procrastination has gotten the best of me, then it hits hard, very hard.
I’ve always had massive anxiety around “wasting my time” which super ironically takes me out of the present. Even for hobbies, I feel like there are things I “should be working on” when they are ultimately purely for my own enjoyment. The best part is whenever I stop stressing I usually end up organically doing cool things I enjoy and when I stress I usually do things I don’t enjoy that much that are also not very engaging. No one does great, creative, fun stuff when they feel obligated or guilty. It’s something I still struggle with especially after lockdown where I had unlimited time but was under constant stress. Great reminder to not take it so seriously and take the pressure off ourselves.
this revelation hit me when an entertainment website i used to write for let me go. I at first felt upset, but then i felt relief as meeting the weekly quota was lifted from my shoulders. from then on, i decided to write for myself and i've never felt happier.
I would love to hear more about it. Have you just started to write as a hobby and do something else for money, or did you find a way to monetize writing what you enjoyed?
I'm obsessed with this question of does doing anything for money ruin the enjoyment of doing it.
At this point in my life I'm really one for balance.
Balance each aspect of life. Responsibilities, fun, productivity, rest, focus, relaxation, micro, macro, self introspection, and selflessness.
maybe because im young, but i cannot stand balance
@@gaugea Balance is cool, I love it, but if not for the unbalanced constantly changing the limit of what's possible, we wouldn't move forward.
"Know that your dedication will be misunderstood. Some relationships
may break down. The savage is not a socialized beast, and an imbalanced
lifestyle often appears selfish from the outside. But the reason I’ve been able to help so many people with my life story is precisely because I embraced being that imbalanced while I pursued the impossible dream of becoming the hardest motherfucker ever. That’s a mythical title, but it became my compass bearing, my North Star."
- David Goggings
"I'm not saying you should be like me" - David Goggins
I’m currently working 40-50 hours a week with a 40min drive each way, going to school afterwards for 2-3 hours (40min away from my work and home), trying to maintain my house/relationships, go to the gym, and finish programming my little video game as a personal project.
I have absolutely no time and I still feel like I’m accomplishing nothing. I already didn’t think I wanted kids before I got my own place, but this life experience just solidified my decision. I hope it gets easier.
well youre definitely doing something..
It sounds like moving would be a good first step. Then possibly college online if possible. You are getting a lot done its just a bunch of stuff that doesn't have measurable achievment flags. The college and game do but they take time. Be proud that you are trying.
You definitly are accomplishing nothing, wasting your time (and money) going to school
@@redrustyhill2 It’s an engineering degree, not a game degree lol. I also have been paying cash because it’s community college.
You're such a warrior, I would think that a week definitely does not have that much time !!
We can never face the fact, that we can only do one thing at a time. Damn bro
Four thousand weeks is a fantastic read, changed my perspective on productivity and efficiency entirely. It answers the question, “what should I do with my time” in a sane and digestible sense. A great antithesis to the endless anxiousness and misguided messaging that resides in a majority of books/podcasts/short-form video content.
i just got an overwhelming feeling of relief when you said "accepting our finitude, we begin to see the goodness in limitations. For one, things matter more when you know they'll eventually end.
I think wanting a legacy is quite valid actually, to a certain extent. I think the fact you're a grain of sand in a desert universe is irrelevant, because you can choose what amount of context to consider any event in to determine its meaning, and it'll change but no choice or meaning will be truer than any other. In other words, we tell finite stories about our lives and things in it, and one of the stories that may appeal to us to tell is of our contribution to society. It may be that the idea of a legacy is rooted more in a desire for fame and status that contribution, but being able to tell a story of ever escalating scale is quite dramatic. A smaller, more localized story can be perfectly meaningful, but the same drama is harder to find
yes!
Of course it's valid, but the point of the video is that we are limited beings with limited time and that our ideals should not overshadow the joy we can get from the present
You are free to tell yourself whatever story you wish. Give yourself however much meaning you want to have. After we are all gone, it won't matter.
If there is no meaning to life it doesnt matter what you do you a lasting impact doesnt matter
If we are going cosmic in scale, a grain of sand may be nothing to a universe, but it may be everything to a microbe or something as large as an oyster.
Four Thousand Weeks is like my favorite book ever thanks for making this video I hope more people read it it's super awesome
what's it like?
You know, I'm literally watching this video instead of being productive and revising for my exams.
I absolutely adore these videos so much; the amount of effort put in to them is insane. I only find myself shocked such good content is virtually free.
"To see a World in a Grain of Sand, and Heaven in a Wild Flower. / Hold Infinity in the Palm of your Hand, and Eternity in an Hour" -- William Blake. That's all the bucket list anyone needs.
Real shit right there
The tragic of being a human comes from the hubris and contempt when one considers its own way of coping with life as definitive and morally superior and it’s willingness to assault whoever think differently.
Every time I get inspired to live my life or make the most out of the present moment, I struggle and feel stuck. Because I don’t know what to do with my life. I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I tried reading books, playing piano, studying-basically things that I suddenly want to do because I watched a random video, I read a thought-provoking passage, etc., but whenever I start to do those things, I feel this kind of “I feel like this isn’t what I want to do” feeling, that's why I always give up trying to do those things mid-way. I don’t know how I can find a thing I’d want to do for the rest of my life.
Thats why most humans fuk and have kids. Gives them meaning and purpouse, insinctualy, having a mouth to feed dose make you move, if it your own, your pets, your cattle, or your children. Thats life. Meaning is meaningless, all it means is something to keep you in this life, if you know what that is, its most likley love, then keep building a world for yourself where u can have that, build the soil, the nest, the structre for the house, and even then it will be overwhelming, its just life after all, but its like, forver. So just keep figuring out, dont think about it too hard, pit some music in your ear and keep moving forawrd, thats the only way I can get through this life anyhow. Dont stop moving, but its good to take a rest, do that for the rest-of-your-life.
Reading books, playing piano, and studying takes more effort and brain power than the other things you’d likely rather be doing. The brain is a muscle with these kinds of things, you train to failure faster when you get out of practice. They take effort and sometimes you have to push through little by little to create a habit. Eventually that habit can turn into a passion and become something you’re proud of. Balance is key though, will to power and amor fati are always at odds. But most importantly, make the decision and dont feel guilty.
Its really a matter of just trying everything until something sticks. It took trying out so many things for me until I realized what I really wanted to do.
For me, I found that if I was doing one activity but thinking about another activity, I would then pick up that activity I was thinking about, and if I find myself losing track of time doing it, thats how I know its something worth doing.
I think you’re focusing on how you feel too much. Maybe that sounds weird, but feelings are so amorphous and unstable. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever find one thing that you feel great about all the time. I think you should find something practical that you don’t absolutely hate and commit to working at it until you’re good at it. If nothing else, you’ll have the experience of building a skill and the knowledge that you can do that. Whatever the case, sooner or later you’re gonna have to stop WONDERING what you WANNA do and start DECIDING what you’re GONNA do.
@@Slim_Charles This is fantastic advice. I just want to add on the importance of making sure that the goal(s) you do set in this way are achievable, measurable in a meaningful way, and chunked out in a way that you can have reasonable expectations for time to completion. For example: "Six months from now I want to be crossing the gap from amature to entry level professional in my hobbyist coding."
That sounds super businessy, but I even find in video games I have a lot better time when a weekend starts and I say: "I'm going to aim to improve enough to at least beat the next three bosses in Lies of P" instead of something like: "I'm going to play a bunch of Lies of P this weekend." It seems nitpicky, but I find like the video highlighted that putting a box around what I want to do with the language I am using shapes my expectations and reactions to a play session. When there is a clear goal I don't have to think about the following when playing: what do I want to do in this session? why am I playing this game? ect. Personally also find that in committing to it you just play, and you even feel more accomplished when you do the thing you wanted since you closed the loop on the plan.
IMO the biggest cause of why adults often say their hobbies no longer interest them anymore is because they engage with their hobbies with only the desire to have some type of arbitrary "fun". When in my experience this ephemeral "fun" is not something that can be sought on its own, but is something that happens in the midst of doing things.
and this is why we have an unprecedented modern epidemic of depression , ADHD and burnout: it is the legacy of Byung-Chul Han's achievement society
One of the best video's I've seen on this channel. It honestly made me feel a little better cuz all I do is work and I never seem to "get anywhere".
Damn, I forgot all about Zombie Farm. Loved playing it on my iPod touch and syncing it to Facebook like Farmville. Life really is about all the simple pleasures, and how you make of it
I love this video! And it felt good to realize that I have applied a lot of these ideas in my life already:
- I get a lot of satisfaction from my every day life. The meals I eat, the place I live, the people I spend time with.
- I practice killing possible futures by making clear choices. I know what I’m focused on for the next 10 years of my life, because that is the time it will take to cultivate this handful of things into something truly great and special
- I prioritize being-with-others
You have a cool mindset my friend.
In my lifetime I want this video to go from a reflection of the current state of work, to a time capsule so we may remind future generations of the world we came from. And why it didn’t work.
This resonated with me,i have been running towards and away from so many things, thinking it wasn't or will be the ultimate thing that will make meaning and bring me worth, i have identified that im tired, but haven't quite got the way i can chill
- I think this video frames the productivity-obssessed person as someone who wants to accomplish a lot of things - emphasis on quantity. Someone who cannot have enough time to fulfill all their goals. But I think lots of people have more modest productivity targets, e.g. a couple big, compatible goals. For these folks, productivity isn't any bit futile and some points of the video become less relevant.
- We're presented a quote that implicitly criticises (imo) associating self-worth with how one spends their time. However, to me, that seems like a pretty reasonable thing to do. We should absolutely value ourselves relative to our pursuits and priorities, which I'd say is synonymous with our time allocation.
- Another quote suggests major religions converge in their emphasis on living in the moment. I'm not sure that's true. Imo Christianity advocates for actually sacrificing the present for heaven?
Associating self worth with how someone spends their time as a consequence to planning out ones whole life. The context is important, when following a to do list to a tee everyday and ruining your self worth everytime you fail to keep up is a recipe for a looong rehab phase. People are fluid and so are their goals, expecting to have the same wishes over a whole year is far fetched let alone a week.
I can see what you may mean, but I believe (and what I think the video is getting at) that associating self-worth with external pursuit, the things that you do, may be tempting but is often also limiting. Sure it is good to have drive and to have motivation to make use of one’s privileges, but again implying that one’s value is determined by how much they accomplish or how much they do at a given time is pretty damning. Though we can do everything in our power to maintain some sort of productivity, many things in the end are just out of our control and there are sure to be things that prevent us from being “productive”. I think that self-worth is much better preserved if we acknowledge that everyone has intrinsic value simply by virtue of being alive instead of attaching it to something outside ourselves.
@michelle5568 this
It's OK to have goals and things you wanna do with your life but when there are a lot of factors outside of your control attaching your self worth to how close you are getting to accomplishing those can very easily become a way to get depressed if things don't go to plan
@@michelle5568 💯
The to do-list is a central part of my day at this point, but it's always filled with so many things that they carry over to the next day. Trying to let go of the frustration of not being able to do it all in one day isn't always easy.
We are slaves taught to believe we are free.
Cheers for the Oliver Burkeman introduction, that quote at 7:20 hit really close to things I've been processing in recent years. Thanks for your hard work, and for the minor way in which you've changed my life through awareness.
The problem is that I get 0 happiness from life, no dopamine, just stress. When I grind stuff in a game I enjoy it. When I have to do things irl I stress and thus I try to put it off, to run away which only leads to more stress.
much timely, relevant, and helpful as always. Take care always my brother
Best youtube channel out there in my opinion , the amount of spiritual and emotional knowledge is so valuable i can’t even explain how helpful some of these videos have been answering some questions that i’ve been trying to answer for quite sometime now .
Thank you sisyphus you’re already doing something so special you can be at peace no amount of uncertainty or anxiety should make you question yourself.
Keep going keep nurturing our minds always be humble and thank you for everything .
You shouldnt want to "get everything done", youll be working till your dead.
Procrastination is just a form of self punishment. Not by doing nothing but by holding the task required in such high esteem that not getting it done becomes a burden.
Remember. Burdens can be removed, just unalive the person asking you to do it.
I originally didn’t want to watch this video because I didn’t expect anything interesting. I decided to watch it anyways and I’m actually really glad I did! This is a really interesting perspective that I’ve never really been exposed to before. I still have big things I want to achieve that will take a lot of work and dedication but i feel a little more at peace with the short time ill have on earth.
In other words thank you for making this because that’s a lot of anxiety of my shoulders
Thanks!
Men only have two moods:
Self Improvement, “I need to leave a legacy”,
and
Realizing that we’re so much smaller and insignificant than we’ve convinced ourselves to be.
Great vid
Condensing a complex being to two moods is how you get stuck flailing around in a complex world with such simple views.
@@isaacnoneyabizz9630 it's just a meme man hahaha
@@crematta true lol.
Just because were small doesn't mean we're insignificant. Little things can make big difference. Money is just little pieces of paper and metal with faces and symbols on them, but they make huge differences.
08:06 I really like this. When I consider what my greatest struggle has been in life, it has always been finding people with time for me. I thankfully found my wife, and I have my parents who keep a surplus for me, but many of my friends always had different schedules and would rarely have or keep time for us (this was before even jobs and relationships became a factor). I think, for this reason, I have always tried to leave free time in my life for people, just incase I/they need it.
I only made it to the 2:35 mark but really that's all I need. This has nothing to do with productivity. The underlying theme is escalating commitment, and that can be applied to pretty much everything. All of the philosophical fluff about life, control and optimization is just that. Fluff. When you do too many things, you escalate commitment to those things. When you do nothing at all, you escalate commitment to doing nothing. A healthy message to take away from all of this is just don't do either. It's not impossible to balance work and fun if you aren't shoehorning a thousand unnecessary tasks into your daily life. If your fun feels like a chore, you really aren't having any fun.
Dawg here I am stuck in a mental war
And this right here
Gave me such relief that I even teared up
God bless you sir, keep up the good work
you got this
Some great points. I still think there is this balance here. It is pointless to over-stress about "not being productive" or doing too little things.
But then again, the lyrics on Pink Floyd's "time" also resonates a lot: And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
If solely live in the now, you mind find that all of a sudden a lot of doors are closing. Time can go by quickly. Another human contradiction I guess. 🤷♂
God damn that song so good i got goosebumps only from reading it in your comment
Gotta believe in the existence of doors and the mechanism of said doors being operated by anyone other than yourself in order to make that an issue, however.
I never met a door I couldnt open. If I had, it would have been a wall.
@@Vanity0666 even tho this is less than truthful sometimes, given our societal organisation, with certain systematic flaws, I think this attitude is a lot more useful than getting upset over how unfair everything is. So yeah!
Edit: for example, sometimes it is said or thought only the young would succeed in music. But I say, fuck em. I'm 31 now, but have a passion for music production. It's a hobby, not my source of income, so I can just do what I want there. Just create for creations sake.
@@Quadr44tdid you ever get beaten to the hospital for looking gay? Its alot easier said than done to not get upset about how unfair things are when you are waking up in the hospital from being unconscious and the first thing you think is "i hope my partner is okay and not dead somewhere in this hospital"
@@Vanity0666 very true
4,000 weeks is not alot of time in a grand scheme of things. Crazy to think that you aren't even guaranteed that time.
the problem with this video is the self-centred conclusion towards which it aims; modern individualism is merely a synthesis of this point of view inherited by deconstructionism started by Nietzsche and followed by the French Theory thinker (Foucault, etc...) upon which modern society thinks. Camus highlights all of those facts, but as this human condition is shared and universal, he suggests it should make us more engaged one to another, be it politically, socially, or just in the presence we give to others.
I always shit about not being productive, then I started being productive and started to burn out, so I took it easy, but I have big dream, private jet and penthouse dreams, unicorn boardroom dreams and I want to do that while my dad is still fit and healthy to see and feel my evolution, and now I’m hustling again, but now I don’t feel like shit, I don’t hate myself for not achieving an arbitrary goal, I keep working hard and struggling but it’s fun now. All I enjoy now are some of my hobbies, working and talking to people who make me feel loved
A lot of times the whole “we’re just little things on a little rock” notion pisses me off so i really appreciated the use of it to convey the relativity of significance. Much more productive imo !
it's still stupid. Legacies don't have to be everlasting and infinite in scope. Nobody is trying to be significant to the universe, they're trying to be significant to other people. As if an infinite amount of barren rocks and stars could ever be more significant than our existence as living beings.
Just because we're small doesn't mean were insignificant.
Getting older made me realize that time is a currency and I have to use it wisely
The idea that you can expect even four thousand weeks is the greatest fallacy of all. Enjoy your day, unless you have other plans.
This video helped alot for making me realize what i was doing wrong. I was focusing too much on my future plans due to the responsibility i will eventually have to carry on but now i realize that i cannot be prepared all the time for all events so i just gotta do what i can do with the limieted time i got and i will probably be just fine i am fine with living a life which makes me smile a little everyday i don't want to be a millionaire or billionaire but i just want enough money to enjoy life. I always thought i should do something so the world would remember me care for me and praise me but it was just my delusional thinking and my insecurities taking root.
Thank you for making me realize a bunch of things i appreciate it!
I'm glad that in my late 20s I realised that I don't have to compete agains everyone around me that has more than I do. I don't need better career or earn more money, or travel to more places, or meet people more often. I realised that i don't have destructive habits, I'm quite healthy, smart enough, have few friends and acquaintances, and have traveled to quite few places. I'm happy enough most of the time, I don't have huge problems or huge stress at the moment. What else can you want? Copy an influencer ir celebrity lifestyles? I despise those people and the culture that allows them to be so visible. I'm enjoying a normal simple life that's all I need. I don't like podcasts that teach you to biohack yourself, to lift more, to exercise more, eat better, read more, make daily plans, make lists, meditate. I don't want that. If everyone is doing the same things then we're all becoming robots.
I don't need to shoot for the stars as I would leave everyone and everything behind me on earth. I want to be here on the ground.
Are you saying you are okay in your "comfort" zone, which is just mid level?
thank you for this video, ive always hated hustle culture because everyone’s work flow and work ethic are different plus it encourages healthy lifestyles in regards to sleep and just being in the present moment
Well, why would one activity really be better spend time than another in the face of absurdity?
What I like to tell my self : Your time is well used when it is filled with effort. Effort means letting yourself be fully engaged in a task (flow) and doing it to the best of your ability.
Similar to the Japanese philosophy of Ikigai, it doesn’t really matter what you do - make shoes, work out, cook - as long as you can find fulfillment in putting everything in that task. Whether this includes becoming “famous” In society or not is up to you. As always, it’s much more about the day to day journey than the destination. At least that’s what I hope.
I agree a lot with this, well said. Ultimately I believe in the meaning that comes from embracing the process more than a hypothetical magical destination where suddenly all your troubles are gone
It’s all about the journey! 🚀
I like that you have Mob as your profile pic
im troubled as i would only find fufillment by recognistion and fame. i love doing things not in the spot light but being recognised for something. i procrastinate my ass off too. i been procrastinating starting youtube or comedy, podcast or things for years now. i dont think ill ever commit too. people tell me i could be a comedian or they want to record me or convos for youtube. all this destroys my head. im starting to just settle with learining iT or getting a good job. im terrified im becoming exactly what i didnt want to be
@@TheRealObama420bro you’re exactly like me. I wanna be recognized and have attention and friends, and some people tell me im super funny and should become and entertainer which gives me regrets about not starting a youtube career. But i think im just gonna get a degree in business and live a mediocre life
Pretty unremarkable comment here but the hazy filter you've applied to this video is so valuable to me. Slowly eases in the point of your video as I zone out, comfortably knowing I'm watching something that feels lofi and low maintenance.
I actually finished every task for the whole week once, but instead of feeling free I felt so empty for some reason, the games I wanted to play I didnt want to anymore, the things I wanted to eat I didnt want to anymore, and the places I wanted to visit I didn't want to anymore. Why is that? I assume its because of my ADHD.
Thats happened to me a lot. Ive found that in those moments when you realize you dont actually want to do what you think you want to do, its time to reevaluate your goals, what do you actually want, what actually fulfills you, what do you actually enjoy, instead of trying to please your past self.
Our brains are problem solving machines so it’s like once everything is done, we’re left with our self. It’s normal to feel this way… we’re constantly distracted so once we find a moment of peace it’s like we almost don’t know what to do
It's because you aren't used to being connected to your Self. Go on a solo hike of at least three weeks, preferably three months. No entertainment. You will be driven nuts in about a week, but at the end of it you will start to know who you are and what you want.
(Obviously, work up to this with some shorter hikes--day, overnight, two days, four days--if you have never hiked before. And get a PLB, personal locator beacon. You could die, otherwise.)
Happens to me too.
And it feels a bit like eating chips.
The way I eat them sometimes, is by filling a small plastic container, and start prioritizing the broken chips, start eating those first, because they're broken, they're not the "perfect" chip, and I believe I wouldn't truly enjoy as much eating the broken ones, as much as I would enjoy eating and chomping on the intact ones, therefore I establish a small quest, "I must eat the broken ones, and then enjoy the few intact, good ones".
The intact chips are my reward, the best part held in that container must come last, only after I got rid of the "inconvenience", that being the broken chips, I will truly enjoy eating the good ones.
So there I go, doing just that, get rid of the "bad" ones, till I arrive to the good chips.
And I'm usually left with a slight sense of void nothing too big, but still an odd feeling regardless. I don't really crave for the perfect ones anymore, and it's not because I'm not hungry anymore, it's just that it wouldn't really satisfy me the way I expected.
And I realized that I seem to be enjoying much more the process, the task of getting rid of the bad, broken, unperfect chips is the part I find actually more enjoyable, despite oddly enough seeing it as a mere inconvenience, an obstacle to my reward, yet I enjoy the process of getting through that obstacle, while at the same time maybe even hating it.
It could be because my brain prefers and finds more satisfying this type of small problem solving, despite finding it stressful to a certain degree, it enjoys more the act of fixing things up, getting rid of the annoying, bad stuff or inconveniences getting rid of things completely before earning it's reward.
After receiving said reward, what is there do fix then? What is there to do? There is no task, enjoying yourself is not a task, not for your brain, you're not fixing or getting rid of a problem, you're not removing that rock that sits on your shoulders, because you already did.
You're not struggling therefore there is no objective to complete.
Anyway that's how I see it, I could be wrong..
From what I can tell about my own experiences, this is probably just a human thing, whether you got ADHD or not. Every time I finish my goals or get a big project done and then there’s nothing left to do, it feels like I lost whatever purpose I had no matter how little it actually mattered in the grand scheme of things. Personally, I rationalized to myself that I just wasn’t happy with the things I was working towards, so maybe the same thing applies to you. Are you happy with who you are and the direction you’re taking your life? Is there anything different you could do to feel more content when it’s you and your thoughts? Maybe thats a place to start investigating and have a serious conversation about with yourself.
You can only work so hard
You can only know so much
This was a very liberating realization
I don’t need to push or force things
Things take time just work, learn, try, and grow
That’s all there is to it
Sometimes, our circumstances don't give us the choice. Expectations from others, not wanting to bite the hand that fed you. The only out for me is to be better in the present to have a brighter future where I'm no longer a burden to my loved ones but someone they don't have to worry about and who can give back. Guilt haunts me, thus lost time haunts me.
Dont feel guilty if they helped you, they did so and no one forces them to. If they are your Biological prarents then they owe u everything, dumb horny animals breed and make more mouths to feed, unless thats your plan as well, u owe them nothing.
It's not going to help much to hear this, because I know this is mainly an irrational fear you have, but just as the video states you have to let go of what you can't control. It's not going to help further your goals if you are worrying about these things.
Think of it like a timed chess game. You can either try to maximize your chances of winning with future moves, or you can waste limited time thinking about past mistakes ("I had a mate in 2 but I missed it") and generally make your experience of the match more unpleasant.
@giannih5072 I appreciate the comment and you are correct in that living in regret is irrational and pointless in the sense that it doesn't help moving forward. In my case I spent years escaping from the reality of my family situation and living off the bare minimum while forgetting my dreams and consuming media, drugs, etc to blunt out the thinking. It's more of a self-reflection thing for me at this point to do better because I am capable of better. I've moved my hobbies into more productive things and life is getting better. Better job, fitness, getting back in touch with childhood dreams like the instrument I used to play, working towards another job that will get me the funding I need to build a business with friends who have come together around some ideas that can use our skillsets. So for me chasing the productivity is how I heal and begin to give back to the people that put up with me and sheltered me even when I was letting myself down. I was in a worse place when I wrote the first comment but things have gotten better since then, and I know how to take breaks when I'm overdoing it, and appreciate that time.
This video hit the spot, reached the itch of my recent frustration that I have too much time and not enough interest in doing anything with it.
One must imagine the procrastinator happy...
I am
I had to give everything up when I became chronically ill... People seem to forget that I'm in constant pain. 6 years not a single second without it. When I see other people in their early 20s live their lives and I can't breathe too hard because I might trigger a flare... I'm so jealous of the people who can work and lead independent lives
Sometimes i feel like Sisyphus is under the bed with google because of how fitting those themes are to my current life situation
Hustle culture is the epitome of maximal physical effort but no mental effort.
It's like trying to win a chess match without any strategy and just by moving your pieces hard and obnoxiously aggressive every time you take your turn
I’m currently reading Bullshit Jobs and Graeber does a fantastic job of illustrating how “productivity” is based in puritan morality
"If people are bored they will sin and do the gay sex and listen to the hip hop music"
@@Vanity0666 🤣🤣
Hmmm.🤔
@@Vanity0666
Commodification of sin as capital is now included in the American free trade agreement
Every french person I know loves that book because it shits on religion and Americans, meanwhile their work culture involves staying at the office until 9PM, pretending to be busy so that the boss thinks you're a team player.
Cannot stress further on how this video has arrived with PERFECT TIMING for me.
I don't know what's worse, procrastinating or just giving up mid-way.
Tough call.
Would it be even worse to continually try and fail, endlessly? Procrastinating doesn't seem so bad then...
@@authaire How? It's better to be in a feedback loop of failing than not doing anything at all. Bukowski failed to get success with his books for practically most of his life, it's when he became old and frail that he began to get recognition and that was in the early 90s, imagine if he just gave up. There's no reason to stop trying just because you are failing, no total gurantee you will win, but you will definitely be upping your chances compared to those who aren't even trying.
@@authaireatleast if you fail, learn something instead of procrastination
i am one of those folks who want to do and learn everything there possibly could be in the world, and this video was the only reality check i needed.
I usually feel good when i'm with my good friends. Also during music class after we're done i'm basically always invigorated, i don't know why lol
I, myself, am currently watching this video and I declare that it was a very productive and enjoyable use of time, and I do not regret my decision in any shape or form.
certified sisyphus classic
It’s a nice feeling to accomplish something you felt was impossible. Yet in the years of practice and toil, you somehow reach a peak of experience, and can say, “hey, I did that, wow!”, you did it because you could, for everyone around you.
Not because you wanted to, but because you couldn’t.
I swear he must be spying on me. I was literally telling my brother last night that I can never get enough school stuff done.
I struggle with time and the many mysterious ways it affects me. The part about us being insignificant in the larger cosmic picture could not be more true but it is also not a negligible fact that the cosmic entities don’t have the capacity to judge us. Its the world we live in and people we interact with. And the constant contact with such a productivity and achievement based society can influence you more than any bigger perspective. I am not decrying this video but just putting it out there that sometimes and for some of us, its hard to ignore the pressures of society.
Philosophy of turning thirty
"A day comes when a man notices or says that he is thirty" - Albert Camus
One of the best videos I've seen. It brings me so much peace
Most blue collar men know this. A plumber can come and fix your problem in 20 mins and charge you 400. It's not about the time or productivity, it's about competency and quality. If you can do the "impossible" in less time, it shud be worth more. Contrapositively, i've worked a white collar job and a part of the job is doing nothing but looking busy while i get paid by the hour, 0 productivity for $15 per hour.
Nice timing. Moved to a new country for study and been feeling overwhelmed.
Thanks Sisyphus
Gosh I felt this. I have lately felt so much guilt enjoying “nonproductive” activities such as reading, watching tv, and playing video games, even though I enjoy them after my kids have gone to bed, after my school work is finished (I currently have a M.Div and Bachelor of Arts Degree, currently pursuing my BSN), after my work is finished (I work in hospice), and when I have spent time doing my devotions.
I hate that it feels like such a trap. That I can’t unwind. That I feel guilt for just relaxing because I feel the need to “produce” or “be more”, even though I’m just slowly burning out.
Idk. I’m learning to just live in the moment and let myself rest when I need rest, setting aside all of the internet gurus and motivation books that push nonstop productivity and busyness hustle culture. But it’s a tough thing to unlearn.
After this video I learned that beating off and watching youtube videos is actually really meaningful use of time, and the only thing wrong with it was my attitude. Thanks Sissyphus!
This video helped me realize so much. Thank you. I'm also glad it has a slow pace, not super attention grabbing, but in a good way. Thank you.
Thing is, 4000 weeks is probably plenty of time to do whatever you desire, even if they're big goals, you can still get a degree at 50... But people spend so much time thinking about wether these things are actually achievable and/or feeling overwhelmed along with a few other nasty things that a lot of that time is wasted. people consider themselves ''too old'' ''not good/talented enough'' ''my environment will not approve'' etc. etc. Almost all of those reasons are probably bullsh1t.
I too, am very much guilty of this.
I think most goals people have are very achievable -- "I want a decent job, a wife/husband I love, maybe kids". Stuff like that. I rarely see lofty and unrealistic goals as the video implies. You should only worry about goals when you obsess over them pathologically or get in the way of your happiness.
Also, if you're young you really _should_ be thinking of goals now. A lot of the people who do actually become upset that they didn't or can't achieve XYZ only become that way because they didn't start early enough.
Most common big life goals _do not_ become easier as you get older. If you want more money, switching careers is harder the older you are. If you want a spouse, more people become taken as you get older. If you want kids, you have a time limit on that and you probably don't want to be raising kids at retirement age anyway. I don't say this to stress anyone, but just like compounding returns on investment you are MUCH better off starting sooner rather than later to achieve big goals, and all it takes is a _little_ bit of progress to stay on top. It doesn't have to consume your life, and it shouldn't.
So, make goals, just be realistic and do not beat yourself up if you don't achieve your goals. I guarantee this is much better than going your life without any direction and living in the moment to the detriment of yourself in the future. Again, do it in a healthy way where you don't feel guilty for enjoying relaxation and free time and this is the best thing to do. Everything in moderation!
I can't believe this video is about the importance of time and there is 1m 30 second ad break- that's over 10% of your video. The dissonance is amazing to me.
Holy shit. This video deeply resonated with me. Shit I need to dig into this rabbithole. This is a stream of thoughts I have been looking for but was not able to really define it.
I think I may have been brainwashed a little by these tons of productivity youtubers here on RUclips in the past years. I gotta get out of this.
Thanks so much for sparking the fire in me man.
Berkman: Radical Incrementalism is accepting the limited control you have over the speed of an outcome.
Josh: I do not control the speed at which lobsters die.
Me: The internet is slow right now.
The only true thing I've learnt is to push electronics away and get bored enough until you do your obligations. And to never forget my Noblesse Oblige.
Hard if these obligations are in the computer. Recent year I have become disgusted of being in the computer, but I have to finish uni. I even started cooking (which I hated before) just to procastinate on schoolwork.
Distractions are as real as you make them. Same as our fears. It is up to the self to decide these things and whether or not they define your satisfaction.
I'm watching this on New Years' Eve, and I'm struggling with this exact problem. My therapist helped me identify it as a lack of "mindfulness".
In the vein of CGP Grey's strategy of a "New Years' Theme" rather than a resolution, that's what I'm going with. In the last month, I've tried the necessary steps to it (meditation, practicing gratitude, enjoying my hobbies while I do them, rather than to "get them done", etc.), but it has been the hardest thing I've ever done. I've uprooted the way I live before, but I've never gone this deep, never uprooted what a capitalist society has taught me. I've only read theory, and even then, I'm only doing it to maximize my knowledge like any other currency.
So I'm going to stop taking half-measures. I know what will make me feel good and what does make me feel good. I know the different types of good I feel, "pleasure" , "fulfillment", and "self-actualization". I will stop planning to do these things, as planning them is kind of the problem. I will wake up on January first and I will be living this new theme. Instead of dreading the chores of work and grooming and socializing, I'll simply do them, and not plan beyond what things I need to schedule. As I go, I'll type out what I did that met this theme, so that when I start slipping I'll have examples. Like a journal but with more utility. Even that's an example of maximizing productivity but you gotta start somewhere. If I remember, I'll see you all next year.
...said every new year's resolution ever.
Love this animations, topics and just overall love this guy
This reminds me of the video I never watched (because I procrastinate) of "Productivity Rips You apart" which has a nice thumbnail
Keep it up !!
One of that episode's emphasis is that companies should focus more improving its system rather than encouraging its workers to "be more productive and work harder".
the combination of this video + the brilliant ad is so perfectly dystopian.
The simplest way to cure yourself of anxiety in this connection is to imagine what you would do if the opposite were the case: that you had infinite time. You would be in the same situation of defering everything into the future because you would always have more of it.
So maybe finitude isn't your problem . . .
I think how one person is inclined towards a philosophical idea really depends on that persons' state of existentialism at that point in life or how they feel towards the remaining years they have.
To some, maybe completing a lot of task/ achieving goals feels rewarding but to others, it may just be seen as very daunting thing to do, to constantly have to complete task/achieve something for years. Some others it's an in-between.
Here's what I personally understood from this video,
1- Like it or not, we're all gonna leave earth someday, that's the same end for all of us, death. So why choose to live in a constant state of fear/anxiety/worry when you can slow down and try to enjoy every tiny little thing in life?
2- DO it scared anyway, it does not matter, what matters is how you are in the process
3- Be present in the now
I think with all that "productivity" stuff people are missing the key point:
Why would you like to be productive?
Is it because you want to have something to show off in front of your friends and colleagues?
Is it because you want to prove yourself worthy to yourself or others?
Is it because you have no other point in life?
Is it because you have no hobbies so the only thing to spend time on is your work?
Why do you do that?
These are great questions. Before putting so much pressure on yourself it makes sense to ask yourself whether it's reasonable to do so, or if the desire is honestly come by, whether it's worhwhile or whether it's foisted upon you. I keep having conversations with friends where they use work language to talk about their free time and it feels like an unhelpful and sad internalisation, both for them and me as I feel it rubbing off on me. I don't think people are this way until made to be.
I've always been at odds with the notion of maximising on time this way. I'm not convinced I'm transparent enough to myself that I could even plan such a thing effectively, and if I'm honest I've always enjoyed the relative freedom of unplanned time. I like that I could do x on a whim or nothing at all. Either way it's potential that's at my command.
This was one of the greatest videos i’ve ever seen. It culminates all the ideas that mention living in the present and combine them into a less broad explanation. It’s like 1,000 Allen Watts lectures combined. However, I still think Allen Watts is important because it takes a lot of work to actually live in this mind set and not just watch this once think about it then go back to how you were living. Amazing video!