Akrasia means not actually doing what you think you should be doing. For example, actually spending time reading HN when you should be coding.
I think this article would get more traction if a different term was used, or a parenthetical explanation provided. A lot of people are interested in this issue, but most of them probably don't know what "akrasia" is.
Personally, acting against my "better judgment" almost always results from a failure of emotional regulation. The only way I've found to reliably solve this problem has been to develop awareness of the emotional issues underlying ill-considered reactions, and develop the capacity to peacefully experience those emotions without a behavioral reaction. Technical solutions like leechblock and organizational solutions like strict scheduling can temporarily mask the problem, but they don't last, because I experience them as a form of fighting with myself, and when I fight with myself, I always lose.
> Personally, acting against my "better judgment" almost always results from a failure of emotional regulation. The only way I've found to reliably solve this problem has been to develop awareness of the emotional issues underlying ill-considered reactions, and develop the capacity to peacefully experience those emotions without a behavioral reaction.
Would you care to elaborate on this? Seems like quite valuable stuff you're doing.
It is incredibly valuable, but it is also slow and often quite painful.
My approach has been through Buddhist meditation, but any practice which fosters emotional awareness and resilience could help in the same way.
The practices described in the podcasts linked below are a concrete example of what I'm talking about. (But my own meditation practice goes in a different direction.)
I really appreciate the author's rigorous scientific stance on the actual utility of these suggestions; I went into this article expecting pure pseudoscience (judging on nothing more than the title).
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[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 19.9 ms ] threadI think this article would get more traction if a different term was used, or a parenthetical explanation provided. A lot of people are interested in this issue, but most of them probably don't know what "akrasia" is.
Would you care to elaborate on this? Seems like quite valuable stuff you're doing.
My approach has been through Buddhist meditation, but any practice which fosters emotional awareness and resilience could help in the same way.
The practices described in the podcasts linked below are a concrete example of what I'm talking about. (But my own meditation practice goes in a different direction.)
http://www.unfetteredmind.com/audio/podretreat.php?code=RER#...