HN Explorer

Ask HN: What's the best way to occupy time that's not learning?

19 points by RichardHeart ↗ HN
What are the most productive ways to occupy your time that aren't hackernews, reddit, books and movies? I believe once you reach a certain level of ability its better to broadcast the ideas you've synthesized than absorb new ideas. When you've spent a lifetime learning though, it's an addiction that's hard to kick, and easier to defend than most other timesinks.

12 comments

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soneca
Then teach.

Start a good, thoughtful blog. Write a book. Edit Wikipedia articles.

RichardHeart
I like these ones. I've done / am doing these, except wikipedia.
Broken_Hippo
You do the next logical step: Use your knowledge.

Make things. Help others. Perfect technique for some simple thing. Relax.

I don't think learning gets to a point to be stopped, though. Information and truth gets updated as others learn.

bmuppireddy
Spend some quality time with your family. If you have kids, then spend more time with them. Whatever time you allocate to them is never too much.
EpicEng
Yep, this for me. I don't have the drive to spend nearly every minute learning these days, I much prefer to spend more time with my family.

...and video games.

collyw
Probably can't be directly measured as productive, but excessive has so many positive health benefits I am pretty sure it will indirectly improve your productivity.
itamarst
Learn something new. Pottery, woodworking, breadmaking, painting?
blunte
Making human connections. Whether you believe in one or many lives, there clearly is limited time in this existence. And if you like to chase long tails and eventualities, it's would seem there's no real purpose to existence other than what we do for each other. Thus, human connections are kind of important.

Or if you're a bit more selfish (or perhaps you suffer from oneism as someone currently rather famous does), then you might want to expand yourself as broadly as possible to really taste life. In this regard I can recommend dance. (I'm a nerd, and I totally learned to Salsa and Bachata, and it rocks.) Take a class, do what the other sheep do, and eventually become a dancer.

Or choose your favorite instrument that you like to hear. Buy one. Aim for the 30% mark in terms of price range for that type of instrument. Get some lessons. Practice. Join a meetup or otherwise find a group to join and play or jam with. It's a type of communication that most people never experience, and it's second only to sex. No wait, it may actually be better than sex in a perfect scenario.

dimitri-gnidash
Exercise a lot to the point of pushing your body to its physical limits. It will make you feel great, and improve your ability to learn new things and increase enjoyment of life.
dqdo
Meditation and exercise. Sometimes the best thing for you is to focus on other aspects of life. Mediation allows you to deeply examine yourself and helps you think more critically about your life. Exercise improves both physical and mental health.
sfrailsdev
The most productive time I've had has been hobbies that I enjoyed and was passionate about that involved human interaction. I'm an introvert by nature, and thus somewhat disinclined to socialize to the same extent as more extroverted people.

When I was younger, I was far from the best at interacting with people, but hobbies, and forums and groups surrounding them connected me to people who shared similar interests and helped me interact with them. Through shared passions and enjoyment, I developed better social skills, reduced anxiety, and built life long friendships and relationships.

nnn1234
Excercize and making connections