[viach]

> for example, when you try to force yourself to do something that you don't, in fact, want to do

This is called a day job, even for programmers.

> you haven't resolved the clash between your short-time desires and your long-term goals

Is it even possible to resolve? One would like to read books (play guitar, gardening) for the rest of his life instead of trying to get his docker-compose file working properly. How a productivity technique could resolve such a discrepancy between goals and desires?

[avip]

If you actually spent your entire days gardening, you'd soon feel an irresistible urge to bake a working docker-compose file. You'll procrastinate and dream about YAML files instead of paying attention to your plants.

This is why some advanced communities have a weekly/monthly duty cycle where people switch activities.

[viach]

> This is why some advanced communities have a weekly/monthly duty cycle where people switch activities.

Monthly/monthly sounds more fair to me. Or even monthly/weekly if I'm allowed to dream...

[avip]

To clarify: Either weekly work routine (Sun. gardening, Mon. kitchen, Tue. teaching in school...), or monthly work routine (same, but tasks are retained for longer consecutive periods)

[viach]

Got it. I agree with your point that after months of gardening I will probably be dreaming of the beauties of YAML files, or even XML if the gardening period was too long. But still, does it solve the motivation/productivity problem? Also, during long breaks you lose the context, so both types of activities will be less productive.

[avip]

I don't think this way of organizing work is about maximizing individual productivity. It's more about the (forgotten?) idea that there's more into humans than being productive in some narrow scope.

[jodrellblank]

Then play guitar for the rest of your life. It might be a short life.

"Productivity" techniques are inherently flawed by the way they put capitalist "productivity" at the top of the most important things in life. Check the blogpost where the author describes playing a computer game as "life down the drain" and how their productivity tips have to tightly control that.

If your life is to be commercially productive and own a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar house and get paid for docker-compose, then you can't switch to playing the guitar and have the same life.

But if you consider your deathbed and think a life of fighting Docker was a total waste, what was the point? The "resolution" to the discrepancy doesn't come from a productivity technique, it comes from a enlightenment; losing the desires to control particular life outcomes and desiring "good" outcomes and fearing "bad" outcomes.

Go far enough down that and you'll unpack the fears and anxieties about not being good enough, not being perfect, making mistakes, being inferior, etc. which cause procrastination in the first place, and be more able to work on Docker without feeling bad. And more able to turn away from it and play guitar without the anxiety of "what if my boss says I wasn't productive enough".

[egypturnash]

Honestly I find that an important part of being “productive” at my job of drawing weird comics for Patreon money is to make damn sure I take time off. I love doing this job, I’m delighted that I manage to pay my bills with it, and I still need to take regular breaks.

[toxik]

I have this observation as well. Many lifestyle ideologies fall apart like this in practice, I think. The one I’ve found work for me the best is Eckart Tolle’s “The Power of Now.” If you forgive its aloofness and smirkiness, I really do believe finding a sense of joy in doing what you do, even mundane things, can really help your mood and stave off procrastination.