
Ask HN: Weekend wasted again - vaibhav228
Hello All,<p>I decide to do something over the weekend may be a small project or learn something new or prepare for interview, but Saturday and Sunday goes by and  I do nothing but to browse internet, facebook, youtube and going through links.<p>At the end of Sunday, I feel like, I wasted my weekend and get little bit depressed.<p>If anyone has gone through process, can you please share how to got out of this loop on every week end?
======
464192002d7fe1c
Not sure what HNs opinion of this will be....

I used to have similar issues. It was mostly down to procrastination and
overwork/stress.

Weekends were really bad since I was so busy/stressed from the week that I
would get into an attitude of "i'll start doing it in an hour" and eventually
it was so late that it was too late to get any work done. I had a lot to do,
just very little impetus to do it _now_.

Fixed it by starting to smoke pot. Not even kidding. I set a timeline for my
weekends for when I was working and when I was done. When I work, I work. When
I'm done, I go smoke. Basically every weekend for a few months.

I've probably tripled, if not more, my weekend productivity by giving myself a
defined period of work and a defined period of relaxation and a reward for
getting there.

~~~
nasmorn
What you do is called unscheduling. It is a method of time boxing where you
define your me time as the highest priority thus creating a sense of urgency
and reward for your work time. You could as well decide to go for a run at a
certain time instead of smoking pot. Pot is just easier because you will shut
down automatically thus releaving you of the duty to care for your mental
hygiene through other means.

------
p333347
When this sort of thing happens to me it is usually because either I didn't
have a concrete plan on what I was going to do beyond describing it as
"useful" (or the project wasn't really interesting), or I had been deprived of
relaxation due to being very busy for more than a week and the mind is
"reclaiming" its time.

If the reason is latter, I wouldn't worry too much. But in order to make my
weekends or off days productive, I try to sneak in a small share of web
browsing on working days - it basically works like rest/sleep. As for former,
I let the interest or necessity generate naturally and not force myself to do
something useful and think its a crime to relax.

~~~
afarrell
> I try to sneak in a small share of web browsing on working days.

I personally find that the time I spend distracted on the internet does not
rejuvenate my brain. To actually do this I need to sleep, go for a walk, build
something physical, or hang out with friends. YMMV, but you should take some
time to examine yourself and discover what genuinely refreshes you.

~~~
p333347
> YMMV, but you should take some time to examine yourself and discover what
> genuinely refreshes you.

I hope by 'you' you mean 'one'.

~~~
afarrell
yes, generalized you.

~~~
shuntress
'The Royal You'

------
gaurav-gupta
The solution might be how you spend your weekdays, finding out what you
"really" enjoy doing and how you approach the weekend project.

If your stress level steadily rises from Monday to Friday, you'll need the
weekend to wind down. This is the first problem to solve. Do fun things in the
week days to wind down before the weekend (ideally wind down every day). What
are fun things? I can recommend some ideas, but its different for everyone,
but getting some form of physical execise is a BIG plus. Walk, run, swim,
play... whatever floats your boat.

How to approach the weekend project? This is what works for me. Breakdown the
weekend project into really small pieces. I don't mean you make a project plan
for the weekend project. Just find the first one or two mini goals, something
you can accomplish in an hour. Hit the mini goals. If you don't feel motivated
to hit the mini goals. Find out why and iterate. Maybe try a 15 minute goal.
Maybe a different project. The point is make really small nudges in the
direction you want to go. If it doesn't work, find out why and fix it. When
small nudges start working, it'll build up momentum and will eventually become
a full weekend project! Have fun! That's the whole point of weekend projects!

------
anexprogrammer
I have ADHD, so I've done this a lot. :)

First take a look at this from a few days ago:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12734671](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12734671)
on a book: Deep Work. Basically just some of the tactics ADHD people have been
using for ages.

The whole world seems to have developed some mild sub clinical ADD thanks to
social and phones. So first off don't be surprised you're struggling.

Understand that web browsing and social are variable reward machines. Click a
link and you have another new snippet to read, or video to see. Each one gives
you a reward and a small dopamine boost. Now compare with preparing for
interview, or thinking about a side project. Where's the rewards? Later. Maybe
not even today! It's a luxury cheesecake vs diet fruit portion question.

Look at the pomodoro technique and break tasks up with small rewards. 25 mins
productive, 5 mins social (if you can stop at the next beep). Get a cheap $5
kitchen timer to sit next to you. If your willpower is lacking, add a browser
extension to set limits on social cheesecake sites. If the phone is main
distraction add an app to silence notifications, or remove the strongest
distractions - the social ones!

Same goes for desktop on your laptop - remove the candy, set it up for
productivity. Maybe separate logins - one for productivity, one that permits
you near the fun stuff. :p

For god's sake don't keep todo lists and such on your phone. Turn phone off,
use a notebook, post it or pad, or text file on the laptop! Otherwise you're
now holding the crack, and hoping not to be tempted. Just 5 minutes, I can
handle it...

Accept that your attention _will_ wander, and get used to checking in and
trying to bring it back. That timer helps. If you struggle add another timer
to beep every few minutes - as a checkin. Don't get depressed if you trip up.
Forgive yourself, and try again - you're building a new habit, and that will
take time and many mistakes.

Last, lots of exercise, fluids, healthy eating and breaks away from keyboard
will keep you fresh.

------
peller
This entire thread is worth checking out: The "I want to do everything but end
up doing nothing" dilemma:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9049208](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9049208)

~~~
vaibhav228
Entire thread is very good source. It has lots of links. Liked the pomodoro
technique. Thanks

------
ddavidn
Sorry I can't shed much light on how to get through this. I'm stuck in the
middle of it as well, ending my weekend being frustrated and angry that I
wasted it. I don't believe that lack of enthusiasm is necessarily at play
here. However, I used to be very good at this, putting in several hours of
work and several hours of learning/projects over the weekend. Things that I
believe (but haven't tested) helped me then: Feeling accomplished during the
week, not sleeping in on Saturday, optimizing my home work environment for
productivity, and setting very small/realistic goals.

To that last point, I believe both of us could benefit from the "GTD" (David
Allen) approach. In particular, utilize the "Clarify" step to write out 1-3
small things you want to do each day. Instead of setting yourself up to "build
a small thing" or "learn a subject," split the day's tasks into easy stuff
like "init git repo" or "read first chapter of intro to Go."

But, if your week burns you out (my main motivation for a lack of will on the
weekends) you may be better off resting. Schedule your downtime in addition to
your learning/project time. Give yourself time before and after your project
to zone out and click links aimlessly. And, if it suits you, get a buddy to be
accountable with. Someone who's going to ask you on Sunday evening if you've
taken at least one step toward your goal. Hope this comment helps.

------
Regic
Maybe the problem is not where we search for it. There is a theory that
willpower is a limited resource [1]. If this theory is true, it means
productivity hacks cannot work, because the problem is not in our weekends, it
is in our weekdays: in our work that demands all of our willpower, in our
relationships, social interactions, or in our inability to relax.

I read an article some time ago that I cannot find. It stated that extreme
procrastination is the result of a form of drug abuse: we need our daily dose
of fb, youtube, etc to keep us functioning, but that takes all the time, and
when we realize we wasted another day, it makes us sad, and the cycle begins
anew. It is also no secret that these sites are designed to be addictive.

This article might help you too (well, the original, but I couldn't link that
because, most likely, the author of the original essay procrastinated the
renewal of the web page for too long, and it cannot be reached):
[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/07/change-...](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/07/change-
your-life-procrastination-burkeman)

[1] [https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/willpower-limited-
resource.pd...](https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/willpower-limited-resource.pdf)

------
boyter
Genuine question here. Why is it that some lack the discipline to just do
things that they want to do?

Its a common theme that appears in most books (heck Just Fucking Ship is a
whole book on this) and I have noticed this over time with different people
but never understood it.

Is there a psychological reason behind this? Is it something that needs to be
overcome with the ways listed here? I guess what I am asking is why is that
many cannot just decide to do something and do it without trying to hold
themselves accountable using techniques.

~~~
reflexive
> Why is it that some lack the discipline to just do things that they want to
> do?

If I find myself unable to do the things I want to do, I have to ask: do I
really _want_ to do these things, or do I just _want_ to want to do them?

Let's say I'm convinced I need to learn a new programming language / library,
and study to interview for a new job. But is this new language or new job
really the thing that's missing in my life?

Maybe what I _really_ want to do is make some music, or explore my
neighborhood. Maybe part of me knows I should be going out, meeting girls,
getting married, and starting a family.

When you try to make yourself work on things that don't address your real
needs, you end up with priority inversion. If you find yourself saying "I
can't do anything until X is done, yet I can't make myself do X", that could
be a sign to say "Fuck X, what I really want to do is Y."

~~~
rabidrat
And then some of us look back over two decades of half-finished projects, and
think, "Wow, many of these Xes were really cool, I wish I had just sucked it
up and finished a few of the Xes, even though at the time all I wanted to do
is start yet another project like Y".

The real issue is that some humans have a harder time integrating their short-
term and long-term desires.

~~~
reflexive
It's always possible to revisit a decades-old project and pick up where you
left off. If you don't have the time or motivation to finish it today, you can
hardly blame your past self for making the same decision.

Leaving your abandoned project in a somewhat "working state" can go a long way
to facilitate this.

------
SnacksOnAPlane
I started volunteering. Most Saturdays I'm out early in the morning building a
house with Habitat for Humanity. Then I go home and nap, feeling content that
I did something worthwhile with my weekend.

After that, it's easier to actually work on computer-y things. Don't fool
yourself into thinking that you can do thought-heavy things all the time. You
need physical activity! Mind and body must both be healthy in order for either
of them to work at the highest levels.

------
dmitripopov
1\. Set the daily goal

2\. Identify steps required to reach it, write them down. It's better to do it
with pen and paper, no to-do apps or anything like it.

3\. Take the first step right away, do not postpone it.

4\. Log your progress and time on each step. Archievements and failures too.

5\. At the end of the day look through your log, asess your achievements on 10
grade scale, set goals for tomorrow.

------
nautical
This is what I have done : using password generator to have a password I cant
remember + 2fa . Auto destruct cookies in browser . It actually prevents me
from trying to login to fb , gmail etc as its too much work . After some time
now I have a control over my urge to login . And start working friday night or
early saturday morning .

~~~
source99
This is great!

I usually block sites in my /etc/hosts file. It's not a ton of work to unblock
them but it's enough that when I go to facebook and it doesn't load more often
then not I will alt-tab back to my editor or something productive.

~~~
jpindar
I use Leechblock, which lets you block sites at certain times of day, on
certain days of the week, group sites to enable/disable them as a group, etc.

------
tacky
I ban the time sinks like Reddit and Facebook till after the work is done
whenever that is. But it's unrealistic to keep working all day without
browsing internet even for a little while if you're addicted to clicking
links. To solve that I allow myself visits to a number of sites that are
updated (with new links/stories) less often. Vice and Snapzu, for example. I
let myself visit them as many times as I want for as long as I want during
work. Since these are "slower" kind of sites, you'll start spending more and
more time with your own work rather than chasing clicks. By the time work is
done and Reddit is unlocked you'll be so exhausted you'll only spend a little
time on it. After a while this breaks your addiction to Reddit. The best part
is you don't have to time your work time vs leisure time.

------
jdmoreira
I just finished 'Deep Work'. It's a book from Cal Newport that I think it
might be helpful in your situation.

Here's the link: [http://calnewport.com/books/deep-
work/](http://calnewport.com/books/deep-work/)

------
Kaibeezy
I was doing OK until the election news started getting superheated. Weekends,
evenings, weekdays, all chopped up now. Hoping I can get things back together
after 8 Nov, but worry I'll be susceptible to the the next new major news
story. Damn you Nate Silver!

~~~
afarrell
[https://freedom.to/](https://freedom.to/) can block
[http://fivethirtyeight.com/](http://fivethirtyeight.com/) on both your phone
and your laptop. Unlike /etc/hosts, your less diligent self can't unblock it
until the timer is over.

------
fuqted
I'm going to answer this two-fold and relate it to what I'm going through.
Feel free to shoot me some advice as well.

On the surface, you clearly don't have passion driving what it is you want to
do. I can relate to this because I'm learning to code. It was a struggle until
I found Codewars, at which point I was able to easily turn on some music and
sink hours at a time solving coding challenges. Turns out that the skill of
solving these things doesn't transfer to.. anything. I struggle to sit still
going through any tutorial and I still have no idea how to build things. So,
on the surface, find something that motivates you.

Digging deeper, this inability to finish anything I start seems like a
personal issue. I've worked a lot harder than this before. I think there are
facets of my life, and probably yours, that need to be put into order first.

There's a satisfaction with life that I've had before and currently it's
missing. I'm unable to stick with anything because I immediately seek cheaper
forms of satisfaction. I think attaining a more genuine satisfaction with
myself would eliminate this urge. Maybe you feel similar.

Also it obviously sucks to do things alone. Meetups, even when they lead to
nothing, are still a big source of motivation. Personally I notice my
productivity correlates with how often I'm going to meetups.

------
shubhamjain
The benefit of any productivity hack / book / app is ephemeral before you are
back to your "mindless" browsing (I wrote about it sometime back [1]). It's a
great business isn't it? Write a book / app about procrastination — something
that everyone is looking to "fix" and start raking money. You can write daily
/ weekly / monthly goals for all you want but a "guilt-creating" laundry list
of tasks doesn't really help.

Although, I do have my share of procrastination but I have gotten a lot better
than I was an year back when I used to spend all the free-time on movies. This
weekend, I read lots of New Yorker articles, a small book, and finished
writing an article. To an extent, I think I can do better by working on a
small side-project but then again, there is always room to feel guilty.

You just have to hate wasting time and gradually, things will get better.
There is no secret sauce towards working; if we had Facebook wouldn't be a
multi-billion dollar company.

[1]: [https://shubhamjain.co/2015/06/28/why-productivity-tricks-
do...](https://shubhamjain.co/2015/06/28/why-productivity-tricks-dont-matter/)

------
jillav
What you need is basically to become more aware of the value of your time.

Every day you get 86400 minutes offered to you. You can either not do anything
with it or use it to accomplish your goals.

Time is on of the only things you can't buy. Every one is equal on this level,
this si the most precious and the most volatile ressource everyone has.

But first you must define your goals precisely.

So stop whatever you are doing, get a piece of paper and write what you want
to accomplish within 1 week, 1 month, 1 year.

That done, try planning your week ends so that you get shit done and
eventually your accomplish your 1 week, 1 month, 1 year goal.

Helpful to keep to you schedule : identify your "time stealer". All those
things that wast your time like useless tv, uninterested facebook posts and so
on. Realize that every minute you spend doing something you consider useless
is wasted.

Then, most important, try getting some rest BEFORE being tired : that way you
won't procrastinate in the "I might rest just a little while before i get to
it" spirit.

I hope this can be helpful to you. I just spend the last year trying to get
out of the loop you're talking about so I know exactly how you feel about it.
I'm succeeding one little step after the other.

It's a lot of discipline, but I can tell you the trip is worth the effort.

~~~
_jdams
1440 minutes in a day :)

~~~
jillav
Indeed, my bad

------
afarrell
My tools for combating this:

\- [https://freedom.to/](https://freedom.to/)

\- Have a specific plan in mind, not a generalized "learn something new"

\- On Tuesday, post on facebook asking a friend if they want to do a work-
along day on any hobbies. Then hop on appear.in together or hang out in
person.

\- Keep yourself well-fed and well-rested.

------
mcotton
The best thing I did was get a hobby that got me out of the house. For me it
is drone racing, but it could be jogging, swimming, or even go fly a kite.

Once I get back into the house, I've burned off some energy and can focus on
my side project. For whatever reason if I sit in front of the computer all
weekend I have a hard time getting started.

------
ak39
We all require some sort of forced schedules. Don't beat yourself too much
about this.

Next weekend try this:

For every 55 min of YouTube/Facebook etc, put in 5 min of serious work. Just
5. But be disciplined about this schedule. Time yourself so that you don't do
a minute more of the work!

Learn the schedule habit first.

~~~
maxlamb
I would reverse the times... limit 5 mins of facebook/youtube for every 30
mins spent on side project.

------
bronlund
Get kids! You'll never have a single moment to yourselves ever again. Problem
solved :D

------
l33tbro
I become productive based on deciding I'm going to do something.

Pause on that word: decision. We all have impulses, wishes, desires, etc. But
you're only ever going to progress when you stop, think about what you want,
be realistic with if you can actually achieve that with everything else going
in your life - then DECIDE that you are going to do it.

Once you've decided, that is when you follow through every time (if you've
done the first steps correctly). Then it's basically autopilot and you don't
ever feel like procrastinating. I dunno - works for me.

~~~
rabidrat
In the past, I have followed through with what seemed like good decisions at
the time. As the years went on, I started to have doubts that they were not-
so-great decisions, but I continued to follow through anyway, because of my
awesome willpower. I definitely got some things 'done', but in some instances,
they were at best a colossal waste of energy, and at worst, actually ran
counter to my true goals.

Life is a process of self-discovery and adaptation. I actually agree with you,
that simple 'decision' carries immense power. But if that power is wasted or
ill spent, then future uses of that power carry a pall of distrust, which
makes the power harder to use.

I cannot find the quote right now, but it is something like: "Some have inside
themselves a volcano, and some have a glacier. Neither should take advice
meant for the other."

I have a volcano in my heart, and I can spend many lifetimes spewing forth
lava in all directions, for the ultimate good of no one. My lifelong struggle
is to learn how best to focus that energy.

But be careful if you are a glacier, that you don't tell a younger version of
myself to just start spewing in any direction. Likewise, I won't tell you to
stop and make sure that you're moving in the right direction before you take
any steps at all.

------
abraham_s
1)I get up early in the morning on weekends (relatively early like 7). I have
sleep at a sane time on the night before to do this, instead of staying up and
watching netflix till 3 in the morning on the night before.

Waking up at noon ruins the day for me. YMMV

2) Limiting the things you want to do. I had this nagging feeling that I
should read all the interesting articles that come across in HN etc. I solved
but installing a "save to wunderlist" chrome extension. I tell myself that I
would read it later (which rarely happens).

~~~
afarrell
> which rarely happens

If you genuinely feel like you want to keep up with news, switch to podcasts.
Then, get your news while you tidy your flat, do laundry, or buy groceries.

------
goo
Side projects are hard to get around to sometimes -- I don't try to force it,
because it's much worse to waste your time and build bad habits than it is to
just admit that it's not happening today and make the most of your time.

I try to get outside and move every day that I can. I surf on weekends and it
makes my life a lot better. Then the day is already in the "win" category, so
if I feel like working on something, there's less pressure.

------
resonantjacket5
I set a timer that just went off every hour.

And if i was doing something unproductove like youtube facebook etc I closed
the tab.

Another thing was that instead of theorycrafting and worrying about O(n) for
the smallest projects ever I just went ahead and got something running. Its
pretty easy to be disappointed if you cant see your results.

For preparing for interviews you dont really need the internet. Just get a
piece of paper and use the cracking the coding book.

------
gpsgay
Get up early, and try not to do anything before getting started on what you
wanted to do. If you have a place you can go to that is not your home to go do
it, go there and avoid staying home. If you are depressed like now, because
Sunday is already gone, plan to get up at least a couple of hours earlier than
you normally would tomorrow, and use those two hours to at least start doing
some of what you wanted to do.

------
abraham_s
You said "prepare for interview". I was doing it a few months back and I
didn't enjoy it. One reason was I was thinking in the back of my mind about
all the interesting (for me) thing I could be learning instead of the
interview prep. I used to devote sometime to study something that genuinely
interested me, regardless of whether it was helpful for interview.

Again, this helped me a little bit, YMMV

------
meric
I sometimes go to the library. I also quit facebook.

------
joeclark77
What worked for me is, this fall I canceled my smartphone service and bought a
flip phone from Walmart. Saves a ton of money, but more importantly, I hardly
even look at the Internet on weekends and evenings now.

Failing that, have you considered getting a cabin in the woods? Or maybe a
boat? Get as far as you can from an internet connection, as often as you can.

------
mixedCase
Well this is the latest trick I'm pulling on myself, and I can say it does
help, but due to its nature YMMW:
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/go-fucking-
work/hi...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/go-fucking-
work/hibmkkpfegfiinilnlabbfnjcopdiiig?hl=en)

~~~
afarrell
I find
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/momentum/laookkfkn...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca?hl=en)
and [https://freedom.to/](https://freedom.to/) to be better.

The red is harsh and makes you feel ashamed, which makes you want to escape
into the world of reading about the Great Boston Molasses Flood.

~~~
mixedCase
GFW messages actually have a white background. The shame part is correct
though, that's its purpose :).

Shame is one of the most powerful tools to get us to change behavior, which is
why it's so naturally ingrained in our brains. But again some people find it
too harsh to the point they work less and/or may even have so little self-
discipline that they'd disable the add-on; so my "YMMV" message stands :).

------
venkateshkumar
Simple. I quit facebook and dont watch TV.

~~~
fuqted
I haven't watched TV for a long time. That means nothing; implying otherwise
is to suggest that people where somehow magically more productive without
electronic media.

I've watched most Pando Monthly interviews, most Foundation interviews (Kevin
Rose), much of Y Cominator's youtube account - after having missed Startup
School '16 live I messaged them asking to upload. Not sure if that was why but
shortly after they started releasing SS videos for the first time in 2 years
(though they've only eeked out 3 videos so far). I actually fell asleep
listening to the Startup Radio podcast last night - I'm listening to it
currently - and I'm reading novel. And this is just the flavor of the week.
None of this is changing the fact that my productivity is close to zero.

The elimination of perceived bad habits just creates a vacuum waiting to be
filled by a different vice. It's a pretty common concept of replacing bad
habits with good and I think it's smart to take a holistic approach; mixing
career related goals with personal ones, and probably going a little heavier
on the personal ones.

An alternative would be to go so hard on the career goals that they begin to
give you personal fulfillment, but I don't think that's easily attained.

------
life_is_short
Start working on a project Friday afternoon and well through the night. It
sets the tone for the weekend.

------
DamnYuppie
So I have found that I do best if I schedule time for slacking off. I
generally will do 30 minutes of work followed by 15 minutes of downtime. This
downtime can be anything from watching YouTube, browsing HN, or doing some
household chores.

------
maxlamb
This may help: [http://qz.com/770768/how-to-stop-procrastinating-with-
tips-f...](http://qz.com/770768/how-to-stop-procrastinating-with-tips-from-
harvard-research/)

------
bbcbasic
Ask a friend to be your 'boss' and make sure you get it done.

------
mbrock
Catch yourself off guard and just do something.

Internalized guilt over not being "productive" isn't helpful.

Fix your home environment so that it doesn't encourage you to sloth.

------
k__
I didn't do it for a year anymore.

But I used to plan such things like trips.

Met with a friend (or alone) and we coded the weekend (or week) away.

------
oxplot
I go somewhere where others are working on their own projects. Hackerspaces
and coding meetup groups are examples.

------
bluecat
I use the wasteNoTime plugin to block websites on safari. Also, hide the
plugin so it makes it even more difficult to unblock the website.
[http://www.bumblebeesystems.com/wastenotime/](http://www.bumblebeesystems.com/wastenotime/)

