Ask HN: How do you unwind at the end of a day? - gmemstr
======
jagger27
Queue up a handful (maybe an hour or two) of YouTube videos from my
subscription box. Not that it's all that different from the typical "flop on
couch and veg in from of the boobtube until you pass out" but if you have a
diverse subbox you almost never run out of stimulating, fresh content that
does more for you than typical Netflix-style content would.

Here are some of my favourites:

\- AvE:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWv6Pn_zP0rI6lgGt3MyfA)

\- Cody's Lab:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu6mSoMNzHQiBIOCkHUa2Aw](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu6mSoMNzHQiBIOCkHUa2Aw)

\- Matthias Wandel:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCckETVOT59aYw80B36aP9vw](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCckETVOT59aYw80B36aP9vw)

\- SV Seeker: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj_XaV1ss-qdD-
lPUtTEcXw](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj_XaV1ss-qdD-lPUtTEcXw)

\- B is for Build:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl4-WBRqWA2MlxmZorKOV7w](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl4-WBRqWA2MlxmZorKOV7w)

and I just discovered this channel last night:

\- Isaac Arthur:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZFipeZtQM5CKUjx6grh54g](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZFipeZtQM5CKUjx6grh54g)

~~~
afarrell
Ooooh, these are nice. Here are mine:

Extra History: stories of historical incidents —
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbBHk_zLTmY&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbBHk_zLTmY&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5Aq7g4bil7bnGi0A8gTsawu)
Real Engineering: mostly materials science —
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niVguabIhTs&t=33s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niVguabIhTs&t=33s)
\- Wendover Productions — mostly transportation -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlIdzF1_b5M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlIdzF1_b5M)
Tom Scott: a bit of everything —
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdmQp9M9jUo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdmQp9M9jUo)
\- Jay foreman: Urban planning and maps —
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjuD288JlCs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjuD288JlCs)
The Engineer Guy: Manufacturing —
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYNX8y6lQMc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYNX8y6lQMc)
Practical Engineering: Mostly Civil Engineering —
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0olpSN6_TCc&list=PLTZM4MrZKf...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0olpSN6_TCc&list=PLTZM4MrZKfW8Saqr34bzDBN3FBYSoek5A)
3Blue1Brown: Math, visualized to me more intuitive —
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjBOesZCoqc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjBOesZCoqc)

~~~
erikig
Thanks for these but alas - the formatting!

~~~
afarrell
ah drat. I forgot about needing an extra newline. Apologies :/

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grecy
I know it sounds nuts, but I always found changing clothes made a huge
difference for me.

Get home and put on a pair of shorts, t-shirt and flip flops, or at least
something you would never, ever wear to work. It always made some kind of
mental shift in my head.

~~~
samstave
Here is my crazy idea that I want YC to fund: a Sock Printer.

I want to come home and have a brand new pair of socks printed (woven) for me
by a bot...

I looked around on the internet for "sock machine" and its derivatives - but
the best I could find was one machine that was super industrial.

Nothing feels better than the first time you put on a brand new pair of socks.

SockPrinter.com!

~~~
roryisok
Could you not just buy a months supply of new socks in advance? Seems like it
would be cheaper. Also as a first adopter you'd have socks made from hard
plastic resin. It would bring new meaning to the term bleeding edge

~~~
samstave
Actually, I typically replace my hoard of socks annually.

But I am just in love with the idea of a sock printer.

------
bastijn
First, spend some time getting home. Sweet spot is 30 mins. Preferably biking
through nature (looking) areas. Unfortunately for me it's an hour of driving
but still, nothing else to do than listen some music and think. Usually first
15 minutes I think about what I ended my Workday with but after it goes into
more relaxed thoughts. By the time I reach home work is out, home is in. If
you live within biking range of your work I would advice grabbing your bike
instead of your car for once (maybe much easier depending on country you live
in).

Next, eat. No TV, no devices, just family. Try to get my kid to eat her plate.
After that go up and play around with her and put her to bed after reading her
a book or two.

Finally, drop on the couch (if no sports) and watch some netflix or read a
book. Have to say lately the first wins more often but for now I don't have
real problems with that. I do notice that reading a book gives me a much
better start the next day though. Probably because I can stay up later when
watching TV. Books your eyes just fall shut at some point..

I try to keep working at home to a minimal (it happens, sometimes). I also try
not to open a laptop for personal projects when my wife is next to me. Mainly
because she likes to talk when I'm home :).

------
roryisok
End of the day for me is when the kids are in bed, chores done, usually around
8pm. I sit on the couch with my wife, we put something on tv and I code.

The code sucks, I'm not some kind of uber programmer, but I find it relaxing,
bizarrely. Maybe its the lack of pressure to turn in something workable and on
time

My productivity varies with what's on. If its something good like westworld or
GoT I shut the laptop. If its the vampire diaries I'm not looking up

~~~
mod
My girlfriend just finished the last of the EIGHT seasons of that terrible
show.

I'm glad it's over, but I'm also afraid of what she'll pick next.

Westworld is on my to-watch list, though.

~~~
roryisok
there's a spin off called _the originals_ which is even worse, currently
suffering through that. and then something called _riverdale_.

~~~
mod
Shit, my girlfriend knows about the originals, I forgot. I think that's next.

I haven't heard her mention riverdale. Let's hope it stays that way.

~~~
roryisok
Just invent your own drinking game for it. With vampire diaries (or VD as it
became known in our house) we drank when Caroline organised a party, Damon did
eyebrow acting or Stefan started a sentence with "I've been alive for 120
years".

~~~
mod
I'm sad enough just to know those names, no need to encourage it.

Hell, I'd have to watch the show!

------
akeck
My wife calls it "rummaging". I wander around the house putting things a way,
fixing little things, folding clothes, finding things to donate/recycle, etc.
Sometimes I make bread or chocolate truffles. The physicality of it all clears
my head.

~~~
icc97
If I do this it really, really annoys my partner. She gets uncomfortable that
she's sitting on the sofa not doing much whilst I'm pottering about.

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cubano
I do heroin, open Ableton, pick up my Martin and get lost in the infinite
world of modern music creation.

~~~
marsrover
I'm sure that'll end well.

~~~
tomcam
Of course. Most Martins are damn fine guitars.

~~~
marsrover
I agree. My D40 is the best I've ever had.

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pvsukale3
I check HN. It is an addiction. worse than weed. spend a lot of time reading
through comments. Like you are doing now . Stop it , Go get some work done!

~~~
mod
Getting work done isn't really my idea of unwinding.

I go out to my woodshop, but nothing I do there qualifies as work.

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i_don_t_know
I go running. And I literally mean "go". I don't drive. I run from/to my
doorstep. I don't listen to music/podcasts/etc. I don't think about anything
in particular. Mostly I daydream. I don't schedule anything for after the run.
No pressure to be done by a certain time. No pressure having to get ready for
something else. I don't watch tv. I'm staring at a screen for eight hours
every day, I don't want to stare at a screen in my spare time as well.

------
iLoch
I just bought an Ableton Push. I plan on cracking open a beer and learning to
use it after work. I figure if I'm going to entertain myself I might as well
be learning too. I find making music to be both engaging and relaxing.

~~~
davidlee1435
I find that making music (especially on a computer) is very similar to writing
software in that they require both hemispheres of your brain. I love the state
of flow that you get into when you're deep in a project.

------
losteverything
Listen to my spouse and then my spouse listens to me.

Then we talk about our day or whatever.

Nothing beats friendship and companionship.

We rarely turn on the tv - maybe for superbowl or storm coverage.

~~~
roryisok
You had me until Superbowl. I don't understand why people waste time watching
other people throw a ball around for money, but hey its your time to waste I
guess.

I'll just crawl into my downvote bomb shelter now and watch some people
pretending to fight zombies, _much_ less of a waste of time

~~~
roryisok
Replying to my own comment. Ok lets face it, we _all_ waste our time, and that
is essentially what this thread is about. Most pastimes can be made to sound
silly, and just because I don't share your interests doesn't mean they're less
valid than my own. I code apps nobody will ever use, write books that will
never be published, and I have watched 11 and a half seasons of supernatural.
And I'm sitting here commenting on the internet instead of doing even any of
those things.

Ok. I'm going for a walk

~~~
thesmallestcat
I take serious issue with you acting like some authority on what is or isn't a
waste of time. It's arrogant and destructive, to yourself and others.

~~~
roryisok
I _did_ take it back

------
DarkTree
Work out right after work to clear my mind and reenergize, as well as get a
little non-work related social interaction.

Make a nice dinner, shower and get warm and clean, then work on some side
programming projects in my lamp-lit bedroom (which is the best part of my
night because it's completely quiet, calming atmosphere, and I get to focus on
learning exactly what I want to).

Then write down my good/bad thoughts on the day in a journal, and finally
finish off the night by reading a book before I go to sleep.

------
bttf
Being able to commute by train really helps me. Having a routine of a 20 to 40
min train ride home creates a buffer between work and home and puts some
mental 'distance' between my evening and the work day.

------
dpc_pw
Being result oriented Rustacean, I almost never truly unwind. Only when I
panic I let myself unwind.

------
w-m
Maybe the best answers could be given by those who would not hang around
Hacker News on a weekend.

~~~
roryisok
Except it was asked on hacker news on a weekend, so OP is one of us

------
dharness
I drink beer and watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

------
jborden13
Workout > vape some weed > reddit

------
jMyles
I think breaking a good sweat is a huge reset button if you really need to
unwind.

If you are really feeling stressed at the end of the day, maybe there are some
small tweaks about the shape of your day that can help. One that I can
enthusiastically suggest: naps.

------
wanderr
I always have a hard time going to sleep at a consistent time; it's much
easier for me to stay up a couple of hours later than it is to go to bed even
a half hour earlier. The two easiest ways for me to lose track of time and end
up amped up at bedtime are programming and gaming, so I set an alarm 2 hours
before bedtime to remind myself to stop either of those activities for the
night. Then I veg out watching something stupid on Netflix or reading. It
works but is definitely frustrating that I have to dedicate such a big chunk
of time to winding down.

~~~
Broken_Hippo
I have the same issue if I'm working a "normal" person's day, but not so much
if I can wake later in the day (10-noon).

The poster mentioning the tea was on track - it doesn't have to be tea, just
get a routine at night, starting half an hour or something before bed. It can
be showering or whatever, just something relaxing. Boring television shows -
nothing that gets you too interested - after that until you sleep. Or reading
or whatever, so long as it doesn't engross you.

Also helpful is to keep some sleep hygeine - not sleeping in much on weekends.
It sucks doing this, but it does produce results.

~~~
wanderr
Same here actually, except a bit later if I'm not waking up to an alarm, I
will drift towards waking up at 1-2pm and don't have as much trouble getting
to sleep. Even then I can easily make myself stay up later than usual, and
would take advantage of that fact to "flip" my schedule when needed over the
course of a week by just going to bed "later" and getting up "later" every day
until it was early instead of late. Good enough for making it to some
important early as hell meeting or flight or whatever, but my schedule would
quickly fall forward back to my normal preferred time.

Unfortunately for me, just 30 minutes or pre sleep routine isn't really
enough, any time I allow myself to encroach on that 2 hour wind down period
too much, I have a much harder time falling asleep. Things like chamomile tea
and melatonin do help with falling asleep, but not with staying asleep, if I
use them to fall asleep early I'll just wake back up 20 minutes later. Ambien
works wonders but I try to only use it when I'm really desperate, a few times
a year.

~~~
Broken_Hippo
Oh, I'd never go without an alarm if I'm expected to be awake before noon or
1pm. Without an alarm, I generally wake up between 11 and 1, depending on time
of year.

I also have a weird quirk of occasionaly sleeping through alarm clocks and
phone calls, which increases the earlier I have to be at work. I quit one job
when I was younger because I couldn't physically handle the work hours: They
started at 5am. Midnights? Yeah, those are glorious, though 2nd shift tends to
be my favorite.

Your experience with Ambien mirrors my experience with melatonin. It works for
me, but I have to allow extra time to sleep.I wake rested but groggier than
normal.

------
lefstathiou
Listen to Audible and get lost in a good story. Never self help (for the
purposes of the unwind - I do that during day or weekend) as it gives me
anxiet so aim for good sci fi or fantasy.

~~~
mod
I think this is a habit I might pick up. I typically play music and tinker in
my woodshop, but some great sci-fi would be a fantastic substitute for the
music.

Probably.

------
snovv_crash
3 times a week I go to the local gym and pick up heavy things. If I haven't
been in a while (skip more than 2 workouts) my sleeping suffers, so it is good
motivation. So usually 2 of these fall during the week.

On these days I'll typically also do stuff like laundry and/or reading sort-
of-work related stuff; usually stuff that makes me a better
engineer/mathematician/coder in one of the problem domains I'm interested in.

On Fridays I try to let loose a bit, either eat out somewhere nice or drink
lots of good beer, with a mix of friends and colleagues.

Depending on weather I try to mix in other sports: windy means i can go
sailing with a friend, sunny but cool is good for climbing outdoors, raining
is good for climbing indoors. I try to do a social sport like this at least
once a week, but that doesn't always work out.

I was never sporty in school, and picking it up towards the end of university
has changed my self confidence, posture, strength/fitness and general feelings
of self reliance a huge amount for the better.

I still wouldn't call myself fit, but i can run a 10k (with a lot of self-hate
in the second half) and not die. Mostly I'm just happy to be having fun and
making constant improvements to myself.

------
autotune
Practice guitar and read a book usually, or go to the gym and work out.
Incredible what you can do with a healthy work-life balance.

------
Artlav
Let my thoughts randomize, about 2 hours before going to sleep. It's the only
way to attain the capability of falling asleep...

~~~
roryisok
I fall asleep by randomizing my thoughts but it only takes a couple of minutes

~~~
billly
What the heck is randomizing your thoughts?

~~~
bmay
A quick Google search led me to this:

[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/15/shuffle...](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/15/shuffle-
thoughts-sleep-oliver-burkeman)

~~~
q-base
Hmm thanks! Never heard of it before, but sounds like something I need to try.

------
ericclemmons
Once kids are in bed, it's Overwatch time.

------
jbernardo95
Workout at the gym, followed by dinner and then some YouTube chill or some
coding.

------
jhgyukhjikoh
weed of course

------
rapt
I drink wine and cry.

------
mindcrime
Draw a really hot bath, just shy of the hottest temp I can tolerate, and crawl
in the tub and sit back and read for a while. Sometimes accompanied by a cup
of coffee or a bottle of Coke Zero.

Other than that, lying in bed watching Netflix/Hulu/Prime, or reading.

------
nunez
I go to the gym, if time allows. If time also allows, I like taking a salt
bath. It's really calming. I usually catch up on my Feedly during then. I also
like taking long bike rides, but travelling every week has made that
impossible.

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cygned
Take a shower. Meditate.

------
rimunroe
I take a long bike ride out of the city and back, take a shower, and have a
bowl of soup while I chat with friends or watch videos/read/play games.

------
miguelrochefort
\- Change clothes \- Cook and eat dinner \- Catch up on my YouTube
subscriptions \- Catch up on my Reddit subscriptions \- Watch something on
Metflix \- Sleep

------
Overtonwindow
Depends on the day, and the level of stress, but I either end the day with
marijuana, a bike ride, or an audiobook.

------
6nf
Exercise, Netflix, alcohol, drugs. In that order. Usually I'm asleep around
the Netflix / alcohol stages.

------
watertorock
Read, usually a book (and not on a screen)

Play music

Take a walk

------
max0563
I enjoy drinking a cold beer, and playing the Jaw Harp. Very relaxing, indeed.

------
venture_lol
Overflow of good food, drinks, friends galore...and alone duo time lol

------
orsenthil
Sleep. There is no better way for me to unwind.

------
anonymousiam
Red wine, trance music, and mind-blowing sex.

------
psyc
Minecraft, Factorio, and Netflix

------
Neliquat
Firearms, Motorcycles and Drugs. Not concurrently.

You people who spend all day on the pc, just to go home and spend your free
time there too confuse me.

------
madengr
A few stiff drinks.

Just kidding.

YouTube. I thought it was crazy for Google to buy it for $1E9, but now I think
it was wise.

------
bbcbasic
I don't. Putting kids to bed. Chores. Sleep.

Instead I unwind at lunchtime. Walk through the city or in parks. Go to a
coffee shop and read a newspaper alone.

------
trentmb
Hang out at the city library until it closes, then go home and read or watch
netflix.

