
The most common failure mode is failing to show up - ryanwaggoner
http://ryanwaggoner.com/2012/11/the-most-common-failure-mode-is-failing-to-show-up/
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kiba
My solution to this problem is to cultivate habits.

For example, I write or edit 500 words a day. That's enough to output more
than 3.65 the size of a 50K words novel every year if one only write new
words. However, with editing, it's more like a well crafted 50K words novel.
(I don't write novels, just non-fiction essays, on a variety of subjects)

Another habit I built is to self quantify myself in various dimension such as
sleep/awake time, weight, steps, blood pressure, pulse rate, and blood sugar
everyday. The result is almost 70 days worth of data. Every 21 days, I add new
data points to measure. Next will probably involves sleep quality rating. I
used the self quantification habit to keep tab on my health and conduct
scientific experiment.

I also learn using anki, a spaced repetition software, helping me remembering
anything from programming facts to the multiplication table to spelling errors
I made. I used khanacademy to review my mathematical knowledge, because it
have a spaced repetition system built into it.

I also used khanacademy to learn math(73% complete already!), but that's a
medium-long term project that will get finished eventually. Reviewing math, on
the other hand, is what you do for life, at least until the math becomes so
deeply ingrained into your mind that you don't need to study them anymore.

My rule for adding habits is to wait every 21 days before adding new ones.
It's also important to make sure you don't have too many habits to maintain,
as they impose a cognitive burden. If you can reduce them to code or programs,
do it.

Another thing to remember is that habit formation really depend on the habits
and the person. Some people forms habits better than others, while some habits
are easier to do. The rule of thumb is that the easier the task, the easier to
form habit. For example, doing situps doing commercial breaks on television is
much harder than drinking a glass of milk everyday. So, 21 days isn't a
magical day when your effort to do something everyday becomes a habit. It's
just a nice round number to use so that you won't be overwhelmed trying to add
several new habits in a really short period of time.

~~~
thirdtruck
Speaking as someone who does write novels, I can't agree more.

Cultivating that habit of 2,000 words a day in my first year of NaNoWriMo made
all the difference in my victory. The almost half a million words of fiction
written since then (2008) only came about through such day- and hour-sized
persistence over a long period of time.

~~~
dreeves
You may not need it anymore but my startup is trying to get people to where
you've gotten. In the case of NaNoWriMo, the idea is to force yourself to
spread out the writing over the whole month:
<http://blog.beeminder.com/nanowrimo>

~~~
thirdtruck
I happened to have looked into your service in regards to tracking word count,
but had some trouble figuring it out and making it fit into my workflow.

I'll check it out again, though, as I want to get back into exercising this
month. Thanks for the reminder!

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ryandvm
I really struggle with analysis paralysis as well.

The best treatment I've found when realizing that I'm stuck is to identify the
smallest viable action I can take to move the project forward. Often tackling
this task is enough to overcome the static friction and get the project moving
again. At which point I'm fully immersed in the project context and the larger
issues somehow seem less formidable.

~~~
ryanwaggoner
On a micro scale, I use pomodoros for this
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique>), but on a bigger scale, I
often find that I'm subconsciously weighed down by worrying about things that
I'm not currently doing anything on. Have to remind myself to just get moving
and figure things out as I go.

My long streaks of working out almost always start with a couple days at the
gym basically screwing around. I know it's not optimal, but it's _something_ ,
and I gradually get more intentional and serious as I keep going.

~~~
deweerdt
I second the use pomodoro technique, it's a great way to keep track of time.

Shameless plug: i wrote an online pomodoro timer <http://yay.im/pomodoro>

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drivingmenuts
That pretty much sums up my whole life right now on _every_ front. I have a
good-paying job (a major change from two years ago) that I'm absolutely frozen
in figuring out how to get things done. More than once, I've considered
leaving for a lower-paying job where there's less decision-making.

As for my personal life, fuck it. Not important.

~~~
ryanwaggoner
Congrats on the job. If it helps, from what I've seen at a lot of higher
levels of companies and organizations, no one _really_ knows what they're
doing. You're probably also suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect [1] and
are doing better than you think you are.

1\. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect>

~~~
bluepaper
Forgive me, after a brief look over the Wikipedia article surely it's the
opposite of that? "unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority,
mistakenly rating their ability much higher than average" - so they think
they're better than they are, whereas you're suggesting they're doing better
than they think they are.

~~~
ryanwaggoner
I'm talking about this part of the Wikipedia article:

 _Actual competence may weaken self-confidence, as competent individuals may
falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding._

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fitandfunction
I've always thought that the "trough of sorrow" should really be re-cast as
the "personal trough[s] of sorrow," i.e. every day, every decision is
confronted by doubt, and you have to continually overcome the fear of failure.

This is exacerbated by the fact that you're constantly confronted with stories
about other people / teams / companies that are "crushing it."

The good news is that it really does get easier with practice and repetition.
Kind of like jumping into a freezing cold pool for swim practice. After the
first couple of times you realize, "hey, I didn't drown," which makes the next
few times easier. It never gets easy, just easier than when you started.

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scott_s
Joel Spolsky has a similarly themed essay from back in the day, "Fire and
Motion": <http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000339.html>

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stephengillie
_Do something. Even if it’s the wrong thing, just do something. It might not
be as wrong as you think, and if it is, you can adjust and do better next
time._

Hiring workers first as paid interns, with an option to convert to FTE later,
allows the worker and the people in the organization to feel each other out
and ensure a good fit of both personality and skillsets. If the worker doesn't
fit in, then it saves both the group and the individual from a stressful work
environment, and you can keep trying until you find the right person.

Even doing the wrong thing works out, and sometimes better than doing the
right thing. More importantly, you're making space in your life, schedule, and
mind, for what it is you want to do. This allows people to try something out,
play with the ideas, and understand the important factors in making the
decision later.

Many people share a similar philosophy when buying durable goods[1] - buy a
cheaper/low-end model, and when it breaks you buy a higher-quality model. Or,
if the higher-quality model isn't actually higher quality, but is simply more
expensive, you know to buy the cheap one.

[1] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durable_good>

~~~
mattmanser
This only works for unskilled workers in a bad job climate as they're
desperate. You're not going to be hiring a skilled programmer with that.
People don't quit their job for a paid internship.

Anyway, what's the point? You can just fire them if it's not working out.

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spindritf
> The moral of the story of Narcissus, told as a warning for the very people
> who refuse to hear it as such, is that how Narcissus came to be is
> irrelevant. What was important was what he did, and what he did---- was
> nothing.

from
[http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2012/10/the_story_of_narcissu...](http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2012/10/the_story_of_narcissus.html)
and the whole thing is just great.

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jamessun
"Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good." - Voltaire

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peachananr
scumbag brains and its automated risk aversion..

