I tried and failed to automate my life(rambleware.substack.com)

21 pointsby matthewfcarlsonvor 2 Jahren11 comments

rambleware.substack.com

https://rambleware.substack.com/p/how-i-tried-and-failed-to-automate

14 comments

nicbouvor 2 Jahren

I've come to the conclusion that if you need a reminder to do a chore, it's probably not that important. I do the laundry because the basket is full. I dust because it's dusty.

The problem with scheduled tasks is that it assumes that every week, you'll have the same time and energy, and that the task will have the same priority.

In reality one week you slept poorly, the floor is spotless because you were not home, and you've got much bigger fires to fight.

I try to do things according to need.

[deleted]vor 2 Jahren

throwaway346434vor 2 Jahren

https://grocy.info/ should be able to do this for maintenance jobs.

It never quite worked for me either though.

Things that do work: I am in the habit of using a push notification when I am at a shop to receive my shopping list. Same for stopping for fuel for more than a few minutes - notifications to check tires, oil, etc.

When you can make the task or chore context sensitive, and based on either a measurement so something really being low = call to action, that helps.

Basically, "pull notifications", not push.

speffvor 2 Jahren

> But you likely get hundreds of call to action from notifications every day

This line stood out to me. Do people really get this many? A few months ago I started an experiment to put my phone in permanent Do Not Disturb mode - only letting immediate family members in the whitelist. It's done wonders for my mental health.

How the hell do people manage even a fraction of hundreds of notifications a day? It sounds like literal torture to me.

nicbouvor 2 Jahren

The default tech experience is insanely noisy. Just try turning your ad blocker off and picking the default consent option for everything, especially outside the EU.

I spent a lot of work making tech quiet: https://nicolasbouliane.com/blog/silence

It's a miasma that some people just learn to tune out. I lost the habit, and experiencing their reality drives me nuts.

tester89vor 2 Jahren

I disagree with the premise that this even counts as automation. Automatic nagging doesn’t make the actual tasks any more automatic. Simply buying a Roomba would accomplish more than what they did.

yungporkovor 2 Jahren

the nag vs nanny issue is the #1 issue that i wish i could find a solution to. as somebody who was unfortunately born stupid, i've always needed some kind of system that tells me to do things. otherwise i forget or even choose not to do them.

i've tried every kind of app or system under the sun but ultimately it works great for a week, then i inevitably start seeing the notifications and thinking "right yeah i'll do that soon when i've finished doing x" and then instantly my brain totally discards the information and it's just gone. a week after that, i stop seeing the notifications entirely and my eyes just skip right past them, and then before i know it the notifications (and ignoring them) is just part of my daily routine until i see money coming out of my bank because the trial period of whatever bullshit app i was using has finished and i forgot to cancel the subscription because i forgot the app existed at all.

throwaway11460vor 2 Jahren

Don't want to diagnose you over the internet, but this sounds very much like me and my ADHD. Pills fixed it.

yungporkovor 2 Jahren

i suspect the same but unfortunately i don't live in a place where it's realistic to get assessed or treated for adhd

throwaway11460vor 2 Jahren

I feel you, I had to jump through many hoops to get diagnosed and medicated. It's not an official diagnosis where I live. If it's in any way realistic for you, it's really worth it. It changed my life, I wanted to sing songs about the pills for months.

grey8vor 2 Jahren

I'm not making this up, I thought the same almost immediately and only then saw the throwaway's message: By the first paragraph, my spidey senses were tingling, and by the first two sentences of the second paragraph, I wanted to write the same... and then saw someone already did.

I hope you do have the ability to get it assessed eventually. If you do, make sure to go to an adult(!) ADHD specialist (psychiatrist/neurologist) not a regular psych.

In the meantime, when you read about productivity tips, try reading about ADHD-specific productivity and organization tips, I think they might help a bit better.

drexlspiveyvor 2 Jahren

(1)

bradorvor 2 Jahren

If you’re on IOS use Apples reminders app. Can set recurring reminders and one offs. And the reminders only disapear when you tick them, never with time. It’s great.

Also, there’s an ADHD thing called object permanence to look into.