How Netflix Drained My Life?

I used to be a Netflix addict. Every evening after work, I used to catch up with latest episodes of "Doctor Who", "Dexter", "Eureka" etc. I consistently spend 2-3 hours a day watching TV shows. Weekend is a whole different story! As a creature of habit, I believe I had been doing these over a year. But a week ago I made a small calculation that made me reconsider this daily habit.

Here is my math:

If I spend 3 hours day watching television shows for a year, I would spend (365 X 3) = 1095 hours. Divide 1096 hours by 24, you will get around 45 whole days in a year. So, I am spending 12% of my year watching a high definition plasma tv which will add zero value to my life.  (My definition of value is anything that makes me better, richer and stronger. Yours might be different.)

Let's say I keep watching 3 hours per day for the next 20 years of my life (I am not even mentioning any special occasions), then I would spend (20 X 45) = 900 days or 2.5 years of my life watching story of actors who don't care about me.

Conclusion:

To me that's a lot of time spend. I even finished my college degree within 3 years. Think about how much I can accomplish if I spend time that adds value to those 2.5 years!

Yes, I know I should have time for more fun and nowadays, I do watch something entertaining occasionally. That's really okay! But I believe it's kind of crazy to have it as a daily habit which you carry on for the rest of your life. I would rather be moderate, then make it part of my daily habit!

Parents Vs. Computer Programmers

As a computer programmer, I found similarities between human habits and software. I develop softwares and make them act or interpret stuff in a certain way. In the same way, humans are programmed in their early childhood to also behave in certain way by their parents/caretakers.  Parents program their children to develop resourceful habits (which I also call softwares) such as brushing teeth, paying respect to elders, dinner etiquette, and studying new concepts. Parents could also program children to ingrain destructive habits, such as, making excuses, procrastination, approval seeking, avoiding confrontation etc. Some of those habits children  carry on for the rest of their lives.

This morning I started to wonder if parents are similar to programmers? In my field, a good programmer  completes his project within deadline, comply with coding convention, write intelligent logic and less faulty softwares, and unit tests his code. On the other hand, parents probably also see raising their children as a large project which has deadlines (i.e. setting them free at certain age when they are capable to take care of themselves). Parents also comply social conventional rules (i.e. eating healthy foods, paying respect, and going to school) and raise their children to be the best they can. There are always times parents could spoil their children with undesirable habits (even if they don't mean to).

I sometimes wonder how nice it would be if my parents program me certain habits; and prevent me to establish faulty ones. But the cool thing about humans is that they are self aware and have ability to be flexible. So, even if someone might be a result of bad programming doesn't mean he cannot REPROGRAM himself. That's really a nice thing about being a human!

I think therefore I am

I have been reading and listening to some spiritual books and literatures, and I have an interesting insights of who I am. It sounds simple and everyone knows it. I have realized that I am what I think.

Whatever I think defines the person I am right now. So if  I think like a person I want to become, I turn out to be that person. For instance, in the face of a challenge, if the thoughts someone brings in his mind is self defeating and discouraging, then he can be defined as a loser. However, if he pursue positive thoughts and emotions, then it is a different story. If we exclude past and future from a person, then his thoughts are the best way to define who he could be in this very moment.

Why You Should Stop Pursuing Passion?

I just finished listening to an self help audio book, "So Good They Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport published this September 2012. It talks about an unconventional way to approach my career which I really liked. The main theme of the book to set different mentality - "Adopt a craftsman's mindset; not passion mindset". I couldn't agree more.

All my life I have been seeking for hidden talents which I might have that could make greater good to this world. I thought I could be more than meets the eyes. However, after listening the audio, I am planning to start a different approach. I would focus more on improving skill I already have - being a better software developer and stretch my skills to make myself invaluable.

One thing I kind of agree in this book that we start to like a task (whatever it is) that inspires - control, impact and creativity. I actually came up with couple more the book did not mention - competition, responsibility (kind of like "impact"), romance and being a top player. The only way the task would inspire autonomy/control, impact and creativity is when we become an expert in that area.

In order to adopt a craftsman's mindset, we need to build career capital (valuable skills that people are willingly to pay for). We can only build capital by constant and never ending improvement in a specific area we are already working on. For example, as a software developer, I can work on taking my oracle database skills or web development skills to the next level by taking more challenging projects, learning more constructive feedbacks and have strong focus on giving value to job (not what value the job would provide to me).

I highly recommend you to read that book if you are in a wild goose chase to find your "dream" job in your early 20s. I have been sick and tired of reading the same phrase again and again - "follow your passion" in other books, and it led me to no where. I'm passionate of women, body building, cars, and spirituality; that doesn't mean I could make a living out those things unless I build enough "career capital".

How Being A Perfectionist Kills Me?

I'm a perfectionists. Whenever I decide to write a post, I want to give hundred ten percent and make it worth to read. Most of the time it never happens, and honestly I have deleted 5-10 posts from my <insert Anything Cool Here> site. I'm beginning to think that being "perfectionist" is my greatest weaknesses. For example, I am working on a new project this week and received requirements from my internal customers (i.e. business analysts). I usually write all my questions and doubts in an email to get clarity in the requirements they send me. I want everything to be perfect. I want my creation (i.e. software features) to be bug free and beautifully made. I want to be the most gifted software developer ever exists! So, I end up spending hours writing emails to business associates and proof them dozen times. Sometimes backspacing couple more sentences in every proof read. Sigh!

My perfectionists nature also kicks in when I am writing a text message to my friends. It needs to be perfect. It needs to be mysterious. It needs to gain attention. It needs to make them love me. I pretty much spend 5-10 minutes pondering before even put my fingers in my iPhone touch; sometimes backspacing few sentences in order to look "cool" or "less desperate"...whatever is more beautiful. I know how ridiculous it sounds, but it's a true story. These are one of my few occasions in my life.

I'm sure you are already feeling sorry for me. I'm not writing to make myself look like a freak (all human beings are crazy in some ways), but my purpose of this post is to admit I'm taking responsibility in this "perfectionist" nature. I believe this is a gift and a curse.Today I have decided that I am going to write this trashy posts and not going to delete it. I'm going to post it even if it is imperfect and make me look like a low life. Moreover, I'm gonna send few emails tomorrow and work on my project just to get it above average; but not to make it "perfect". Are you proud of me now?