Obsessing on the best possible option to do everything.

[Words]

Just wondering if anyone can relate to this. It's been a while since I've last participated in this forum, and that kind of made me wonder why. Just a few years ago, I was always unhealthily addicted to this site. Maybe it's because I discovered reddit I guess Sorry if this is random. Having trouble structuring my thoughts lately.

Anyways, so reddit has really dominated the discussion aspect of the internet for me. It seems like the "best way" to organize the internet as a whole and I just sort of bought into it. What do you think of reddit? Now that I think about it, I don't exactly know why I think it's best way to "organize the internet" but I feel like I'm just "stuck" there because I've already labeled it as the "best" way to discuss stuff online. This is a vague topic, but does anyone else have this weird obsession on following the most "optimal" way to do things? And what do you think is the most "optimal" way to engage with the internet as a whole?

 

[Hadoblado]

Oh hey there, long time no see

I'm not a redditor. I've tried, but I think it's too big? A city might be the best way to organise people, but I still prefer a small town where I can remember people's names.

Re: optimisation
Yeah my functionality is often impaired because I'm thinking about how I'll be doing it in the future. I'm rarely fully in the moment because of this. I'm not sure about something like engaging with the internet though, that seems like a case of preference rather than true objective optimisation. I have little rules of thumb like "don't click a link if their trick is weird" or "don't click on lists because they're just a bunch of shallow opinions", but that's more just avoiding pitfalls than optimisation.

 

[QuickTwist]

I think I made one post in an AMA thread on reddit. Other than that, its nice to have a place where most things are discussed. Sometimes I have a problem and someone on reddit has the answer. That's what it's good for for me.

When I think of optimal, I typically think of "how can I say the most in the least amount possible." Efficiency is what I consider optimal.

Also, you can't focus on everything so there is really no sense in trying to do that. Better to have the few things you know really well than someone who doesn't really know anything about anything like me

 

[doncarlzone]

Optimization is a trap I think most of us fall into once in a while. Though I have a suspicion that people identifying as INTP are less likely to do so compared to other types.

A friend of mine once said that he refused to watch Parks and Recreation because he had yet to see "better" series such as The Sopranos, and his time would thus be more "optimally" spent watching that. Similarly, as I have brought this topic up in more than one conversation as of recent, I heard someone say that he felt bad when reading contemporary literature given that he had yet to read all of the classics that he wanted to read.

Sometimes a choice need not be optimal, often the idea that it is good enough can, indeed, be good enough. As an example, it might to be true that you ought to brush your teeth four times a day for optimal health (I'm not a dentist), but brushing them twice can still be said to be good enough. In other words: You are rationally justified in brushing your teeth twice a day.

Also, if all you ever think you should do is that which is the most "optimal" or "rational" thing to do, where does that leave you in the decision making process? That's the equivalence of living life by jumping on the train of circumstances.

Oh, and I never really got into reddit, though I do stumble upon it once in a while. I find Quora to be be decent sometimes, too.

I hope it is clear that this was not an attack at OP, but an attack at "optimization".

Edit:

Wanted to catch your last question:

but does anyone else have this weird obsession on following the most "optimal" way to do things? And what do you think is the most "optimal" way to engage with the internet as a whole?

I don't have this obsession, but I know of people who do, and they often give me a lot of suggestions as to how I should optimize my time spent on the internet. While it is true that there are many ways in which I could optimize it (Google reader is one suggestion I have received), I simply don't care enough to even try it. As long as it works for me, it is good enough. This is not to say that I do not change anything, I of course have arranged bookmarks etc., but it is quite far from being optimal I'm sure.

 

[baccheion]

Not really. Doing so is usually draining. I am more about maintaining/ensuring breadth of perspective and experiences/learnings to not get caught in the trap.

 

[onesteptwostep]

I go on reddit but only on some of the regional forums. I think reddit's a bit too big to have a communal feeling though. I guess it depends on the subreddit you go to, but most of the time there's entire too much people or just too few.

 

[Words]

Oh hey there, long time no see

Hey~

I'm not a redditor. I've tried, but I think it's too big? A city might be the best way to organise people, but I still prefer a small town where I can remember people's names.

I remember thinking the same way. I think your city-town analogy is great. Reddit does feel like a big city. Lots of noise data and buzz. I felt the same way initially too. You eventually just get into it after the initial phase. Quantity of people leads to quality ideas in general.

Re: optimisation
Yeah my functionality is often impaired because I'm thinking about how I'll be doing it in the future. I'm rarely fully in the moment because of this. I'm not sure about something like engaging with the internet though, that seems like a case of preference rather than true objective optimisation. I have little rules of thumb like "don't click a link if their trick is weird" or "don't click on lists because they're just a bunch of shallow opinions", but that's more just avoiding pitfalls than optimisation.

I see. That's really interesting. I view everything I do as linked to every other part of my life so there's barely any thought processed for "preference", just optimization. Even my "preference" is optimized in a way.

 

[Words]

I think I made one post in an AMA thread on reddit. Other than that, its nice to have a place where most things are discussed. Sometimes I have a problem and someone on reddit has the answer. That's what it's good for for me.

That's really interesting. Huh~ I debate a lot on reddit, and it tends be quite aggressive and confrontational. (/r/changemyview) is really good for discussion. But you're right, it is mostly a q&a sort of communication on the whole. It seems more goal-oriented.

When I think of optimal, I typically think of "how can I say the most in the least amount possible." Efficiency is what I consider optimal.

What about "least energy" possible? I see the internet as this one big mysterious abyss and I have to pick the right tool that can cover it as a whole.

Also, you can't focus on everything so there is really no sense in trying to do that.

Heh~ I tend to be greedy with information. Otherwise, I'd feel like I'm missing out on that one interesting happening in the smallest back alley.

Better to have the few things you know really well than someone who doesn't really know anything about anything like me

Maybe.

 

[Words]

Optimization is a trap I think most of us fall into once in a while. Though I have a suspicion that people identifying as INTP are less likely to do so compared to other types.

A friend of mine once said that he refused to watch Parks and Recreation because he had yet to see "better" series such as The Sopranos, and his time would thus be more "optimally" spent watching that. Similarly, as I have brought this topic up in more than one conversation as of recent, I heard someone say that he felt bad when reading contemporary literature given that he had yet to read all of the classics that he wanted to read.

Yeah~that's relateable. If you put it that way, it looks incredibly irrational. Seems like an "argumentum ad populum" or an appeal to the majority. In a way, preferring reddit is sort of like that given its sheer size in population in users and how that affects the site as a whole.

Sometimes a choice need not be optimal, often the idea that it is good enough can, indeed, be good enough. As an example, it might to be true that you ought to brush your teeth four times a day for optimal health (I'm not a dentist), but brushing them twice can still be said to be good enough. In other words: You are rationally justified in brushing your teeth twice a day.

Or what about not brushing at all so you can entirely avoid the horrid fate of being eternally bound to a non-optimal form of toothbrushing.

Also, if all you ever think you should do is that which is the most "optimal" or "rational" thing to do, where does that leave you in the decision making process? That's the equivalence of living life by jumping on the train of circumstances.

Not sure what you mean by "jumping on the train of circumstances."

Oh, and I never really got into reddit, though I do stumble upon it once in a while. I find Quora to be be decent sometimes, too.

Ooo, both are Q&A esque in a way.

I hope it is clear that this was not an attack at OP, but an attack at "optimization".

Haha. I find this funny because I'm more used to the nasty side of the internet these days.

Edit:

Wanted to catch your last question:



I don't have this obsession, but I know of people who do, and they often give me a lot of suggestions as to how I should optimize my time spent on the internet. While it is true that there are many ways in which I could optimize it (Google reader is one suggestion I have received), I simply don't care enough to even try it. As long as it works for me, it is good enough. This is not to say that I do not change anything, I of course have arranged bookmarks etc., but it is quite far from being optimal I'm sure.

That's interesting.

Not really. Doing so is usually draining. I am more about maintaining/ensuring breadth of perspective and experiences/learnings to not get caught in the trap.

That's actually my goal of optimizing---how to get the most quality selection of perspectives in it's most total optimal form. How do you do that? You find the most optimal form of screening for data.

I go on reddit but only on some of the regional forums. I think reddit's a bit too big to have a communal feeling though. I guess it depends on the subreddit you go to, but most of the time there's entire too much people or just too few.

That's a good observation. I wonder why. I mean it's same text format. The only difference is there's no avatars...

 

[BurnedOut]

To be precise, this thing either makes me take snap decisions or keep on procrastinating until I find the best option. I usually hate people who work on their intuition unnecessarily and then adhere to their own cognition bias to boast about their predictive skills.

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

 

[QuickTwist]

That's really interesting. Huh~ I debate a lot on reddit, and it tends be quite aggressive and confrontational. (/r/changemyview) is really good for discussion. But you're right, it is mostly a q&a sort of communication on the whole. It seems more goal-oriented.

Its mostly stuff where I can't get a Video Game to work or something. Its also a pretty good info hub for specific categories.

What about "least energy" possible? I see the internet as this one big mysterious abyss and I have to pick the right tool that can cover it as a whole.

That makes sense, I guess. Part of the reason the internet took off in the first place is because of how much info can be put on it. And it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. It can swallow you whole if you are not careful

Heh~ I tend to be greedy with information. Otherwise, I'd feel like I'm missing out on that one interesting happening in the smallest back alley.

I don't really care about "missing out" really. There is enough going on that I realize I am always missing out on something. It doesn't really bother me. I do what I do because I like doing it *shrug*

 

[Words]

To be precise, this thing either makes me take snap decisions or keep on procrastinating until I find the best option. I usually hate people who work on their intuition unnecessarily and then adhere to their own cognition bias to boast about their predictive skills.

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

Not sure exactly what you mean by "thing", and in general. The internet?

Its mostly stuff where I can't get a Video Game to work or something. Its also a pretty good info hub for specific categories.

Right. Upvotes(and consequently priority and attention) are all about "helpful or unhelpful." I find it really odd that people rigidly follow the "soft rules" that make reddit, reddit. There's also a lot of moderation. It's really strange to me because people tend to be more...random.

That makes sense, I guess. Part of the reason the internet took off in the first place is because of how much info can be put on it. And it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. It can swallow you whole if you are not careful

How do you traverse that? How do you traverse the world in general? Having a hub of information seems like a good answer to this question(s).

I don't really care about "missing out" really. There is enough going on that I realize I am always missing out on something. It doesn't really bother me.

Have you ever worked with security cameras or cctvs? I tend to be obsessed with those. I sometimes replay the whole day just to witness parts of the building I wasn't present at so I can see how everything plays out the whole day. Maybe we're always going to miss out on something, but the nature of the internet gives me the idea that we can be at least marginally aware.

I do what I do because I like doing it *shrug*

Maybe you would prefer something else if only you were aware of it?

 

[BurnedOut]

Not sure exactly what you mean by "thing", and in general. The internet?



Right. Upvotes(and consequently priority and attention) are all about "helpful or unhelpful." I find it really odd that people rigidly follow the "soft rules" that make reddit, reddit. There's also a lot of moderation. It's really strange to me because people tend to be more...random.

How do you traverse that? How do you traverse the world in general? Having a hub of information seems like a good answer to this question(s).


Have you ever worked with security cameras or cctvs? I tend to be obsessed with those. I sometimes replay the whole day just to witness parts of the building I wasn't present at so I can see how everything plays out the whole day. Maybe we're always going to miss out on something, but the nature of the internet gives me the idea that we can be at least marginally aware.


Maybe you would prefer something else if only you were aware of it?

The thing over here is the obsession with better alternatives.

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

 

[Words]

To be precise, this thing either makes me take snap decisions or keep on procrastinating until I find the best option. I usually hate people who work on their intuition unnecessarily and then adhere to their own cognition bias to boast about their predictive skills.

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

The thing over here is the obsession with better alternatives.

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

Ah, gotcha. I get how that leads to procrastination. Once upon a time, I started addings mods to this game and I kept promising to myself that I'd add "just these final 3" and finally start playing. I ended up having spent a week on modding alone and actually spent more time on the mods over playing. Not sure about snap decisions, I barely make those.

Still not sure what you mean by this:

I usually hate people who work on their intuition unnecessarily and then adhere to their own cognition bias to boast about their predictive skills.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

As of late, I have been thinking about the opposite situation: the case where you commit to whatever thing catches your eye. I.e. the opposite of procrastination.

If you look at your desk and it seems messy, you might decide to tidy you desk or you might carry on with whatever plan you had in mind at that point; say, going to work. If you always prioritized whatever catches your eye, your life would get fucked up very quickly.

Thus we can view procrastination as not some vice but an optimized behavior. Thinking about the optimal choice in a given scenario is a symptom of that optimization.

 

[Jennywocky]

It's a minor thing, but I remember when my food menu was a lot more limited because I had decided what my 'favorites' (or optimal) foods were and then only ate those. And that tended to be the way I did lots of stuff. But I didn't like feeling straightjacketed and have consciously allowed myself to be less optimal in the name of broader diversity, I guess. It's an outcome based on the focus on assessment/ranking, efficiency, and energy conservation, I guess.

The mods thing makes me laugh. I remember at some point spending far more time modding SWKOTOR and Elder Scrolls than actually playing the damn games. Because I wanted to look a certain way (so I'd even screw around in the edit files) and took forever to get it right, and never got around to playing.... and I'd end up doing endless searches on most games I used to play looking for mods that would make the experience better without really playing the game much.

I think at some point my conservation of energy, though, has resulted in me not spending so much energy accomplishing little and instead just trying to cater to 60-80% of my obsession and then forcing myself to move on because I know there will be little return for continued expenditure and it frees me up to do other things. I consciously don't like to waste energy or time (although then it's ironic because I can also impulsively waste a lot of immediate time on something that catches my interest overnight ... oh well).

But yeah, procrastinating (or feeling like I should wait) to do something because I can't yet do all I want to do with it... pretty normal.