Have you ever devoted a significant amount of time to something only to later feel it was pointless?
Have you ever devoted a significant amount of time to something only to later feel it was pointless?
You mean life?
As a software developer, more frequently than I'd like. Pouring a couple weeks into an epic only to see the entire thing scrapped... At least I got paid.
Happens with personal projects too sometimes, I'll start refactoring and decide at the end of the weekend I really don't want to waste me next weekend on it and it'll go to the archives lol.
But even in those cases, not entirely worthless. I still learned and grew my knowledge. Same applies to similar scenarios not related to writing code.
I have ADHD, anxiety, and trauma.
A solid 75% of everything I’ve ever attempted to do takes more time to do than regular folks because it has to be perfect. And then I may not tell anyone about my efforts because I don’t want the attention. Or if the work is too hard or I’m too scared of revealing I can’t do it all myself, I give up. Assuming, of course, I don’t forget about what I’m working on until the relevance has passed.
In my retail days, every time we had visits from corporate. We would bust ass on overnights to make our location look good.
One time, as a fucking manager, I was told I needed to literally scrub the floors. Our machine that did it hadn't been repaired in 6 months due to the GM pinching pennies. He told me to scrub the real bad parts by hand.
Corporate came the next AM. Spent all of 5 fucking minutes in our store to tell us his flight got changed and had to leave. I chewed out my manager and told him it was the last time myself, or any of my crew was slapping lipstick on a pig for a corpo visit.
Work.
Early in my career, I made the mistake of revealing to my employers that I'm competent at my job. More and more work flowed onto my plate and before long, I was assigned tasks that were supposed to go to seniors. So, the seniors received almost double my salary while they enjoyed more open schedules since I was doing my work + some of theirs.
It's simply not worth it to go above and beyond at work, unless it's your own business.
Sure. Two big projects at work come right to mind. Both were fucked before I started and ended up fucked when they ended. There is about half a football field in the Great Plains full of valves, boilers, plumbing, and pumps all ready for a chemical process that doesn't make financial sense to run. The company that paid for it went bankrupt from the project. It sits there rotting. Months of my life, working well over 60 hours a week
Who hasn't? We really don't have the foresight to avoid pointless activities.
I spent years of my life and a ton of money on a 150 gallon salt water tank. I had a thriving coral population and a lots of cool little fish and crustaceans. The metal-halide hood alone cost $2,500. I moved houses and just couldn't bring myself to set it back up.
Most things, in my experience, are not worth the effort. I really feel that a lot of people who are constantly hustling, going out and doing things, etc. are doing so because they can't allow themselves to stop and think. I tend to focus on necessary things (food, shelter, etc) and some things that let me feel comfortable. For the rest, I just try to live a quiet life.
Yes, but that's marriage for you.
Sometimes, and I think that's normal, but usually upon reflection there aren't many things that are truly worthless. I totally sound like a bad motivational poster but I really believe that even poor uses of time can teach you things - even if only how to be patient, forgiving to yourself, or wiser. It's a life philosophy of mine that you should always be pushing yourself enough that you might fail (research shows that failing about 15% of the time is the sweet spot for motivation and learning). Plus sometimes just passing the time is a goal in and of itself, especially if you're doing something you enjoy. Playing a video game, listening to music, etc doesn't "accomplish" a lot but makes life better.
Most papers I’ve written, especially one where I know the professor gave me a mercy C.
My ex. 10 years down the drain, and the worst part is I knew it was almost impossible to make it work. But I had to try anyway.
My degree in software engineering
I work as a professional number checker and "that thing is not on fire" checker now and am getting an MBA to make up for not knowing shit about half of thay before being hired
On some level yes, but ultimately the worst cases of poorly invested time make me learn to spend my time better, so it wasn't entirely wasted - I like to think of it as a learning experience.
What I am more concerned about is subtle time wasting, sprinkled all throughout daily life in the form of various technologies and media mainly. It's so hard to get a feeling for how much time you are really spending there and it's even harder to escape it.
Every fucking day friend...
I have certainly put a lot of time into things without achieving the outcome I initially hoped for. I don't think any of that was pointless though. All these experiences made me who I am today, each girlfriend or job that didn't end up working out made me learn something about myself, each failed project taught me something, if only to be patient and deal with frustration.
I try to think that life is all about the journey, and not always arriving where you set out to go is what really makes it interesting.
Organized sports.
Loved sports and playing as a kid and was exceptionally gifted at basically all of them I ever tried. Ended up loving a few and before I had a chance to understand the vast difference in joy vs. occupation playing them through college.
Looking back, I didn't enjoy any of the school sports from jr. highschool onward. I still loved the games and playing and practicing on my own, the sport itself, but the organized "competitive" part of it was awful full of horrible adults and structures and painful situations that ate up an enormous amount of time.
I could have played recreationally for 2% of the time and still have enjoyed myself just as much and still loved the sport. The sports-industrial complex in the US brainwashed me into thinking their path was the only way to continue with my love of the sport.
This question reminds me of when I first realized that in the grand scheme of the universe nothing we do matters in the slightest. Not even my first existential crisis either. Looking back on it, accepting the intrinsic nihilism of life is really the least stressful thing I've ever had send me into a depressive slump.
Yes. Work is that useless investment of time.
Some friendships be like that. Usually it's the case of me going out of if my way to help... Only for then to purposefully make terrible life choices.
Examples,
He was just out of jail and wanted to get on track. I got him a place to stay, a job, I even personally moved him (like drive, picked up his stuff), and got him an interview with the college. The choice, fuck his perole! Drinking, meth, and knowingly getting a warrant for arrest (to impress the ladies... And it worked) was way better.
The list for her, would be too much as we knew each other for like 28(?) years. She's a mom of a disabled teenage daughter. She thought it was a great idea to get into a relationship with someone she knew was a convicted child predator. I just cannot abide. (I called CPS)
School was a monumental waste of a childhood. Then unis. Now work. It all sucks.
Looks at everything. Looks at the sun expanding. Looks back at everything.
Yes, I do believe so
Every amphetamine user reading this post: fidgets nervously in chair
Absolutely every day... Sadly. Maybe it's just my anxiety and ADHD. But yes.
Nope. I usually drop it well before that. Then go back to it for a few minutes or a day. Then drop it again. Rinse and repeat
Yes.
My anxiety beast says hi.
Almost every job I had prior to realizing I need a work life balance.
Oh ya know, just being alive
Let me answer that with a book title: Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Flight Rising
Most things I do ;)
It's not like there's a captain of planet Earth, driving humanity towards some common destination. Purpose implies meaning, and I think meaning is subjective and temporary.