A Geek’s Best Lifehack
A geek’s greatest hack wouldn’t be getting Vista to run as a virtual machine in OSX, nor would it be to organise his ToDo-list in bash.
It would be, in fact, a hack for the geek to take back his life - that would be the ultimate Lifehack.
#############################
#The Ultimate Lifehack HowTo#
#############################
1) Make a ToVisit list of websites and restrict yourself to that list. Do not explore more than 2 links deeper than the first page. Better yet, use wget (for Windows) and download the entire page plus everything else 2 links deep and stop.
2) Remove slashdot.org from your bookmarks. To really be rid of it, set your router to ignore everything from 66.35.250.150 (resolved address of slashdot.org). Stop making excuses that slashdot.org is important for your career. Everything that’s important on slashdot is probably already reported in major news sites. Everything else, well, is not worth your time. (For those of you not in the loop, check out wikipedia for an opinion on slashdot)
3) Set a cut-off time as to when that trial-and-error operation is going to stop. If that portable USB hard disk drive doesn’t work after you have tried a multitude of configurations, it means it doesn’t work. You’re better off posting in a knowledgeable forum to ask around. Stop at the stipulated cut-off time and do something else.
4) Set a day a week as CAD or Computer Abstinence Day. Kick yourself free from the wires and go out to do some exercise. There’s a world out there besides the screen.
5) Use pen-and-paper to take notes and draw. Yes, draw. Pen and paper are worth more than just to scribble down the partition setup you conceive to install the next bleeding-edge of OpenSolaris in. Go on, draw, you’ll be surprised that you can actually do better than Etch N Sketch. Besides, you get to activate the other side of your brain.
OPTIONAL: Get a girlfriend lover. No, for greater effect, get a girlfriend partner who can’t tell a bit from a byte.
In short, remember that a computer is a productivity-enhancement machine, not a time-machine that only goes forward. Make sure your time spent on a computer pays a positive Return-on-Invesment.
Kelvin Quee is a self-denied geek, lives in Singapore and has a keen eye on technology and how it shapes the tiny island he lives on. He is now pursuing a degree in accountancy.
Tags: 
Loading ...
Comments
Abel says on April 30th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
I love #1 coz I suffer from ‘long-tail clicking’ frenzy. It’s so exhausting and deviates you from your original purpose.
Another tip I might add is use an RSS reader for your favorite blogs and use the keyboard scroll buttons to read, not the mouse, to avoid the urge to c-c-c-CLICK! :)
sammelsurium says on April 30th, 2006 at 6:23 pm
There are girl geeks, and not all of them are lesbian. ;-)
Would you reconsider these lines?
Thank you!
Peter says on April 30th, 2006 at 10:05 pm
I used reddit to completely cure my slashdot addiction. Well… actually that’s like using crack instead of pot but… hey… at least I’m slashdot free. :D
KelvinQuee says on May 1st, 2006 at 2:03 am
Abel: ‘Long tail’ is a very apt descriptor. This very powerful effect is, unfortunately, also what makes the internet so ‘dangerous’. I wonder how much of a person’s lifetime is spent wander-surfing on the internet. I guess the internet isn’t old enough for us to do such a study, but I’m sure its thesis-material within the next twenty years.
sammel: I’ve changed it to reflect the other gender’s PoV. Sorry, but I guess I slipped. But, isn’t it flattering that females are seldom typecasted as geeks?
Peter: I find using del.icio.us to be a rather reliable indicator of what’s hot on the net now, especially if you use it like this:
http://del.icio.us/popular/
What’s your take on it?
Abel says on May 1st, 2006 at 3:05 am
Kelvin: I would also like to add. Before going online, create a to do list of what you need to do, read, or post at. After you’re done, that’s the only time you could wander off other interesting sites, posts, topics, files, etc. But it’s important to put a limit on the time you’ll spend doing this.
Evil Overlord says on May 3rd, 2006 at 12:28 am
“get a girlfriend partner who can’t tell a bit from a byte”
Bad idea - really really BAD idea.
I tried this approach just once after several tech-savvy girlfriends.
I chose a girl with no interest in Sci-Fi, computers in the hope of kindling my non-computer interests.
Basically, we had no common interest at all and I found myself spending our nights out standing uselessly in a pub/nightclub when I could otherwise have been coding or watching Dr Who.
The best partners are those that understand and hopefully share your interests as closely as possible.
Layla says on May 17th, 2006 at 2:45 pm
Life? Sounds interesting, but you seem to have missed some vital part of the article: where do I download it?
Kelly says on December 29th, 2006 at 9:03 pm
As a geek girl I approve of all of this except the last item. Geek girls are much much happier with geek guys and the reverse seems to be true also. My boyfriend and I certainly end up talking about non-computing topics.
Kane says on December 29th, 2006 at 9:47 pm
Haha, this is a good list. I should really follow it but then I don’t really have anything else to do…
I would go out and find a partner but don’t you think I have tried that already ? I want a girl who has some form of interest in what I do and who I am, so the search is difficult. I don’t exactly need someone on the same nerd level as me (I actually tried that) just someone who is interested in what I do would be great.
As for going out and exercising, well I do. But there is only so much time I can spend outside wandering by myself or walking the dog. Again, outside the internet I don’t have any friends or whatever so it gets lonely. Don’t get me wrong I feel lonely on the internet aswell but atleast people talk to me here.
With your dislike of slashdot, i think your anger is missplaced. To be usefull in the world of IT you need to be current, that is what sites like slashdot and digg do, they provide you with news about geeky stuff that can really help you in your jobs, or even just help you understand things that will ultimatly allow you to be more profficiant at what you do. Sure a heap of stuff that gets submitted is absolute crap but you have to look past it. Set up an rss reader and basically only click on what is relevent. You need to learn some self control.
Kelvin Quee says on December 30th, 2006 at 9:18 am
Kane and Kelly, thanks for the comments. :)
Everyone has problems in their lives at one point or another. That’s when we take time and effort to re-discover one’s purpose in life.
The problem about the internet is that it strips us off of “alonetime”, which is really important. “Alonetime” allows us to remind ourselves who we really are and what we want to to.
So, if you haven’t, go outside to take a walk. If you have to do it alone, it’s ok and use the chance to discover yourself. If you’re one of the luckier ones, treasure him/her and build a rewarding relationship.
Good luck!
Tanya says on December 30th, 2006 at 11:34 am
OPTIONAL: Get a girlfriend lover. No, for greater effect, get a girlfriend partner who can’t tell a bit from a byte.
I also disagree with that, I love being able to talk to my boyfriend about computer issues he came across at work. I would think it would be annoying to have to explain everything all the time. Oh wait! That’s tech support..:)
zzap says on December 31st, 2006 at 10:39 pm
This article did help me; thanks.
Danielle says on March 30th, 2007 at 12:15 am
What has the real world done for any of us anyways?
Rookie says on April 12th, 2007 at 10:52 am
I liked The C.A.D day the best
shopautodotca seocontest says on May 20th, 2007 at 4:50 am
For me is this article very intersting, because i have searched for this informations a long time.Thanks.
shopautodotca seocontest says on June 6th, 2007 at 12:00 am
go with the optional part and forget the rest get a lover and forget your computer
yoga says on September 22nd, 2007 at 7:12 am
This article did help me; thanks.
Kanal Temizleme Araçları says on March 6th, 2008 at 5:31 am
I think there is no concrete definition of blog and I think comments are the best way for the visitors to input in a constructive manner or criticise in a healthy way.
WiDoW_MaK3R says on March 15th, 2008 at 10:21 am
i would say… just get a gf…
if you lose her… then follow those steps XD
but all in all… getting a gf will break you away from the computer…
cash advance says on June 4th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
get a life take a break from your computer
payday loans says on June 7th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Payday Loans are good when you are in a bind and need to catch up on your bills, they are quick, easy, and confidental.
Domain Hosting says on June 10th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Great day outside good time to get away from your computer lots of sex girls outside hot temps mean sexy outfits have some fun and get out
payday loans says on June 19th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
No fax cash advance payday loans could give you some help if you can get a date
payday loans says on June 19th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I think the payday loan system is great! Theres not a single person who doesn’t have emergancy’s and payday loans really help out.
There quick and easy and really do help.