The economist Albert Hirschman once said of developing economies that "all growth is unbalanced growth" and that they should concentrate their limited resources into developing a few key sectors at the expense of others.
Indeed. I think most people who discover learning tools are guilty of neglecting socialization or other areas such as health. Especially during the honeymoon period and having endured school system. Now it’s easier to find people online to share niche interests such as Discord. I didn't have these platforms available when I was your age (I am in my late thirties OMG). I think I have been some years to a period that I spend more time chatting with online friends who I never met personally than friends on my environment.
Ironically, what caught my eye once you started sharing your learning on X/Twitter after quitting your job, where you make a collage image to represent what happened during that day, is that I realized the “knowledge goblins” discord server where you do the pomodoros, half the people shown in the screenshot are people who I used to talk some years ago. Not anymore, sadly. You have achieved success! The question is how you get there, creating opportunities, etc.
Agreed, managing the trade-off is a tough problem. I think ultimately balance is the best strategy because many of the goals you start to have in your 20s are long-term projects that take years - if you try to achieve them one after the other instead of in parallel then you risk never getting round to the ones you deprioritised. I wrote this article a while back which is on a similar theme: https://experimentallearning.substack.com/p/metrics-optimisation-and-the-paradox
just read that one. It's a bit like multi-arm bandit problem + Portfolio construction. Same issue im facing irl 😅 I guess the guiding principle would be like what we'd like to see more of in life
This hit me hard. I am in my early 20s and although I pursue many lines of interests, I am constantly withdrawing from social life, even abandoning people around me (ghosting them mostly). People close to me change constantly for the past ten or so years. I dumped them mostly because I don't think they are smart or we have trouble understanding each other. My situation is too complicated to be described in a few words, and no matter how I describe it I sound like a villain. Maybe I am.
I happen to be reading The Three-Body Problem (en version) for the past few days and that quote made an impression on my memory too. Either way, isolation is not healthy, and some disruption from the outside world isn't all that bad. I do hope I can become more connected to the world in the future.
I can relate completely to what you said and I'm really sorry you are experiencing this. One challenge is that making friends as an adult isn't something you really stumble across like you did back in school - you have to actively make it a priority and put yourself in situations where you can meet them. One piece of advice I have as someone slightly older than you - try to start addressing the problem soon, as uncomfortable as it may be!
Indeed. I think most people who discover learning tools are guilty of neglecting socialization or other areas such as health. Especially during the honeymoon period and having endured school system. Now it’s easier to find people online to share niche interests such as Discord. I didn't have these platforms available when I was your age (I am in my late thirties OMG). I think I have been some years to a period that I spend more time chatting with online friends who I never met personally than friends on my environment.
Ironically, what caught my eye once you started sharing your learning on X/Twitter after quitting your job, where you make a collage image to represent what happened during that day, is that I realized the “knowledge goblins” discord server where you do the pomodoros, half the people shown in the screenshot are people who I used to talk some years ago. Not anymore, sadly. You have achieved success! The question is how you get there, creating opportunities, etc.
Great read. I think there’s a lot of young men who relate.
Good write up.
As John Donne wrote: "No man is an island, entire of itself... "
that said. its tough to manage the trade-offs in our lives, and we should focus our attention on the needful to advance our goals.
At the same time, total neglect of any parts of our lives is unhealthy and in the long-term, it's counterproductive too.
Agreed, managing the trade-off is a tough problem. I think ultimately balance is the best strategy because many of the goals you start to have in your 20s are long-term projects that take years - if you try to achieve them one after the other instead of in parallel then you risk never getting round to the ones you deprioritised. I wrote this article a while back which is on a similar theme: https://experimentallearning.substack.com/p/metrics-optimisation-and-the-paradox
just read that one. It's a bit like multi-arm bandit problem + Portfolio construction. Same issue im facing irl 😅 I guess the guiding principle would be like what we'd like to see more of in life
This hit me hard. I am in my early 20s and although I pursue many lines of interests, I am constantly withdrawing from social life, even abandoning people around me (ghosting them mostly). People close to me change constantly for the past ten or so years. I dumped them mostly because I don't think they are smart or we have trouble understanding each other. My situation is too complicated to be described in a few words, and no matter how I describe it I sound like a villain. Maybe I am.
I happen to be reading The Three-Body Problem (en version) for the past few days and that quote made an impression on my memory too. Either way, isolation is not healthy, and some disruption from the outside world isn't all that bad. I do hope I can become more connected to the world in the future.
I can relate completely to what you said and I'm really sorry you are experiencing this. One challenge is that making friends as an adult isn't something you really stumble across like you did back in school - you have to actively make it a priority and put yourself in situations where you can meet them. One piece of advice I have as someone slightly older than you - try to start addressing the problem soon, as uncomfortable as it may be!