Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them? - <AUTHOR> What things (books, activities, courses - anything really) have richly rewarded the time you invested in mastering them? <comment><USER2> "Fighting fair."

It's a term I heard a Minister tell the bride and groom during his speech at their wedding. He talked about how you're going to fight with your spouse, but the challenge is to fight fair. Hear the other person. Try to see their perspective with sympathy, if not empathy. Avoid trying to "win" fights, that's never the point.

I talked about this with my then girlfriend. She was a vicious fighter. I was too. We knew each other's weak spots and knew exactly what to say. But we spent a few years slowly getting better. And now our fights are almost always about a rational disagreement on perspective. They get heated. We get emotional. Because we both really care. But we fight fair now, and that means our fights are productive and usually rather short. For me it means forcing myself to stop the argument for a moment, truly process and soak in everything she's said, try to understand why she feels that way, and see if maybe she's got a point. On more than one occasion, we'll be a few minutes into a yelling match and one of us will just abruptly say, "oh my god you're right..."

It's easily the most powerful skill I've developed in my adult life.

I've been married to her for 2 years now. I've got 78 more years to go with her and I feel more confident every day that we're going to make it.

<comment><USER3> Any books/articles about this ?

<comment><USER4> The best relationship advice guide is here in my opinion: [https://markmanson.net/relationship- advice](https://markmanson.net/relationship-advice)

If not for the tactical advice inside of the article, it's a launching pad for other resources to dive into (such as the 5 language of love).

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I'm still very much in the earlier stages of learning, but I'll say negotiation. Recognizing that virtually any situation involving an "exchange" between two interested parties can become a negotiation has been a great insight into control for me.

People often think of negotiation as business, however it can be much more personal than that and can be very useful for your interpersonal relationships as much as it can be for your professional relationships.

Understanding how you can leverage another person's empathy (and your own) in your favour without exploiting the other person is tremendously valuable whether you're trying to get your kid to eat their vegetables or trying to convince a terrorist organization to free their hostages.

I've learned a few simple techniques that have honestly improved my ability to not only negotiate but communicate and understand people better in general.

I bought Chris Voss' book on negotiating and it's been really pivotal for my understanding of, well, humanity to a certain extent. Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make a stronger person out of themselves.

No affiliation with the book btw but I'm a huge fan of the author as a result of his book.

<comment><USER6> > I bought Chris Voss' book on negotiating and it's been really pivotal for my > understanding of, well, humanity to a certain extent. Highly recommend it to > anyone who wants to make a stronger person out of themselves.

For people wondering, Chris Voss is the former lead international kidnapping negotiator for the FBI. Here's a podcast where he talks about negotiation [0] and the link to the book the above comment refers to [1]. His talk at Google about the same subject might be interesting too [2].

[0] [https://fs.blog/2018/01/chris-voss/](https://fs.blog/2018/01/chris-voss/)

[1] [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32444582-never-split- the...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32444582-never-split-the- difference)

[2] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guZa7mQV1l0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guZa7mQV1l0)

<comment><USER7> On thing that has bothered me about some other negotiating books is that they seem to focus on [what I call] "psychological tricks", then one day you get two people who've read the same book together and they just go back and forth trying to play tricks on each other and nobody gets anywhere.

Chris Voss' book teaches [among other things] that listening is the most important and most difficult negotiating skill. That's a "scaleable" approach to negotiation, if you happen to get two people together who both believe in listening to the other, that works.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Computer Science degree.

Sure, lots of us "learnt" programming in our bedrooms or whatever by doing our own thing and messing about in whatever language. I went into my compsci degree arrogantly thinking that I pretty much knew how to code already so please just give me the bit of paper saying I have the degree and I'll be on my way thanks very much.

I was very wrong.

Although I was pretty good at the coding (or at least I like to think so), I learnt so much more of the theory that is as relevant today as it was then, and as it was decades before that too. It stretched me in ways I did not even know I could be stretched - I dont think I would never have learnt the "hard" theory that transcends specific programming languages if I was just tinkering around on my own or reading a "How to program Python/Visual Basic 6/PHP/C#" books etc (aged myself there with VB6!).

More or less every day I still use those skills/knowledge I learnt on my degree, but not only that I came out beaming with confidence and the knowledge that I _knew my stuff_.

As a direct result of my degree I enjoy a pretty cushy, well-paid, well- perked, and secure job at a company that many people dream of working at, and have done for years. Sure it was 4 years and a few thousand GBP (at the time in the UK - more expensive now) but totally 100% worth it - I genuinely dont think I'd be where I am now if I had not done the degree.

<comment><USER9> While I have no doubt this paid dividends for you, I'm not convinced that the cost/benefit is greater on the whole than alternatively spending those 4 years doing real-world development. Subjective, sure, but from my perspective there are too many amazing self-taught developers and too many subpar ones with degrees to automatically justify the 4 year time and money cost for the average person (concerning skill, career prospects have their own reasoning w/ degrees of course).

One of the biggest things one learns is the ability to self-teach. Unfortunately college charges a lot of time and money to learn via their chosen methodology which doesn't fit many people. At worst it can build a dependence on teacher-pupil classroom settings to learn new approaches, hence so many training sessions and stagnation in their absence. As a tautology, it's not that one approach is necessarily better than another, but we must remember that one approach is not necessarily better than another.

<comment><USER10> I agree that self-teaching is a very important skill, but it is a skill that I learned in my university time. It itself is a self taught skill, of course. At least in Germany, lectures are not compulsory, and if I find I don't learn enough, I go home and try to understand it on my own.

Second, I dispute that spending those 4 years doing real-world development would have yielded greater benefit. The thing is, he'll be doing his whole life real-world development, so the longer he is in the profession, the smaller the benefit of the additional amount of experience will be. On the other hand, in the four years of college, he has the chance to learn some other stuff deep in a way that he won't have the chance while he's working.

<comment><USER9> > I dispute that spending those 4 years doing real-world development would > have yielded greater benefit

Didn't say that, just saying that's not the case for many

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Cooking. I am not a chef, but I have spent the time and effort to be able and willing to tackle nearly any recipe in the cuisines I'm familiar with. More importantly, I've made my wife, family, friends, strangers, and myself, happy at my table and via gifts of food. In terms of books, the biggest difference- makers have been 'The Way to Cook', Julia Child, 'The French Laundry Cookbook', Thomas Keller, et al, and 'The Flavor Bible', Page and Dornenburg.

<comment><USER12> I was going to say the same thing! For me it is baking/making bread, but cooking generally is rewarding and a practical skill.

<comment><USER13> I wouldn't advise to start with baking once the learning curve is way steeper and less fault tolerant than general cooking. If you are just starting and want to see cooking as a relaxation activity delay baking and start with Italian food.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> Readline —- I'm sometimes amazed at the number of relatively seasoned developers who don't know simple commands like ctrl-r. This one really pays off because almost all shells and repls like ipython or the mysql client implement it.

Sample cheat sheet:

[https://readline.kablamo.org/emacs.html](https://readline.kablamo.org/emacs.html)

You don't have to learn it all, but mastering the basics like moving to the end/beginning on the line, moving/deleting by word, yank, history search and the like will pay off handsomely.

<comment><USER15> If you're a vi user, edit ~/.inputrc and add:

       set editing-mode vi
       set keymap vi-command

This changes readline behavior from emacs to vi. This, along with "set -o vi" in bash, are really handy (though can be frustrating for others if you ever share a keyboard pair programming).

<comment><USER16> In Zsh, it will set the editing mode to whatever your $EDITOR is set to. So if $EDITOR == vim, readline will be set to vim mode.

I'm a vim person, but I feel like the modal workflow does not work well at all in a shell.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> I'm going to say something out of the blue - Building speakers.

Building speakers look complex from the outside, but are pretty rewarding once you know the basics (Thiele parameters, enclosure design and tuning). You can put together your own speaker with just a couple of parts from eBay or anywhere else on the internet really and sometimes can end up with really high quality boxes that can outperform much more expensive commercial ones available in the market.

Speaker design is one of those things that the more time you put into it, learning, studying, testing, the better rewarded you'd feel. To add to the mix there's also amplifiers - Class A, B, C, D and even tube amps and each combination of amplifier and crossover sounds totally different.

Each speaker box I design, I feel is like good food. Different flavors, different combinations, different possibilities. You will never feel bored and never feel you've hit an end. You're always discovering something new.

<comment><USER18> Would the barrier to entry for making working speakers be significantly higher if the aux port goes away entirely?

<comment><USER19> If it went away _entirely_ , as in also from laptops, desktops and Raspberry Pis, without adapters being available, maybe.

But you're not going to be driving a speaker with a phone anyways. You'll need an amplifier, and if the aux port goes away, the amp will likely have whatever-alternative-input-there-is.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> Being good at reading and writing.

The ability to quickly and efficiently understand and mentally absorb large amounts of the written word, and the ability to write clearly, simply and coherently about subjects both simple and complicated.

Being good at reading is a force multiplier in everything academic I have ever done, and continues to be a huge advantage in both learning and simply doing my job, and in so much of life in general. So much information about how everything works, physical devices and procedures and interacting with governments and organisations, is provided as the written word. If you can do it quickly and correctly, you're ahead of the game.

Being good at writing helps me transmit knowledge and instructions across time and space to other people, helping them understand faster and better. It also saves me time; I work with people who genuinely struggle to express precise technical information through the written word, spending large amounts of time producing text that really isn't adequate. Often they write as if they're speaking, which just doesn't work.

A lot of people go through life with just functional literacy; being good at reading and writing is a force multiplier across so many activities in life, right from early education all the way through such a huge range of jobs and careers. The return on investment spent on being good at reading and writing is huge.

<comment><USER21> Do you have any tips on getting better at this (eg writing explanatory pieces on technical issues) apart from simply doing it over and over again?

<comment><USER20> Harsh, brutal critique from other people (ideally the target audience), prompted by deliberate questions from us about how easy it is to read and understand, and questions from us to test that understanding.

Writing happens entirely inside one's own mind; it can be so hard to see that what we're writing _isn 't_ clear, _isn 't_ well structured, _doesn 't_ guide the reader deftly through understanding and enlightenment. I wonder if it's even possible to properly critique our own explanatory pieces on technical issues, given that we cannot read it without having that knowledge already in our heads, as the target audience will have to.

It can be quite a shock to learn how badly written some of our own work is; as with code reviews, ego has to step aside.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> Learning how to smile. I would spend time in front of the mirror practicing my smile for different situations.

During interviews I would force myself to smile. It helped get rid of some nervousness. When I get stuck on a problem I would smile stupidly and usually the interviewer would help me out.

When I feel like conversations are getting heated I would take a step back and smile, it helps me direct the conversion to a more positive place.

Sometimes when stuff happens outside my control and life just sucks I'll force myself to smile and handle things to the best of my ability

<comment><USER23> Wow. Amazing advice. I was feeling shitty and nervous now and tried a bit of forced smiling. Changed my mood for sure.

<comment><USER24> Me too! :D !! :D

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> Learning Sanskrit. I have spent the last few years learning it and it's been tremendously rewarding. Sanskrit is a beautiful language. Learning it is a great mental challenge and gives great satisfaction (to me). Before learning Sanskrit I had never really pursued a hobby this seriously. Since I have been doing this I no longer feel like a machine who just goes to work, eats and sleeps. Before this, I used to feel great despair if the work in the office was not to my satisfaction. Since I have started pursuing this passion, work no longer dictates my life. Work is not the only thing that makes my life meaningful. I view work as one of the important things in life and not the only important thing in life. And that has made all the difference. My contentment and happiness level has gone up dramatically since I have been learning Sanskrit.

<comment><USER26> This is an extremely interesting perspective. I actually had the opposite experience. I was forced to learn sanskrit throughout my high school career and I absolutely hated it. I'm an extremely practical person and I have no use for the language at all.

<comment><USER27> There is no contradiction actually. While talking about the state of Sanskrit in school education, Chamu Krishna Shastry says[1] that schools are factories for producing students who hate Sanskrit.

IMO, whatever other reasons there may be, a most compelling reason for learning a language is its poetry (Robert Frost defined poetry as that which gets lost in translation), and here Sanskrit poetry is unlike anything in the world. You may like to read this collection of essays[2] that my friend wrote during his first real encounter with Sanskrit poetry.

[1]: [https://youtu.be/ZoS1nA8RVko?t=740](https://youtu.be/ZoS1nA8RVko?t=740) (starts at 12:20), [https://youtu.be/WwtIJ8_bQf8](https://youtu.be/WwtIJ8_bQf8) (ends at 35:00).

[2]: [http://sadasvada.com/Sadasvada_Print_Apr2014.pdf](http://sadasvada.com/Sadasvada_Print_Apr2014.pdf)

<comment><USER28> Are you the editor of the essays, "SHREEVATSA R."?

<comment><USER27> Yes. (Mohan kindly included my name as "edited by", but all it means is that I read his essays and gave some feedback / made minor suggestions, before he posted it.)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER29> Drinking lots of water.

It might not be the same for everyone. However, I have noticed that I rarely drink water. It is interesting that I only noticed that this year (late twenties). The effects on my body and mind were phenomenal. I used to drink less than 1 liter a day.

I don't feel thirst. So I don't drink water when I'm dehydrated (because I almost never feel it). Instead, I have a prescribed quantity that I drink everyday. Also when I'm out for food/coffee/bar I always order a bottle of water. I might not drink all of it, but it'll help me drink.

You should drink 3-4 liters per day to feel the difference. The difference will be massive only if you are dehydrate it without realizing it. In my case, I was severely dehydrated, but I never noticed it.

The effects: I feel fresher. Smarter. More active. My eyes are much less sore and I suffer less when I'm looking at a screen. It is interesting I have never noticed or thought that water dehydration was the cause. The first days that I started the water dosing, I felt that the exhaustion was relieved.

To give you an idea of how serious this is. Look at this chart: [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3e/ed/4a/3eed4ad01533479b473e...](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3e/ed/4a/3eed4ad01533479b473ee0fffb240cba.jpg) My pee color was always on the extreme side before. I have never questioned it. Talk about ignorance.

The very first days of hydration, I felt almost 10 years younger. By continuing I certainly no longer feel the effects since I'm used to the new standards. But I'll never forget the day I discovered that I was in severe dehydration. I also will not forget the almost instantaneous change in my body after the few hours of drinking.

<comment><USER22> During my interviews, I notice a profound difference in performance when I drank 2 gallons of water a day before the interview. I got out of those interviews thinking, How did I even come up with that solution? I pocketed a few offers and drinking water definitely played a pretty big role.

Now I drink 2 gallons of water every day, it's become a habit and I feel sharp every day.

<comment><USER30> 2 US liquid gallons? 7.5 liters?

<comment><USER22> Yeah. 2 of those gallon bottles.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> Programming

(I feel like that might be cheating on HN...)

I started programming about 16 years ago (I think), when my Dad bought a basic introduction to HTML for himself, which I ended up "borrowing". I super geeky teenage life followed where I learned various languages, including Python, Delphi and an obscure language called RapidEuphoria (honest, that is a programming language, with some interesting features actually). Fast forward through a Maths degree and 2 internships, I'm now a happy Engineering Team Lead at Bloomberg, generally utilising JS, Python and C++ as appropriate.

Of course, there are a bunch of other skills needed to be a successful software engineer, but I think turning my hobby into my career has been the most richly rewarded skill so far.

<comment><USER32> I'm curious about your experience going from a maths degree to a software engineering career - do you find the maths to be specifically and/or broadly relevant to your work? Are there any anecdotes you'd like to share on the process?

<comment><USER33> I have degrees in Math (PhD), CS(MS), and Engineering(BS). I find wonderful interactions between all three.

My career is a bit mixed up: Taught Math at a college (part time on and off for 10 years), Meteorologist (only 2 years), Nuclear Engineer (only 2 years), Systems Engineering (7 years), Hedge Funds (15 years). I did a lot of ML/AI (20 years) mostly for Trading Stocks, Poker, Torpedos, and Satellites. I wrote about 100,000 lines of C++ and about 10,000 lines for each of the following: BASIC, Mathematica, Matlab, and Haskell.

Math is an integral a part of my life and my thinking. :)

If I get some time later, maybe I will try to write up a few stories.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER34> My marriage.

No one else in my life has my back, protects my confidence, and shares this wild adventure like my wife does. We have invested a LOT of time and money into getting better at overcoming disagreements, digging deeper into what is actually causing a rift between us, defining the company we want to keep, etc.

We are both athiests, so we didn't have access to church or religious marital counciling (probably for the best). We took it upon ourselves to study all we can, to treat our marriage as a foundation to improve our self-awareness and help each other see their blind spots.

Some education that has been helpful: \- Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg. Great foundational book. His other book "Speaking Peace" is a how- to manual for conflict resolution between warring communities/tribes/nations. Both are VERY powerful and cheap. Both have audiobooks.

\- Wired for Love by Stan Tatkin. Great book about building a foundation in a partnership.

\- "Deep Psychology of Intimate Relationships" course (DPIR) from RelationshipSchool.net and the free "Smart Couple Podcast." DPIR is a "masters degree" in building a rock solid partnership, and the podcast offers some great ongoing commentary. What secular relationship books or courses or events do you recommend?

</comment><comment><USER35> SQL. Ultimately a software company is a business, run by business people who have to solve business problems. Often to do that they come up with questions which need to be answered by ad-hoc (written on the fly for one purpose) SQL queries. Having that ability, to answer arbitrary questions FAST will elevate your status in the minds of managers and business people.

<comment><USER36> What's a good place to start learning SQL? (for someone with 5+ years C++ and now dabbling in Clojure/ELisp)

<comment> dan-robertson 0\. Look at a few simple sql queries (at most one join) and the corresponding schema. Internalise what the queries do and a rough idea as to the syntax

1\. Have a database to query (or think of some project that is basically a frontend on a database and which you can give a reasonable amount of data)

2\. Come up with questions for the database you want to answer

3\. Look at the SQLite documentation. They have fantastic diagrams for the syntax of a sql query.

4\. Write down the sql for your query (or work out what you can't express and see if you can search on the internet to find out how to express it)

5\. Look into relational algebra and try to work out how it corresponds to sql databases.

6\. Repeat steps 2-4

7\. Understand what different types of joins there are

8\. Repeat steps 2-4

9\. Read about more exotic things like nested queries, window functions, recursive queries, and so on (just look at the features of your database of choice and see what you can learn about). These might come in handy for future questions

10\. Repeat steps 2-4 (repeatedly)

If you don't know which database to use then start with SQLite. It's basically fine for anything simple and manything complicated.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER37> Going to a gym two to three times a week for small group training sessions.

In terms of investment, it is not as expensive as private training and it keeps you on track. The real investment is in you. Your most important asset is your ability to produce income. Having a healthier body helps maintain that ability. The damage that I do through typing is only barely counteracted by these training sessions. I don't take typing for granted, having had soreness and pain for many years, and going to the gym and lifting weights has been the best action I've done towards addressing that. For you young and older people out there, do not take your ability to pound at a keyboard for granted. One day, it may start to lead to soreness which goes away after some rest. Eventually, the soreness does not go away.

The true returns are the cumulative effects of sticking with a healthy habit. You may not become "jacked" and super muscular but you will become fitter.

After almost two years, the benefits of regular exercise are so apparent that I have to hold back getting on my bully pulpit to encourage other friends to do so.

<comment><USER38> I'd recommend calisthenics instead of going to a gym. Far less chances of getting injuries with bodyweight exercises.

This book is a good start: [https://www.reddit.com/r/overcominggravity](https://www.reddit.com/r/overcominggravity)

<comment><USER39> > Far less chances of getting injuries with bodyweight exercises

I found no evidence for this, arguments seems to boil down to an "appeal to nature". Many variations of bodyweight exercices are far from healthy for tendons (single arm push ups or single arm pull ups for example), even basic push ups are harder on the shoulders than dumbbell bench press.

If you keep the rep range above 15-20 the risk of injury is pretty minimal with weights.

With that said, bodyweight exercises can be a good alternative if you don't have access to a gym, or if you like to train outside on a playground. But be careful with some exercises because bodyweight != healthy.

<comment><USER38> >> Far less chances of getting injuries with bodyweight exercises

> I found no evidence for this,

From Wikipedia:

""" Bodyweight exercises have a far lower risk of injury compared to using free weights and machines due to the absence of an external load that is placing strain on the muscles that they may or may not be able to deal with. However, the lower risk of injury is only provided that the athlete/trainee is progressing through the correct progressions and not immediately skipping to strenuous movements that can place undue and possibly harmful stress on ligaments, tendons, and other tissues. Although falling on the head, chest, buttocks, and falling backwards can occur, these are far less harmful injuries than dropping a weight on a body part, or having a joint extended beyond its natural range of motion due to a weight being used incorrectly. """

<comment><USER39> I stand corrected on this, my sentence was too strong and large, I should have been more specific. I still maintain the rest of my points though.

<comment><USER38> The quote actually addresses the rest of your points pertaining to calisthenics (correct progression, with good form, is important; those who "rush" are likely to get injured regardless of weights).

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER40> Learning Photoshop. My photo restorations:

[http://imgur.com/a/uzUzP](http://imgur.com/a/uzUzP) [http://imgur.com/a/BuwKp](http://imgur.com/a/BuwKp) [http://imgur.com/a/q61eH](http://imgur.com/a/q61eH) [http://imgur.com/a/1lp9O](http://imgur.com/a/1lp9O) [http://imgur.com/a/OyMWI](http://imgur.com/a/OyMWI) [http://imgur.com/a/iVhUq](http://imgur.com/a/iVhUq) [http://imgur.com/a/4zv43](http://imgur.com/a/4zv43)

<comment><USER41> That is impressive, how long does it take to restore a typical photo?

<comment><USER40> Most took 5-10 hours, but the photo of the couple covered in black spots took about 15 hours. That one was a woman's only surviving photo of her parents, so she was extremely happy with the results. I did them all for Reddit users for free, and it was very gratifying. I'd recommend fielding Reddit requests as a good way to practice. Here's one I worked on for two days before giving up, early in my stint doing restorations. [https://imgur.com/a/56pSsS7](https://imgur.com/a/56pSsS7) I really should start over, but don't have the drive anymore. I'd say that was my most ambitious attempt. The guy I did it for still had it framed, despite its flaws. Thanks for liking my work!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER42> Learning a musical instrument to a high degree of proficiency.

What's a "high degree of proficiency"? Obviously somewhat subjective but I'd argue its one of:

1) being able to play intermediate to advanced pieces in the standard repetoire. In the case of my instrument, piano, it's being able to play Bach, Brahms, Debussy, Bill Evans, T Monk, etc.

2) being able to think of a musical phrase and then play it on your instrument without much/any guesswork.

My parents forced me to take piano lessons - classical - for 6 years starting when I was 9. I hated it. When they finally let me stop we moved across the country and I fell in with some new friends, one who played bass and the other drums. They would regularly get together to do something called 'jam', which I'd never heard of. They invited me and although I only knew one non-classical piece - a simple blues - the feeling of playing/making music with other people was electrifying.

I ran home and asked my mom if I could start taking lessons again - this time jazz. I went on to attend a music school for undergrad and have never stopped playing, picking up guitar, bass and drums along the way.

Playing/making music has been one of the greatest sources of comfort and pleasure. I don't often get depressed but on those rare occasions when I do, being able to sit at my piano and play something like [0] is the best medicine.

[0][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIGjguSEmcg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIGjguSEmcg)

<comment><USER43> So ultimately, you think your parents forcing you to take lessons was good for you? My son is in that zone - kind of likes, kind of hates taking lessons. But I feel parents have to push their kids to do something to understand that applying effort will help you in life, not just playing video games. Thoughts?

<comment><USER42> Yeah, I do. I don't know if it's good for everyone. I tend to think it is though, in the same way that perhaps forcing your child to learn a 2nd language is more than likely good for them, despite the fact that they may not appreciate it while in the process of learning.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER44> Meditation -

I wouldn't say I've mastered it, but after 4+ years of study and practice including several 5-7 day retreats I can honestly say I'm far more emotionally balanced, calmer, happier, more insightful, more confident and comfortable in my own skin, better at dealing with setbacks and difficulties, ...

There's many things that call themselves meditation and as far as I can tell the majority of them are legit. I'd advocate picking one large and well established school / method and sticking with it for a few years rather than attempting a breadth-first search of the space or going into some niche branch that really just has one charismatic instructor.

<comment><USER45> I'd heavily recommend the book: The Mind Illuminated—I consider it _the_ training manual on meditation and it considerably pushed my practice forward.

</comment></comment><comment><USER46> Planting fruit trees on the property. Fruit trees require little maintenance and can, when mature and when things have been done right, produce amazing yields year after year for several decades. The previous grass lawn mono- culture has given way to several rows of apple and cherry trees, thanks to a few hours spent learning how and digging the holes. I know of nothing more rewarding as a function of the (tiny) time and money invested.

<comment><USER47> Do you have any recommended resources?

<comment><USER48> Not OP, but here is one that I liked: The Holistic Orchard Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way By Michael Phillips. It covers a variety of topics and different types of fruit trees and berries.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER49> \- Learning x86 assembler back in school: knowing what everything comes down to in the end has no price.

\- reading "Smashing the stack for fun and profit": I learned so many things from that article, that I felt like a god when I finally understood all the things. And all of those things are still relevant today when debugging stuff.

\- learning ruby: when rails came out I jumped on the hype train and started learning ruby. I was mainly a java dev, so learning all the new ways of doing things made me grow a lot.

\- javascript: I hated the language, but once I bit the bullet and overcome my hate for it and started learning it, I now love all the things I can do.

\- learning git: it was an uphill battle at the beginning, but now I can't live without it.

I am sure there are a lot of other things I am forgetting, but these come to mind now.

<comment><USER50> > Learning x86 assembler back in school: knowing what everything comes down to > in the end has no price.

I think going a couple of steps lower, learning electrodynamics (from a book like morin&purcell), and then electronics (art of electronics), will give you even more satisfaction.

</comment></comment><comment><USER51> Flamenco dancing, from Andalucia in Spain: [https://youtu.be/t5nusnPUXSY](https://youtu.be/t5nusnPUXSY)

I had never danced before, had no coordination, and was petrified of looking stupid in front of others.

Then five years ago, I saw an ad for beginners' flamenco dance classes and decided to give it a go. Right away, I got hooked on the physically demanding athleticism, the precision of the complex rhythmic structure, the way you make the music with your feet stamping on the floor, and the way it requires total concentration. After a high-pressure day in front of the computer at work, I love leaving that behind and walking into the dance studio...

The most rewarding part is I now take classes taught by the top Spanish dancers. It's a real buzz to see them perform on stage on a Friday night then spend the Saturday and Sunday in workshops with them teaching the same choreographies.

Incidentally, that You Tube link above is of Marco Flores and Manuel Linan, two of my favourite male flamenco dancers. I will be doing a workshop with Manuel Linan this Christmas and one with Marco Flores in Spain next February.

</comment><comment><USER52> Directed meditation.

I read a weight loss book called "the Gabriel Method" and it changed my life. Besides all kinds of food related things, it teaches a sort of goal-oriented meditation/visualization technique that I found to work for many more things than changing eating habits.

I've felt more like good food and less like bad food so I eat healthier without needing to muster discipline. Lost 10 kilos so far without really trying all that hard.

I've been procrastinating less because I changed the way I feel about many of the tasks I'd keep postponing.

My relationship has never been better, despite our lives having become more, not less, busy during the same period. We fight way less because I'm less annoyed by things and I'm better at not letting things escalate when she's annoyed by things.

Frankly it's been pretty spectacular.

<comment><USER53> OOC - how long did it take to lose 10 kg? Did you experience decrease of body temperature during that period?

<comment><USER52> About 8 months. Unexciting speed compared to diets, but I'm not on any diet and I eat whatever I like. It's not going to come back on. I expect to lose the same amount again in the next 8 months or so.

No idea about body temperature, sorry.

<comment><USER53> That is perfectly normal speed of losing ~1 kg per month. I have been there...lost ~20 for 2 years and keep it until now. As for the body temperature I read somewhere that losing 3% of weight slows down metabolism significantly that leads to wide spectrum of side effects like low body temperature.

<comment><USER54> Not an expert here, but your metabolic rate depends on how much muscle you have. Losing fat alone is hard. Typically you lose some muscle along the way, unless you try to fight it with weight training.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> 1\. Learning Chinese characters with Anki. After a decade out of practice, I realize I would have done a lot better in my college studies if I _actually studied._ Wild idea, I know.

One thing that prevented me from memorizing characters was the idea that it wasn't worth doing. However, this passage from the Self-Regulated Learning paper [0] that circulated around HN convinced me otherwise:

"We need to understand, too, that our capacity for storing to-be-learned information or procedures is essentially unlimited. In fact, storing information in human memory appears to create capacity — that is, opportunities for additional linkages and storage — rather than use it up."

2\. Learning (even very basic) Chess has opened my eyes up to how interesting a "solved" game can be.

[0]: [http://www.excaliburtsa.org.uk/wp- content/uploads/2017/11/Se...](http://www.excaliburtsa.org.uk/wp- content/uploads/2017/11/Self-regulated-learning-Bjork.pdf)

<comment><USER55> As someone who spent a lot of time learning Chinese without any clear end goal, I think it was mostly a waste of time. Educational? Yes, and it's fun to be able to understand Chinese characters from time to time, but in hindsight I would've rather spent all that time on something more meaningful to my life.

That said, if you intend to live in China or have Chinese heritage or you have some other reason to study Chinese --- that's great! But it's not a bad idea to consider where you're going with something before dumping thousands of hours into it. (In fact, I quit chess for the same reason...)

<comment><USER18> That's a fair point. It's a heritage language for me, and my wife and in-laws are fluent, which leaves me in the dark or asking for translations all the time. I don't have a concrete goal, but I do have motive.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER56> Learning English.

It opened up a whole new area of the internet that I was excluded from simply because I didn't know the language. There are communities that I can actively participate in and learn from.

<comment><USER57> I wouldn't have been the programmer I am now without learning English. Everything starts in English. Every other languages catch up after a few years.

<comment><USER58> What's your native language? A year ago I started learning Chinese and I'm wondering if there will ever be a day that it helps me be a better engineer or programmer.

<comment><USER57> I'm Japanese. Too bad Japanese software industry is lagging behind due to the language barrier.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER59> Playing Go.

I picked the game up around the time when AlphaGo was on the up and up. My goal with it was to work on patience and fulfill my competitive drive. It proved to do so much more for me - a year in, I got to play solid games, experience success against players stronger than me, meet a lot of awesome people, travel a bunch and, most importantly - and probably the most cliche - learn a lot about myself, about my character and how to become a better person in general. People think it's impossible to improve significantly after a certain age, but, whilst I certainly don't have enough time or drive to pursue the highest echelons of rankings, I have been steadily getting better and better and the end isn't anywhere in sight. Can't get enough of playing in tournaments either - not only do you get to really duke it out with others, you get to learn a ton from them, form great relationships and sight-see a whole lot.

In my limited experience with classical board games and extensive with video games, I found Go (known also as Baduk and Weiqi) to be the most fun, the most challenging, the most social game out there. Simple, yet complex - you can learn the rules in two minutes, but learn all the intricacies of the board for years. I strongly recommend checking out a local club at least once - there's a strong chance you'll really enjoy playing the game with the people there.

<comment><USER60> > learn a lot about myself

This is so true: playing Go strips you naked, everything about your personality comes out in the game. It's completely terrifying. And awesome.

</comment></comment><comment><USER61> Learning to use a modern DSLR camera in fully manual mode. I now intuitively understand the relationship between the control inputs of shutter speed, aperture and ISO and the outputs of image brightness and depth of field (I still mostly use auto-focus). I have sufficient muscle memory for the controls that my big complex camera is truly a point and shoot device and I can have a few pictures in the can while the crowds with their mobile cameras are still waiting for the things to focus. Don't get me wrong, I use my iPhone camera all the time, but if I want to get pictures that are different from most other peoples, I can.

I've also learned to take a portfolio perspective to photography (building sets of pictures that tell a story) rather than instantly uploading everything in a competitive search for 'faves'. I've rediscovered younger me's joy in photography, whilst posting less than I have for years.

<comment><USER62> I often feel an urge to go for an SLR. For me the biggest draw, to be honest, is the optical viewfinder.

What do you think about modifying photos a lot after taking them? What are your views on photographs that are just those moments locked in time forever and otherwise when you try and modify them (esp. in the age of social media).

<comment><USER61> For most of my work my post-processing is 'darkroom' equivalent - shooting raw and then checking the white balance, and levels/curves (in Photoshop terms). I'll often crop. If I'm trying to flatter a model I might do some minimal retouching. And that's it! I don't usually return to a shot once I've done this basic processing.

For digital art my starting point is usually a 3D render created in something like Daz Studio rather than a real-world photo

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER63> Learning Linux/UNIX has by far yielded the most return in my life. I started at 14. It turned into my career. It has been very lucrative and I still love it. In contrast: I started learning how to draw digitally ~2 years ago and it's mostly just painful and unrewarding. I feel like an emo teen again. I can't quit though because I have strong feelings about the sunk costs :V

<comment><USER64> Agreed, my time spent learning Linux/unix has reaped rich dividends. A textbook on operating systems offers only an abstract intro to the concepts. Wading hip deep into a high powered open unix in which you configure and build your own kernels, filesystems, networks, and program both high and low level services — as Linux allows — greatly empowers the curious admin or developer, and offers insights into computer infratructure that far exceeds mere coursework or certifications.

</comment></comment><comment><USER65> Relationships; my wife, my child, my family, my friends, my employees, my peers and my bosses. I find all my real regrets and upsets stem from not doing these right, they all compete for time, but in the end they make the tapestry of your life.

<comment><USER66> I think this is the most sage advice of all. There's a TED talk that also says the same based on an extensive study: "What makes a good life?" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI)

</comment></comment><comment><USER67> This may sound weird, but estimation. This book literally changed my thinking and how I do a lot of calculations

[http://web.mit.edu/6.055/book/book- draft.pdf](http://web.mit.edu/6.055/book/book-draft.pdf)

Basic physics principles combined with the above. Being able to not only see how something works, but to be able to at least estimate it's parameters is invaluable to designing anything new

<comment><USER68> Can you provide the title/author of this book?

<comment><USER69> It's a set of course notes from MIT 6.055 - "The Art of Approximation in Science and Engineering". They have been edited and updated into a book as well:

[https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and- compu...](https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer- science/6-055j-the-art-of-approximation-in-science-and-engineering- spring-2008/readings/)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER70> Typing. The bulk of my communication is text, and being able to type fast and effortlessly makes basically my whole life easier.

<comment> another-cuppa Definitely this. The majority of people I've worked with over the years have used a keyboard as their main interface but simply do not know how to use it. Learning the keyboard does more than just making typing faster. It enables you to banish the rat and achieve far greater overall efficiency.

<comment><USER71> What is the best way to learn typing well? Any particular app?

Also, what is the criteria - speed / accuracy?

<comment><USER72> It's very easy. One and only rule: Never look at your keyboard. Cover it with carboard if you cant resist looking. First week will be a pain but eventually it will just get faster.

Another good tip is to know what the "home row" is but if you've already developed a fast personal style you don't have to follow it strictly.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER73> \- touch typing - this is a no-brainer

\- english at C2 level - the current lingua franca. You really want to be able to accurately express yourself

\- vi/vim. Available everywhere.

\- UNIX networking

\- shell and shell programming. Turns you into a power user

\- at least one programming language and its important frameworks

\- regular expressions. Super useful everywhere. Learn why they are slow/fast as well.

\- low level computer stuff. It helps you analyze higher level problems

</comment><comment><USER74> Running. Been running ~ 2 years fairly seriously. Lost a lot of weight, and have never been healthier. Now have run marathons under 3 hours, qualified for Boston, ran in international races, Hawaii, etc. Running and any active sports feel fun when you are fast.

<comment><USER62> I wish everyone who runs that may they never stop , ever :-)

Was a long distance runner from 2012-2016. It was so fun, used to look forward for my morning run every single day - I'd once forgotten all my credit cards when flying to another city but not my running shoe. Almost never missed it for anything. Minor injury broke it for 1.5 months. Been struggling to pick up again since then. It's 2 years. Procrastination and complete loss of motivation.

It helped me keep in shape, improved stamina, and surprisingly it actually had kept my diet disciplined and healthy. I have 12 half organised marathons and one 38km under my belt.

(PS. Had stepped on a slightly bigger rock and had to abandon my first and last marathon - it was trail)

<comment><USER75> Hey, balladeer, maybe this will help: I often pick something to listen to that I'm really interested in--an audio book, a podcast episode, some music I've started liking--and I make a strict rule that I have to be at least walking when I listen to it. If I stop (get in the car, go home, etc.) I have to stop listening to it immediately. Often, I'll just go out walking because I want to find out what happened next in the story, but then if I'm walking, I don't mind an easy jog instead. I don't try for speed or distance or "exercise". I just want to listen for a while, so I have to keep moving. And over time, the gentle running is good for my health, but I don't need to "motivate" myself, because I'm just going out to listen to something I like. So I can't be sure, but maybe if you don't pressure yourself to be "a runner" and just have some fun instead, you'll end up running again. Just a thought.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER76> Public speaking is by far and away the best ROI I've had on a new skill.

Being able to communicate effectively to a group of people has positive impacts in all aspects of my life.

<comment><USER77> Could you share any resources you've used to learn it?

<comment><USER11> I've been part of two Toastmaster's clubs. I've found the Toastmasters program for learning how to speak publicly to be thorough, thoughtful, and easy to get started with. I've found the people in both clubs (different eras, different places) to be friendly, creative, fun, and supportive. I'd recommend Toastmasters to anyone interested in learning public speaking.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER78> Learn the constellations. It doesn't take very long, and it's quite satisfying to walk our at night and immediately be oriented. How many things can you look at that are largely unchanged from when your ancestors looked at them thousands of years ago? Plus, you can tell directions at night without a cell phone!

</comment><comment><USER79> Sound engineering. If you're a good sound engineer, you can basically get any album or record signed. All major labels look for excellent sound engineering first, and creativity second. This may sound counterintuitive, however if something is very creative and sounds unprofessional, they won't sign it. If it sounds excellent though very uncreative, it's still professional so there is a high chance of them signing it.

Of course you need both, much like anything great, however a well engineered track will get you significantly further than a creative track with poor engineering.

If you can do both, you will be a rockstar, literally.

<comment><USER80> Isn't it insanely complex and difficult to get some music sounding professional, refined and diminished? Not to mention the cost of equipment... Only from watching friends trying to get their music published, and even after paying big names in the industry it was still rubbish..

<comment><USER81> Not that I have mastered it, but what I have found richly rewarding, and in a similar vein, is learning about MIDI and beatmaking. I bought a MIDIFighter 3D from DJ Tech Tools, and just started messing around. I'm still a novice, but expanding out from there and purchasing a Roland TR-8 (rebooted TR-808) and learning how to program beats into it has been a blast. And I have learned a ton in process. You naturally move into how to get better sounds for your recording, and learn what you need to know to try to get the sound in your head into the recording. You get to experiment. You get exposed to new types of music, and whole subcultures of enthusiasts and professionals that you probably never knew existed.

I've mostly tried to practice "controllerism" or "finger drumming". There's tons of different soundpacks for Ableton (Lite is free, but limited), Traktor, and other software. It's really relaxing sometimes to just sit and tap out beats and clear your mind by concentrating on it. It's like an adult version of Simon where you get to set the pattern. It's really fun, and you can get a capable USB MIDI controller for a hundred bucks, even better deals on Craigslist. There's a lot of tutorials on Youtube to get you started, if you decide to give it a try.

Here's a good example of what controllerism is, if you are curious: [https://youtu.be/mUUbbaBkZHw?t=28](https://youtu.be/mUUbbaBkZHw?t=28) (skipped ahead of some cursing at the beginning of the video).

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER82> Dance lessons Was particularly helpful to me because it taught me so much more than how to appreciate human movement as art or to exercise. It taught me the intricacies of human interaction, especially with the opposite sex, because my computer oriented hight school was practically a monastery.

Its a highly structured way to learn about those things, so easy on software people - just read and follow the instructions, and was (is) very fun in its own right :)

<comment><USER83> I was just going to post this, but you where faster;)

So yes: I am also very thankful that I had the opportunity to learn a social couple dance (with 'social' meaning non-competitive and without fixed dance- partners)

The first lessons were hard and sometimes frustrating when you don't make progress as fast as you want to. But for me it paid out and changed my life. Today I go dancing twice or more a week. No matter how stressed I am after work: I always come home from dancing relaxed and smiling.

When dancing you have to deal with a multitude of things in parallel:

1) You listen to the music carefully and match your body movement to it.

2) You are creative and come up with figures/movements fitting the music in realtime (you cannot plan too much into the future)

3) You constantly "read" your partner: You only have fractions of a second to feel his/her center of mass, anticipate her/his possible future movements and react accordingly. Blindly forcing your partner into movements he/she can currently not execute (for example due to having the weight on the "wrong" foot) will not work.

Besides that it helped me to:

* Get to know interesting people outside of my bubble. I've been in CS academics for over 10 years now and it is so refreshing and mind-opening to talk to people of different backgrounds

* Get a boost self esteem. Nowadays I can stay calm and natural when talking to people that are new to me. This wasn't the case before. Especially when talking to people of the gender, I'm attracted to.

Bonus: You get healthy exercise (not a joke: most of us bring 1-2 additional spare shirts to the dance to change during one evening) and improved body control for free.

Here are some popular couple dances without particular order. Of course the list is not complete and a single video will not completely represent each dance and its subgenres.

 _Samba de Gafieira_ : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9ia7iGVY-M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9ia7iGVY-M)

 _Forró_ : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhMHZsvGHlg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhMHZsvGHlg)

 _Zouk_ : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_j8SiLBAoU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_j8SiLBAoU)

 _Salsa /Bachata_: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-JofUEsbD0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-JofUEsbD0)

 _Lindy Hop_ : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GTrNLauLrs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GTrNLauLrs)

 _Blues Dance_ : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpPwmclBxiw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpPwmclBxiw)

<comment><USER60> _Argentine tango_ : [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRQ1T5zKTJ4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRQ1T5zKTJ4)

<comment><USER83> Wow thank you. That was great. I completely got sucked into their performance even though I have never danced argentine tango.

<comment><USER84> That was milonga, one of the three primary sub-dances of tango, though the technique overlaps almost entirely. Here is the most common style, actually called tango (words are heavily overloaded in tango): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiT4OS6MKVQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiT4OS6MKVQ)

For completeness, here is the 3rd main type: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWSugQxwpEA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWSugQxwpEA)

Worth mentioning it is entirely improvised.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment> Al-Khwarizmi Learning the very basics of photography: what shutter speed, ISO and aperture do, and how to adjust them for each situation.

It takes literally half an hour to learn this, and of course you won't be taking professional quality photos, but your photos will go from crappy to OK or even good, even if you only have a phone (as long as it has manual mode). You know that time you took a random photo and the light and colors came out better than normal? You can achieve that consistently.

After learning this, I felt dumb for not having spent that half an hour years before.

<comment><USER85> Link for this?

<comment><USER83> [https://www.exposureguide.com/exposure/](https://www.exposureguide.com/exposure/)

In addition to learning about the technical basics about photography, I found the following guide highlighting certain patterns of composition useful: [https://antongorlin.com/blog/photography-composition- definit...](https://antongorlin.com/blog/photography-composition-definitive- guide/)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER86> Learning more about how to use the editor you use every day. Take notes. Review, at least monthly, and make sure you always incorporate new learnings.

Do not worry about which editor, there is something about the one you use right now that makes you using it, your best bang for the buck is to learn how to use this particular editor better. Returns will be immediate (no learning curve to learn a new one). Returns will be huge: Not learning advanced usage is literally wasting a bit of time every time you use your editor. If you work with computers (ops, dev, etc...), you spend a lot of time inside your editor.

If in six months you find your editor too limiting, or somebody convinces to use another one, so be it. The time you spent learning the current one isn't wasted, you have raised the bar to what you need from an editor, and, will learn the new one faster, because you now have advanced patterns that you need and will immediately look on how to do that with the new tool.

</comment><comment><USER87> Deep work.

Not a huge time investment, but an indispensable skill or revelation I wish I had before starting college. Think I've found the book here on HN: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25744928-deep- work](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25744928-deep-work)

</comment><comment><USER88> I'm really surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, but; playing a musical instrument.

I don't know what it is that makes music pleasurable, but when you get in the flow and the music is just coming naturally to you, it feels like you've been taken over by a higher power. Somehow, the next note and lyric just comes to you. You lose control, in a way, and the music takes over.

I know that's a corny, irrational explanation and I'm hoping someone can back me up with more eloquent words, but _goddamn_ it feels good play music.

</comment><comment><USER89> Penmanship & Calligraphy. One of my non-computer fascinations that turned out to be spiritually rewarding. Once one gets past shallow modern trends, there's so much to discover, study, learn, practice, master and let loose with. It's really fun. I don't necessarily ship or sell anything, at least as of yet, but still the act itself is kinda like meditation.

<comment> another-cuppa I started to get into calligraphy. I got quite good at copperplate/engrosser's script (I was never quite clear on the difference). My script was good enough that people thought it was printed. But I just don't know where to take it from there. I feel like I need a good book on the subject. Like The Art of Computer Programming, but for calligraphy. I've been unable to find such a book, though. Any suggestions on how progress?

<comment><USER89> let me start with sharing a link to my instagram where I've been recording and sharing some penmanship study notes. It's a little nerdy, but I think there oughta be lots more video resources :) [https://www.instagram.com/theksop](https://www.instagram.com/theksop)

As for good books, oh so many. Please dont discount the value of a book because it's in public domain or because they've been written a while ago.My taste generally favors american penmanship derivations and as such prefer engrosser's script over styles grouped under copperplate. Copperplate are styles that derive from English Round hand. Engrosser's script evolved from copperplate but did so in a time of the steel nib which allowed more nuanced curves. Engrosser's script has a very definitive guide from the Zanerian college that is clear, concise and has great exemplars. So my recommendation is - The Zanerian Manual. There is a copy in archive.org but David Grimes recently scanned a high def version of it on his website [https://masgrimes.com/archive](https://masgrimes.com/archive) . Beauty of a book. I refer to very often.

You didn't ask but some good material suggestions with KISS in mind - get a good (not speedball) oblique holder, McCaffery's Iron gall Ink, a rhodia book and a bunch of Leonardt Principal nibs because you'll go through them a lot. Just like programming, once you get the fundamentals right, you can handle anything that whimsies you.

I have a particular fondness for the Spencerian family and as such regard the "New Spencerian Compendium" as a definite recommendation. It was done by Papa Spencer's sons(including a genius penman Lyman Spencer) and has some well written teaching material and theory on styles that have spring from the Spencerian family. While on this topic, I'd like to recommend a book from the Zanerian college about one of my favorite penmen - Louis Madarasz. It's called - The secret of the skill of Louie Madarasz.

All of these books are freely available as pdfs on archive.org . Also you should visit iampeth.org at some point - an organization that has spent lots of resources to dig up and preserve the beauty that was the golden age of American Penmanship. So many good helpful notes on that website.

I wouldn't mind offering personalized advice or more book recommendations. Feel free to DM me on instagram.

<comment> another-cuppa Thanks for that. I'll look into everything you've mentioned here.

As for nibs, I bought a load of different ones but the only one I got good results with was Gillot 303. Are the Leonardt Principal ones like that?

<comment><USER89> The 303s have better flex than Leonardt Principal. The catch is there's just so many duds, I've found it easier just to get the Principal. If you have Gillots already though, that's great :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER90> Learning to make/compose music. I's very rewarding to listen to your own music, mostly because you make the stuff YOU like.

And being able to play whats in your head on an instrument makes playing allot more fun.

And there are a some extremly valuable lessons to be learned from spending hours a day practicing.

1) I learned how to practice efficiently (which made learning porgraming languages and university for me allot easier)

2) I learned that I can do everything and it's just a matter of how much time I'm willing to invest.

3) I spend allot of time on my creative process which also helps allot with problem solving in daily life (and programming)

<comment><USER91> How did you go about learning to compose?

<comment><USER92> By doing mostly. But theory eventually creeps in as you figure it out. For the lazy, yt channels like 12tone, jazz duets, and 8bit music theory, lay it out quite well in differing but succinct manner.

<comment><USER93> Those are great channels. Though my goto channel is Rick Beato's. For orchestral composing Samuel Andreyev's.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER94> Software Development interview questions. My skills, experience and education don't seem to matter as much in the industry. Those questions were the single factor that got me better jobs and increased my salary several times, the effects of which extend to myself and my family.

I don't even like the questions. They're mostly puzzles, which I'm not good at, in the guise of programming questions.

</comment><comment><USER95> Regular expressions and SQL. It boggles the mind to think of the imperitive version of custom logic you'd have to write to accomplish the same things. Two of my most prized technical tools...

</comment><comment><USER96> Learning Jiu Jitsu. It is a art form in the truest sense and is an incredible equalizer of humans. You can not truly participate in the sport without learning discipline, patience, humility and passion. The sport has nourished my soul in such a way I detest imagining a life without it.

</comment><comment><USER97> Think about WHO AM I.

I think this is the most important question one can have for his entire life.

I am 28, but I have spent about 15 years to think about who am I? Where am I come from? Where will I go?

And gradually, I get clearer and clearer about it.

And knowing who am I is the greatest source of happiness, strength and calmness.

If you also do this, I think you may understand. You will have small enlightment day by day, and finally a big enlightment.

What you really need to do is keep thinking, and you body will take you to where you belong.

<comment><USER98> Check out business school application essays. They demand deep reflection.

<comment><USER97> Any suggestion? Thanks!

<comment><USER98> What matters most to you, and why?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER99> The subtle art of small talk. There are so many benefits, from flirting to sales and whatnot. Especially in business relationships it helps smooth the process and make people feel comfortable with you. Over the years I've noticed that people who are very good at sales are masters of small talk.

<comment><USER100> How did you go about learning this art?

<comment><USER101> My algorithm:

1\. Start by saying something, something neutral/positive or a compliment: "Nice weather, eh?", "Great party!", "Nice tie"

2\. Ask questions: "How are you doing ?", "What brought you here ?", "What line of work are you in ?"

3\. Repeat #2 until you find something that you have something to say about. Could be that you discover you're in the same line of work, grew up in the same town, etc

4\. Keep your talking time to 50% or less, be sure to throw in questions here and there and respond to the answers.

5\. Profit !

<comment><USER42> I love this approach. Step 4 is key. I've found tremendous success simply asking questions about what people do, their interests & opinions, etc.

It's cliche but it's true: "Interested people are interesting."

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER102> Breathing. So much can be accomplished with something seemingly so simple.

<comment><USER103> Could you elaborate a little bit? How do you master breathing and how has it helped you?

<comment><USER102> There's a wide variety of different breathing techniques that can be used for specific purposes. It's been literally life-changing for me. Some techniques can help you getting out of a bad moment (anxiety, stress,...) but others have much deeper effects and can transform how you function as a human being. You can for example check the following broad categories: a) Conscious breathing (Holotropic, rebirth, and the likes), b) Pranayama (Kapalabhati, anuma viloma,..), c) Buteyko + McKeown, d) Anapana Sati, e) Qi gong, f) Wim Hof. It takes time to absorb the practical knowledge and use it in daily life but as the question asked, I was richly rewarded for the time I've invested in mastering these techniques.

<comment><USER102> I also wrote a post on my experience with Wim Hof technique: [https://medium.com/the-mission/a-year-of-cold- showers-662ec6...](https://medium.com/the-mission/a-year-of-cold- showers-662ec6d73454)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER60> Social dancing, in particular _argentine tango._ Would totally recommend it to all the nerds here, it attracts quite a cerebral crowd. You can go to any major city and there will be tango to be found and people to meet there. Definitely saved my ass from oblivion more than once. Doesn't matter if you're the ugliest dude in the room, if you can dance then the girls will want some.

</comment><comment><USER104> Investing. Read a few solid, no BS books by people like Bernstein. Realize that there is a ton of BS out there. Develop your own investing strategy and execute it yourself.

In the end you save money, get some financial security and stop asking yourself "do I know what i'm doing?"

<comment><USER105> Suggestions would be appreciated.

<comment><USER104> This is where I started: [https://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Asset-Allocator- Portfolio...](https://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Asset-Allocator-Portfolio- Maximize/dp/0071362363)

It should resonate with the HN crowd as it starts from the basics and builds up a strategy. Very understandable. It then uses that to help you build an overall investment strategy.

Bernstein is in line with the Boglehead investing theory. Own the market, don't try and beat it.

It has served me very well.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER106> Learning to touch type properly. A short course I took in the summer pays off every time I use a keyboard, which is all day.

The other one was a summer course in basic accounting that taught the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, balance sheets, and income statements. That has paid off literally, ongoing, and well. Very good investment of time.

</comment><comment><USER107> Learning to control impulsive eating, and starting to exercise. Weight control never seemed difficult afterwards.

<comment><USER108> Would love to know more about "Learning to control impulsive eating"

</comment></comment><comment><USER109> Mediatation.

I've been meditating daily using the app Headspace for the past 3 months and have seen improvements in my focus and a reduction in anxiety.

My mind would previously wonder off in meetings and I would miss a lot of the discussion, but with meditation I've noticed that I'm alot more focused and my mind doesn't wander off as much.

I've also felt alot happier and less anxious, as meditation has allowed me to notice my thoughts and feelings and let go of those that are negative.

</comment><comment><USER110> Health and fitness. I see the subthread about producing income, but you can't produce income if you're dead, and you can't produce as much income if you're fat, out-of-shape, and can't hink straight for hours at a time. Not to mention that fitness allows people over 25 to more easily expand the executive functions in the brain, which increases your ability to produce income.

</comment><comment><USER111> Understanding risk vs reward, and maybe some math behind it. It sounds simple on the surface, but once I deeply understood it, it just keeps showing up again and again in life: financial investing, trading, playing poker, taking risks in life, making better decisions, etc. Where other people see "gambling", I see calculated risk taking. And it pays off.

</comment><comment><USER112> For me it has to be the following two:

1.Learning languages,

2.learning to play musical instruments.

They are both great for someone like me because they enhance your social skills and facilitate interpersonal relationships

</comment><comment><USER113> Perl. Knowing perl removes the need to know the tricky parts of awk, sed and bash. It is the most pleasant language when you need to extract data from badly formatted files (like log files or even binary recordings) and provide a report. It is a very good glue language. The autovivification is really handsome and helps to code very very quickly.

</comment><comment><USER114> Riding a bike and driving a car. While I didn't really chose to do these (my parents chose for me) they both provide immense use from getting to work, fitness and recreation to exploring the country. I'm glad I learned them young.

Also, I think this has been mentioned, but learning to cook. I never really formally made an effort to learn but my mom is a great cook and I seemed to have absorbed the knowledge/natural ability and over a decade of trial and error I seem to have managed to be decent. Useful day to day and for special occasions. Only downside is eating too much.

</comment><comment><USER115> Flying. It's hard to put into words. Heightens your senses. Teaches discipline and planning. Requires and teaches concentration and assertive communication. Builds confidence. You'll meet interesting people and go places you never would have otherwise. It's forcing me to face some of my deepest demons.

</comment><comment><USER116> 18 years of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu transformed me from an insecure geek into an alpha male.

</comment><comment><USER117> Reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People", "Badass: Making Users Awesome" and some other book on understanding human psychology and how to understand better.

In a world where millions of developers rush to compete to build the best, most sophisticated apps, Understanding user / audience / customer has become an overlooked field.

Understand your user / client's pain points so well that they love you so much by buying your products / continuing to hire you for consultation feels really good.

</comment><comment><USER118> Learning to play piano later in life. I'll never be close to being professional but I've spent enough time and effort in practice to become proficient enough to confidently play in front of others. My only regret is why I didn't start earlier.

<comment><USER119> how did you get started? just bought my first keyboard and not really sure what's next.

<comment><USER118> Find a teacher. Seriously, working with a knowledgeable teacher will help you learn what and what not to do. With some regret, however, that's not what I did.

I had been a musician, playing clarinet and sax, in high school and college so I knew how to read music and knew a bit of music theory. I decided one day that I wanted to learn. I bought an inexpensive Yamaha keyboard and a beginner level book and started working through it. It took me about a year but I was playing songs using both hands and with lots of mistakes.

At that point, I decided I liked it and wanted to continue so I bought a new upright piano and continued learning from other books and finding popular and jazz music I wanted to learn and just dove in. I'm probably a piano teacher's worst nightmare but I don't care. I love to play and I would love to get better but, at this point, I just can't devote the additional time at the keyboard needed to do that. And that's OK by me.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER120> emacs, it has paid so much of dividend over the time. Sometimes i regret not having adopted it earlier.

<comment><USER121> Same answer, but VIM flavored :-)

<comment><USER122> What is the difference between that and using vim?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER123> Painting/drawing

I am horrible at drawing, even doodling, but I spent a few weeks taking a drawing class that covered the basics (perspective, lighting, seeing shapes etc) and it's amazing how rapidly you can improve with just a little practice. It taught me that you could really learn anything (even things you think you are bad at) if you put in consistent practice over time. It also taught me that doing drills is not useless. It's best to do drills, get the hang of the small skills that you routinely use on a bigger project then take on the bigger project once you're comfortable.

Everyone should find an outlet to experience that slow and incremental improvement of skills especially hands on skills like painting and drawing. Be sure to keep your earliest works to look back on how much you've improved.

</comment><comment><USER124> Enjoying my own mind, either when or when lying down eye closed just thinking through different ideas. Amazed at how many people don't enjoy their own mind.

<comment><USER125> Agree. After developing my ability to quiet my mind, closing my eyes feels like coming home to my favorite place.

<comment><USER126> Next step, be at home with eyes opened

<comment><USER125> Comes and goes, but it's lovely when it's happening.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER127> A lot of mine have been covered here already, so I'll keep it to Drawing.

No matter where you're at — even if you can only draw stick figures — working on drawing skills is an incredible, compounding investment that pays continual dividends.

<comment><USER128> Sounds interesting, but not obvious to me. What are the dividends?

<comment><USER127> Most relevant here on HN I think would be the ability to communicate and articulate ideas very quickly and efficiently. I say dividends because while you can get rusty, the skill never really goes away; I constantly feel grateful for all the time I've put into improving my drawing skills over the years.

"Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" is the book I typically recommend for anyone at any skill level.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER129> My case: reading poetry.

At the starting point of my poetic journey, I was ignorant of the genre, very opposed to it (for I couldn't make the sense out of it) and arrogantly sure that poetry was mostly a scam.

Fortunately for me, a teacher of mine at college had this whole class around Portuguese poets. We had to read them for each other and explain the meaning, while he provided solid interpretations to the texts we were working on.

Thinking I had something in me clearly broken for I could not make the sense of any of the readings we were assigned, I got myself to go the library, picked up one of Fernando Pessoa's heteronyms to read, and gave myself the task of reading at least a poem a day, trying to make whatever sense I could make out of it — whatever long it took for me to read the whole book. Also, if poetry was supposed to be this highly aesthetic experience, I would have to read the poem (or poems) out loud. And that I did.

When I had finished Pessoa's book, I felt something was changing in me. Most of the poems still sounded nonsensical, but the ones that _worked_ , the ones I felt I got a sense out of it, really made me feel that I was heading somewhere. So I drudged along.

After the finishing the first book (after a month or two), I picked up another. This time one Alberto Caeiro, one of Pessoa's most beloved heteronyms. I can't exactly pinpoint where the magic happened, but, suddenly, I was no longer the same self that started that journey. Now I was not reading out of obligation, but reading as a necessity. Poetry had gone under my skin, and I was starting to get this huge crave to read more and more poetic works.

To make a long story a bit shorter, nowadays I'm an avid reader of poetry, having read most of the great poets of Portuguese literature. I find particularly at home in the poetic genre and I'm even trying for a masters degree in philosophy working on... a poet!

This to me was the thing that I felt most accomplished by putting myself to master it. Looking back to how I felt before; knowing what I now know about poetry, my thoughts are the exact opposite of what they were in regards to poetry. Now I cannot even imagine how I managed to live my whole life at that point without giving poetry a try.

<comment><USER130> Poetry is great! To me, it seems like there should be more software folks interested in it. I definitely see a few parallels.

</comment></comment><comment><USER131> Cunnilingus. I'm dead serious.

<comment><USER132> Then wait until you master fellatio

</comment></comment><comment><USER133> Learning the concept of meta, meta skills, particularly learning how to learn, distinguishing what is useful to learn from what is not, constructing a comprehensive view for navigation in all circumstances.

</comment><comment><USER134> Learning to learn. Being able to go from "I know nothing about this subject" to 80% in a year or so for the most complex subjects has completely changed how I approach professional challenges.

<comment><USER135> Can you reveal how you did that?

EDIT: typo

<comment><USER136> Coursera has a course with exactly that title. The course can be found here [https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to- learn](https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn) . It is one of THE most popular courses on Coursera.

<comment><USER137> Its a good course written by sharp people. Unfortunately the production quality rivals an 11 year old using their parents iPhone 4s and crayons. Just needed to put that out there, because it stopped me mid-course... I just couldn't anymore

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER138> Common Lisp. I can't even begin to describe how much leverage I've gotten out of that over the years.

<comment><USER139> I am curious. Could you elaborate? How would it be useful compared to, say Python to someone who is not going to use it for primary work?

<comment><USER138> Python is not a bad choice nowadays. When I started out, Python did not exist.

But even today CL has a few killer features that no other language has. Three in particular are huge levers for me: macros, generic functions, and the ability to redefine classes without having to recreate all the existing instances.

S-expressions in general are also a huge lever. Ironically, the reason they are a huge lever is that they are simple to parse, and because they are simple to parse you can easily write an S-expression parser in any language, but hardly anyone does. Learning to "think in S-expressions" just takes you to a whole new level of understanding. It's the red pill. (But it's a bit dangerous too because once you get there, the syntax of other languages will just start to feel annoying.)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> Toastmasters — I only did it for a few months but it was enough to get over the general fear of public speaking and make it pretty easy for me to get up and give presentations. Highly recommended.

<comment><USER60> Toastmasters is very cool, and also a bit weird. It's like AA for people that are addicted to shyness.

</comment></comment><comment><USER140> For me, it has been the ability to build websites. This is the very skill that changed my life for the better. Why? First of all it opened so many more job opportunities. I graduated in Economics and Management, just like tens of thousands of other kids. Very few of them though knew HTML, leave alone a full-stack web framework. Coding was an incredible asset that landed me great executive digital jobs all over the world and made my low grades much less important.

So from a career and safe job point of view it was great. But even more important is that somehow i am the go-to person when a friend of mine wants to build a brand new digital business, which today's always requires a website of some sort. Being able to bootstrap a digital business is an incredible way to increase my chances to reach financial independence.

Being able to build any kind of website has thus been the greatest advantage and has definitely shaped my life for the best.

All the time spent reading programming books, tutorials and debugging my early apps really has paid off. When i look back, i am amazed by how much each single hour i have invested into web development, has given back to me as financial return.

This however has shaped a bit negatively the way i relate to learning new skills. When i am comparing each potential new skill i have to invest time in, with the incredible returns i got from web development, i find tough to invest time in something difficult to monetize immediately. In the end i guess each skill you learn enrich you somehow.

</comment><comment><USER141> Learning the game of Go to a medium proficient level (3kyu). It's a humbling experience, but the insights and lessons about strategy, influence, timing and prioritization feels universal.

</comment><comment><USER142> Cognitive behavioral therapy - (CBT) is a short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem- solving. Its goal is to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are behind people's difficulties, and so change the way they feel. >[https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/cbt-cognitive- behaviou...](https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/cbt-cognitive-behavioural- therapy-books/)

</comment><comment><USER143> Learning to touch-type. I spent maybe a few days in aggregate when I was in high school to learn it on my own, and it's a skill that massively paid off in the almost 20 years since.

</comment><comment><USER144> VIM - it makes programming more enjoyable, but I use it for other kinds of text editing as well.

</comment><comment><USER145> Judo.

But not for the reasons you expect. When you learn Judo you spend the first weeks learn how to fall, followed by people picking you up and slamming you into the ground alternating with you picking them up and slamming them into the ground. The amount of body control you learn is amazing - it's like doing gymnastics, but in a cement mixer. Turns out learning how to land safely in unexpected situations is amazingly useful and makes you a lot safer (I've never broken a bone), and things like falling off a 3 story building is unlikely to cause you too much damage. Unlike karate Judo is mostly harmless as there is no striking - it's best described as Japanese wrestling.

I've done a lot of other sports, some more enjoyable Judo, and sadly Judo is more of a young persons sport. All have something to teach you about teams, practice and persistence. Some like, swimming, teach you things a skill that is useful in the obvious places. But surprisingly to me, Judo was the one that always that unexpectedly saved me when I did something stupid, which in you younger days I did at least once a year.

</comment><comment><USER146> Really inculcating that the conservation laws of physics are inviolate and provide the solid reference point that any analysis must satisfy. They're a "have to have" not a "nice to have".

And when they are violated you can be confident some sleight of hand is in play (I'm looking at you "the holes of semiconductor physics" and the RF "path loss equation".)

<comment><USER147> wut

</comment></comment><comment><USER125> Meditation and all forms of activity (contemplation, journaling, calligraphy, singing, drumming, guitar playing, painting, skateboarding, etc) that put me in a meditative state. My mind is primary to everything in my present and future experience and cleaning it up and keeping tidy has brought unimaginable (to me prior to experiencing it) joy and peace into my life.

</comment><comment><USER148> Emacs, the One True Program.

</comment><comment><USER149> Thinking of working with systems rather than towards goals. I got this idea from How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00COOFBA4/ref=dp-kindle- redirect?...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00COOFBA4/ref=dp-kindle- redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)

Learning to type - Enhanced productivity [https://hkelkar.com/2014/03/02/learn-to-type-before-you- lear...](https://hkelkar.com/2014/03/02/learn-to-type-before-you-learn-to- code/)

Writing a blog has been extremely rewarding. It takes effort to Blog Over the years I published a book based on the blog.

Understanding Compounding.

Learning Python for fun. Learning Python was really the stepping stone to learning other interesting things.

</comment><comment><USER150> Hobbies - Rewarding not in money but in enjoyment and experiances

Learning to play a music instrument. I started playing the piano as an adult. I can highly recommend learning to play an music instrument if you ever felt like you wanted to play. It teaches you coordinate your hand and feet with your brain and you have to keep rhythm. Being able to play music is relaxing. Its humble feeling to be an improving beginner.

Photography being able to capture moments in your life. Being able to capture better pictures of your family and friends is rewarding.

Scuba diving, it is beautiful to watch the creatures and landscape of underwater places. Often if its beautiful under water it is also a pretty place above water. Plus you get to move around when on vacation so you see more of the vacation place. You usually meet new people when diving.

</comment><comment> adam-_- Cooking. I can't imagine how much less enjoyable (or more expensive) life would be without cooking skills.

</comment><comment><USER151> Learning to type faster.

I used to have a "hunt and peck" typing style requiring me to always look at the keyboard. I spent about 40 hours practicing over the course of a month and went from ~ 20 WPM to about 60 WPM.

I can now be looking at the screen about 99% of the time.

</comment><comment><USER152> Sitting meditation / mindfulness with a Shinzen Young / Culadasa vibe.

</comment><comment><USER153> I know I sounds like every other functional programmer but this year I spent the time to learn about monads after 5 years of copying IO examples from the internet. The last few weeks my boss let me do a prototype using haskell and the ease at which it came together was amazing. I don't know if I will ever use Haskell or any other functional language at work, although I can hope, and I don't think that every needs to know how to use a monad but the experience for me of learning a new problem solving tool and then using it effortlessly was extremely rewarding.

<comment><USER33> I used Haskell at work for the first time about 3 months ago. I reimplemented a chunk of our trading software. It ended up being about 1000 lines of Haskell. Fun :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER154> Learning how to create OS packages. Learning auto mechanics. Mastering UNIX.

</comment><comment><USER155> Blind typing on a keyboard.

<comment><USER156> I up-voted because of your keen sense of humor hurrah jobigoud, this made me laugh.

jahbdcbf vmbfkv mfvrm ervj ewrm v,m erwhj v wer vj er,m vj we,m vkjljsdkhdugercrk xioeg opacxugseifcm elfrhf; ckrv

sorry i blind typed that.

<comment><USER155> Oops, French idiom was lost in translation. I meant "touch typing".

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER157> A few things. \- A habit of reading: Took a while but, whenever I am traveling, I am reading stuff. Books, articles you name it. But strictly no social media. BTW, Pocket is a great app for this. \- Learning vim: Writing code faster has really paid off. I have reached a point where I don't remember the vim key bindings. But my hand does. So things are pretty fast. \- Learning emacs org mode: All the writing and planning activities have become much simpler. Highly recommend it.

</comment><comment><USER158> To answer this one could list things that lasted in time and thus the reward from compounds over time. For example , C, vim, touch typing, HTTP/Html/PHP/javascript/mysql , weightlifting, calculus/geometry , English (if not your native tongue), the piano.

OTOH what are the things i have avoided learning because of perceived short- term value: ios development, android development, toolshelves of javascript gimmicks that only google needs, ORMs, various javascript frameworks, R.

</comment><comment><USER159> Nothing but I think if I had mastered another language that would probably be very rewarding. Actually I think mastering just about anything must be very rewarding. The more you put in the more you get out. There were subjects I did in school that were boring only because I didn't put enough into them to find them interesting. So my answer would be just about anything. Except don't go for something at which you know you don't have the attributes for.

</comment><comment><USER160> Learning Japanese. Although this can apply for any language different to your own, it opened my eyes to a new way of thinking and lots of literature, ideas and culture.

<comment><USER161> I recently read Wittgenstein's quote; "The limits of my language are the limits of my mind.". I keep coming back to it.

</comment></comment><comment><USER162> "Master" is a strong word - feeling more like a perpetual student than approaching mastery.

Before I became a developer, learning to play music. There is almost nothing more rewarding than the ability to speak a non-verbal, near-universal language in order to express yourself.

Private pilot's license.

Podcasting.

Understanding more about cognitive bias. Rhetoric and logic.

Philosophy.

(Not sure you can master these last two within a lifetime.)

Fatherhood and being a good husband to my wife. These are easily the most rewarding experiences of my life.

</comment><comment><USER163> Learning sales. I use to only code and my ability to make money doing things I enjoy went way way up once I dedicated $$$ and time to learning how to sell.

<comment><USER164> How'd u get over the fact that most sales is pushing rubbish on to people, things they don't need

<comment><USER163> Sales certainly can be that. But I don't sell things that way. If you solve a problem you get paid for it. Just do this over and over.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER165> Home brewing, although I wouldn't say I've mastered that craft yet. I still have a lot to learn, and of course much more stainless steel to buy.

<comment><USER166> Home brewing is awesome, chemistry, art and cleanliness. And once a brew starts, it encompasses everything for hours. The cleaning can meditative.

<comment><USER165> Even more than that. Check out the iSpindel[1]. Basically build your own tilting hydrometer. Now I have electronics in the mix too.

I have also become fascinated with yeasts (biology!) and really want to start harvesting and propogating my own from local varieties.

Hops is another complex subject. So many different varieties with different aromas and flavours.

[1] [http://www.ispindel.de](http://www.ispindel.de)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER132> sex

</comment><comment><USER167> Most definitely dance lessons. I've taken both salsa and tango classes and from day one it's been a rewarding experience.

</comment><comment><USER168> Critical self-analysis, and, though I don't think there is a "mastery" to be achieved, seeing a therapist weekly is a huge improvement in my life. As the current top commenter said, "After almost two years, the benefits of" therapy "are so apparent that I have to hold back getting on my bully pulpit to encourage other friends to do so."

</comment><comment><USER169> Learning English. It allowed me to work as a remote developer. I earn a lot more than senior developers who work locally.

</comment><comment><USER170> Been learning hiragana for a few months with my girlfriend. We are both pleased at our ability to recognize symbols even if we do not understand all the words we read. The joy of taking something completely foreign and over time becoming familiar with it is incredible.

</comment><comment><USER171> Singing in a choir. There's no sound so beautiful, especially when you're in the middle of it, making it. It combines the benefits of music and martial- arts-like breathing practice (each mentioned more than once in this thread) with intimate teamwork.

It's cooperative, not competitive (though choirs can optionally compete). Anyone can participate. While rough skill parity helps, stronger singers naturally help weaker ones, so it's less sensitive to skill disparity than many other activities.

The drawback is that it requires teammates. Basic music literacy, and especially choir singing, has been in decline in the West for at least four decades. All the best stuff to sing is Christian, so you have to get over that. I'm an atheist but somehow I love the lyrics (I would also love it if choir singing were revived and a new repertoire with inspiring humanist lyrics appeared).

One subculture that is relatively healthy or even growing is Sacred Harp singing. There are groups meeting weekly at many universities in the U.S. While the repertoire is somewhat limited, it's a good way to get started.

I think there's potential for choirs at tech companies. I nearly started one at Apple back in the aughties, but I was so busy with work and a new family that I decided against it.

</comment><comment><USER172> 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

</comment><comment><USER64> Deferring judgement, especially when it's negative.

I'm still terrible at it. But whenever I can refrain from destructive criticism, judgementalism, and general cynicism, I enjoy life more and I'm sure others near me do too.

</comment><comment><USER173> Learning logic and set theory, even if it is only really scratching the surface.

</comment><comment><USER174> Music with programming, mostly with SuperCollider and TidalCycles. :)

</comment><comment><USER175> Family:) But I wouldn't dare say I have mastered it

</comment><comment><USER176> Understanding the concept of "negative feedback" in control systems.

Really. That's how you get accurate instruments out of mostly widely varying parts.

</comment><comment><USER177> Totally unrelated to each other, but I have spent the last few years learning Chinese and pursuing a degree in Economics (and I'm 41).

</comment><comment><USER178> Ear training. After spending twenty minutes a day at it for two months, I could hear an unfamiliar meldoy and know how to play it.

</comment><comment><USER179> "Ask HN: What things have richly rewarded the time invested in mastering them?" \- For me personally: Linux, C++.

</comment><comment><USER62> Learning swimming. I learned in my late 20s. It has changed my relationship with water bodies.

Next goals: driving, a musical instrument.

</comment><comment><USER180> The blade, blockchain and inner strength.

</comment><comment><USER181> Beatboxing.

You get so much respect when you have a party trick that can turn any gathering into an improv acapella concert.

</comment><comment><USER98> Giving a talk / presentation is consistently rewarding, but also very demanding of time and effort.

</comment><comment><USER182> Deep meditation. It is not quick to learn but it profoundly changed circumstances around and within me.

</comment><comment><USER183> Learning to read has worked out well.

</comment><comment> Iwan-Zotow Masturbation

</comment><comment><USER184> Hand tool woodworking, although I can't say I'm anywhere near mastering it.

</comment><comment><USER185> Not me, but my boss knows regex and I probably should too as he is a wizard with it.

</comment><comment><USER186> Activism work, and the research and learning about the world to try to do it better.

</comment><comment><USER183> Combining running and massage has been amazing. They both make the other easier.

<comment><USER66> Is there such a thing as effectively massaging yourself? Or do you mean that your partner went to masseuse school while you developed a habit of running? :p

<comment><USER183> Yes, there is. Obviously, it's difficult to massage everything, but there's a lot you can do. Especially if you have long arms or especially flexible.

In fact, you may be able to do MORE than a massage therapist can do in many parts of the body because you're always around and you only have one patient to deal with. And, while you are not as objective, you do know how everything feels.

I took an intro to massage class and have done quite a bit of reading on the topic.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER187> Psychology, especially cognitive behavioral therapy for depression and anxiety

</comment><comment><USER188> Vim

</comment><comment><USER189> Touch typing - got me interested in programming

Python - made programming enjoyable

</comment><comment><USER190> basic economics. it helps if you have a great teacher.

it tells you how the world works. basically when i started high school i was a communist. if i had gone on with that worldview i would have found things very difficult, like why this person has x and other person has y. doing stuff like calculating the market price of a good kinda helps with that. and understanding the economy and what people do in business helped me understand things better. It gave me a healthy dose of cynicism and a better idea of what behavior can be productive and what things are ultimately admirable sentiments that lead to nothing. in terms of practicality i use some of these ideas to adjust the price of the rooms i let out. no doubt being able to keep them filled without being unnecessarily cheap is profitable.

</comment><comment><USER191> Going to local meetup groups, meeting and talking to people!

</comment><comment><USER192> copywriting skills; humor; basic graphic design skills.

<comment><USER193> How does one learn copywriting? Is there any good specific path to follow?

Also, could you elaborate how copywriting skills rewarded you?

</comment></comment><comment><USER194> Regular Expressions and SQL.

</comment><comment><USER195> CS: Not ever graduated, but once I had to sort a pile of letters by zip code I knew the education would come in handy. Although, because I couldn't remember anything, I resorted to bucket-sort (the difference wasn't measurable anyhow).

Sports: Incidentally, that internship at a local governing sports association left a lasting impression. A two week course on sports training theory from a graduate was really inspiring and transferable to all sorts of learning, in spirit. It's probably meaningful that high-school (college) in German is called "Gymnasium".

Language: Understanding syntax and semantics helps so much. It's also a hobby that works in every situation. Just for a topical example: master, muster and pattern - I'm not very good at it, mind you - those words highlight different aspects of the same problem. A master piece is a prototype, a new pattern, compare "gold master"; And it is a work to be mustered. In fact, German "Muster" means pattern. A "Muster-Schüler" is a top notch pupil, a role model, you might almost call that a master student. IMHO this gives a different view on the master-slave-replication naming issue. Also consider the British pronunciation of master (ie. muster). If you look it up, it will say something different, but it will not account for the derivation of "magnus"- _big_ to "magister"- _teacher_ with any semantic aspect, other than the big cheese, although that may be explained by "monstrare"- _to show_ which even explains "minister", too, usually given as "minus" \+ either "-ister", or the comparative suffix "-tero", but better explained with the Proto-Indo-European root _men- (_ to think), whence indeed "monstrare". That doesn't exclude an influence of _méǵh₂s (_ big _), though. There is enough time for that to have happened before the classical Latin. Compare also "meist" (most), "Meister" (master), "most" and "utmost"; also "μύστης" (mústēs - initiated one), _mewH- _mew-,_ mey-. Classical Latin likely established the folk etymology. There's the lesson applicable to history in general - it is written by the masters.

Signal-Processing: Information science is often transfered wrongly in metaphors to the universe and everything. Still, as far as simple concepts are concerned it's illustrative of how we get a clear grasp of things. It re- appears in physics, music, art and statistics. It's a shame that it's not in the standard curriculum in the information age.

Maths: Logic fits in with language. Linear algebra and related fields (no pun intended) fits to signal processing

Overall I'm not a master of anything and wasting my live away and that of others. So if know anything, it's to be quiet. And I try to achieve that like everyone does, by being the loudest quieting everyone else down. Then enter a feedback loop and ultimately try to be an example staying quiet, adjusting my expectation of silence.

</comment><comment><USER196> Studying english language

</comment><comment><USER197> Programming

</comment><comment><USER198> Mathematics

</comment><comment><USER199> SQL

</comment><comment><USER200> Emacs.

</comment><comment><USER201> Golf

</comment><comment><USER202> > Your most important asset is your ability to produce income.

I think that's an incredibly sad way to view yourself and your life, albeit I bet that for many people producing income is the single most important thing.

I see that as a consequence and a failure of society.

<comment><USER203> May be, but most anyone who has ever been economically disadvantaged can tell you that it's damn sure the practical reality if you aim to participate in contemporary industrial civilization.

When you're home-insecure, health-vulnerable, and have a family depending on you, income starts to dwarf things like ideals in one's value schema.

Which is more sad, the people who debase themselves in order to provide for their family, or the ones who go run off to live in the canyon pines or in an art squat and leave their family to fend for themselves?

<comment><USER202> > I see that as a consequence and a failure of society

<comment><USER204> Consequence yes, failure maybe not, since failure implies lack of success trying to achieve a goal. From my point of view it was never a goal of "society" to avoid that.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER205> From my experience:

After my startup got acquired, i ended up with lots of money (10s of millions, small start-up) and time. This created a vacuum in my life. I was very sad having finally made it.

I had no purpose in life.

Since then,

Self Acutualization - walking the path devised by yogic culture of spritualism.

Cannabis - The king of herbs, it helps me in self Acutualization and achieving state of trance aka ultimate ignorance.

Knowledge is only born out of something you don't know. If i accept my ignorance, suddenly it's no longer ignornance but something 'unknown'

If you already know something, then you won't gain any knowledge from there.

What did i gain? Finally, i am happy and content. My all questions about life have been answered. I've no need of traveling afar and exploring new places, I've no desire to travel back in past or future or to some distant planet.

<comment><USER206> Very interesting to see someone transcend all way to the top of maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid. Having achieved this state, what do you look forward to when you wake up every morning?

<comment><USER115> Wouldn't that be travel to the future? Just experience right now.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER207> > _Your most important asset is your ability to produce income._

You... may want to reconsider that one.

<comment><USER208> I would love to know, oh wise one, which of your many assets is going to help you when you have no means of securing a roof over your head, no means of a meal every night, no means of healthcare, or safety.

I'm going to go ahead and agree with OP. Your ability to make money is your greatest asset, and one you should protect.

<comment><USER209> There are plenty of people who are managing that without making any money at all, despite all sorts of prolonged efforts to turn their way of living into hell.

Integrity, being surrounded by loving people, being in good health, having the freedom to be all that you are. Those are all more important from my perspective.

We've been carefully conditioned to believe that this game is the only alternative, it's not.

<comment><USER210> >Integrity, being surrounded by loving people, being in good health, having the freedom to be all that you are. Those are all more important from my perspective.

Sure, because you don't have to worry about where your next meal is coming from. As soon as the risk of death due to starvation or exposure to the elements is real, your priorities are going to change real quick.

More than anything, we have to survive. Money is how we do that today.

<comment><USER209> Worrying where it will come from is never going to be a good idea, worrying in general is the worst kind of visualization. Dying from starvation is not really realistic in any western country, many will even stop you from doing it by your own choice. Money is not how we survive, you can't eat money or build anything worth building using it. All it takes is a slight disruption and it's paper with funny faces on and digits in a computer that doesn't run anymore.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER211> Linear algebra and linear programming. So many problems in so many fields boil down to matrix manipulation in the end.

</comment><comment><USER212> Languages. English to start with. French, because of quality of life. Dutch for business and education for kids.

</comment><comment> another-cuppa Programming: I've spent the longest on this but I can now use a computer to solve some of my problems.

Guitar: I like being able to make music come out of an acoustic instrument.

</comment><comment><USER213> Why is it necessary to truly avoid exploiting the other party, instead of merely maintaining for them an illusion that they're not being exploited?

<comment><USER214> Most people are happier if they know that they are actively contributing to the world or at least to others people's happiness. Whether that applies to you is a question you have to answer yourself.

I wouldn't want to live my life knowing that I'm trying to pull everyone and everything over the table and that i make others miserable wherever I go.

If you want to find a business reason: long term relationships and trust both are valuable and build future business and new connections. But, really, the first reason should be enough.

<comment><USER213> Business negotiations are one thing. But the goal of a hostage negotiation is generally to waste enough time (and/or agree upon such a maneuver) so that the enemy exposes themselves all to simultaneous incapacitation by well-placed bullets, no?

<comment><USER5> The FBI has botched a number of high stakes operations using the tactics you mentioned.

Going in weapons hot is really dangerous for everyone involved and much like lawyers with law, the smartest people will seek to minimize their exposure to risk (ie. courtrooms, raids, etc.)

A better and cheaper solution in a hostage negotiation is to figure out the core motives for the hostage takers (often money [and why they need it]) and lead them to realistic expectations and a feeling of fairness.</comment></comment></comment></comment>