Comments on: 3 Activities Where It’s Best to Take Your Time http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/08/11/3-activities-where-it%e2%80%99s-best-to-take-your-time/ Articles on game theory and personal finance Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:56:44 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Presh Talwalkar http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/08/11/3-activities-where-it%e2%80%99s-best-to-take-your-time/comment-page-1/#comment-2386 Presh Talwalkar Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:17:37 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/?p=465#comment-2386 <b><em>Ken</b></em>: I was agreeing with everything you said right up until you got to broccoli--I find myself enjoying that too. It has an amazing ability to soak up flavors when well cooked in a good sauce. I find Chinese restaurants do a good job of this. I love your overall point--we spend too much time on things we don't like or aren't important in the grand scheme. It's time to shift our actions towards our natural priorities. Ken:
I was agreeing with everything you said right up until you got to broccoli–I find myself enjoying that too. It has an amazing ability to soak up flavors when well cooked in a good sauce. I find Chinese restaurants do a good job of this.

I love your overall point–we spend too much time on things we don’t like or aren’t important in the grand scheme. It’s time to shift our actions towards our natural priorities.

]]> By: Ken http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/08/11/3-activities-where-it%e2%80%99s-best-to-take-your-time/comment-page-1/#comment-2383 Ken Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:00:17 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/?p=465#comment-2383 Take your time with any joyful event. Especially if it is the first time. Slow down and enjoy Weddings; birthdays; having people over for dinner; first dates; consuming fine things, well-made food, beer, wine, cookies and anything made with chocolate; and -- of course -- sex. Hurry only for those things that have little joy, such as filling out your taxes; being chased by angry bears or mobs; taking medicine; dealing with sales people and -- of course -- eating broccoli (just don't forget to chew. Broccoli is a dangerous vegetable and should be properly masticated). Take your time with any joyful event. Especially if it is the first time. Slow down and enjoy Weddings; birthdays; having people over for dinner; first dates; consuming fine things, well-made food, beer, wine, cookies and anything made with chocolate; and — of course — sex.

Hurry only for those things that have little joy, such as filling out your taxes; being chased by angry bears or mobs; taking medicine; dealing with sales people and — of course — eating broccoli (just don’t forget to chew. Broccoli is a dangerous vegetable and should be properly masticated).

]]> By: Presh Talwalkar http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/08/11/3-activities-where-it%e2%80%99s-best-to-take-your-time/comment-page-1/#comment-2311 Presh Talwalkar Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:36:10 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/?p=465#comment-2311 <b><em>Pat</b></em>: Well said. I have heard the brain can recover partially from strokes--this is fascinating. We ought to take advantage of the time we have when we have it. Being open minded is a great asset. Pat:
Well said. I have heard the brain can recover partially from strokes–this is fascinating. We ought to take advantage of the time we have when we have it. Being open minded is a great asset.

]]> By: Pat http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/08/11/3-activities-where-it%e2%80%99s-best-to-take-your-time/comment-page-1/#comment-2305 Pat Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:53:33 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/?p=465#comment-2305 I have noticed that my speed and comprehension in pleasure reading has gone down while the same metrics in in research reading have improved from shifting my attention to different material over long periods of time (for the last 5 years I did much less pleasure reading and more research reading). Our brains are relatively plastic and adapt over time to efficiently handle the most common situations that we throw them in. A much more interesting example of this is a stroke victim that can't walk anymore (muscles for walking are controlled by the stroke-damaged part of the brain). Some of these middle aged stroke victims learned to crawl and eventually walk again. MRI exams identified that the control area in the brain for these activities has been remapped to another undamaged part of their brains. I find this fascinating - and it shows that we should be careful about how we spend out time. If you focus too much on one thing I truly think your other abilities can diminish. When you do something that is somewhat dumb you still get better at it each time. Soon it becomes the favoured approach because you know it so well. This is what Munger describes as "to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail" You only have one mental tool in your toolbox and you try to apply it to every problem, even when it is not the best approach to the problem or situation. For this reason, i think it is important to seek diverse experiences and varied company. I have noticed that my speed and comprehension in pleasure reading has gone down while the same metrics in in research reading have improved from shifting my attention to different material over long periods of time (for the last 5 years I did much less pleasure reading and more research reading). Our brains are relatively plastic and adapt over time to efficiently handle the most common situations that we throw them in.

A much more interesting example of this is a stroke victim that can’t walk anymore (muscles for walking are controlled by the stroke-damaged part of the brain). Some of these middle aged stroke victims learned to crawl and eventually walk again. MRI exams identified that the control area in the brain for these activities has been remapped to another undamaged part of their brains. I find this fascinating – and it shows that we should be careful about how we spend out time. If you focus too much on one thing I truly think your other abilities can diminish. When you do something that is somewhat dumb you still get better at it each time. Soon it becomes the favoured approach because you know it so well. This is what Munger describes as “to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail” You only have one mental tool in your toolbox and you try to apply it to every problem, even when it is not the best approach to the problem or situation. For this reason, i think it is important to seek diverse experiences and varied company.

]]> By: Presh Talwalkar http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/08/11/3-activities-where-it%e2%80%99s-best-to-take-your-time/comment-page-1/#comment-2304 Presh Talwalkar Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:36:26 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/?p=465#comment-2304 <b><em>Pat</b></em>: Sounds like you too are one of those fast readers that I'm jealous of ;) For me I never could speed up effectively. I need to read technical things very slowly as well. But I seem to retain knowledge well--I still remember game theory lectures with crystal clarity. Pat:
Sounds like you too are one of those fast readers that I’m jealous of ;) For me I never could speed up effectively. I need to read technical things very slowly as well. But I seem to retain knowledge well–I still remember game theory lectures with crystal clarity.

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