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Comment by qntty | Hacker News Reader

I've definitely developed habits that were based on mistaken beliefs, then changed them fairly easily when my beliefs changed. I don't think it's crazy to think that someone who is obsessed with optimizing every second of life could change their tune when they start to think of "down time" as productive.

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People respond more strongly to the framing of an argument than to its logical content (case in point: GP), and so I would argue that choosing the frame of the oppressor (e.g. it is wasted time) actually reinforces the belief and is counterproductive to changing the habit. It would be better to attack the frame directly by challenging the notion that it's wasted time, instead of parroting it.

What is GP? Why do you use an undefined acronym for your case in point?

Grandparent post: the post two levels up.

I'm not sure about that, how much of the benefit remains if you look at leisure time as another productivity optimizing activity?

I like the attack on the fundamental ideology at play (not just the frame built on top of it) in the statement that "wasting time is good". I think it might be far more helpful.

However, using the phrase "wasting time" supports the idea that time is something that can be wasted, and reinforces ideas that being "unproductive" is somehow wasteful.

If it was a habit and you "changed [it] fairly easily", then it either wasn't a habit or you have an exceptional ability there, one most everyone doesn't have.

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