Everything online has immediate feedback. not necessarily "reward," but we get some notion of "ok you're done now" even on things that involve a wait.
The real world demands delayed gratification. I planted seeds last week, and then nothing happened for days and days. Now they're beginning to come up. The link between last week's focus on planting and today's seedlings is something that I have to consciously remember, not the immediate feeling of "click muse, see square change color."
That lack of feedback makes the online fantasy worlds so much more tempting than the real.
> I planted seeds last week, and then nothing happened for days and days. Now they're beginning to come up. The link between last week's focus on planting and today's seedlings is something that I have to consciously remember, not the immediate feeling of "click muse, see square change color."
I'm not sure if it's sad or not, but reading your comment made me realize I learned the same lesson by ordering from AliExpress.
Fun Fact: Love that they ref Battle Chess, the apocryphal source of "just add a duck" to get around micro-managers who need to make a change to feel like they've done something:
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like these books that expand on the same concept:
* _Hyperculture: The Human Cost of Speed_ by Stephen Bertman
* _How to Do Nothing_ by Jenny Odell
The first book more than the 2nd, but the 2nd book is still a lovely read that may help you figure out for yourself how to practically deal with the pacing of modern life.
The real world demands delayed gratification. I planted seeds last week, and then nothing happened for days and days. Now they're beginning to come up. The link between last week's focus on planting and today's seedlings is something that I have to consciously remember, not the immediate feeling of "click muse, see square change color."
That lack of feedback makes the online fantasy worlds so much more tempting than the real.