This is going to be a short one, (I think, never actually know until it's done, but I've got a bunch of other things to do in a short amount of time, so probably)
I just completed my weekly review of this whole motivational system, so I can share the results, in case you don't feel like tracking them.
Some bugs with the Beeminder program (pun!) It only has daily as it's increment, so if something is weekly I have to write it as .18 or whatever per day. Also, the free version has no "weekends off" feature, so I have to re-calculate what fraction per day based on 7 days, rather than five. Because of how the program works, those changes don't go into effect for a week, so I had to add two hours each day Sat. and Sun. though I didn't actually plan on working that much over the weekend.
Various other little tweaks. I had forgotten to take my own advice and set my habit tracker goals too ambitiously, and perhaps too many at once. That's why I'm not paying out for not doing them though, I'm experimenting and I want the flexibility to change, remove, add, or put things on hold.
In general, making sure I'm doing some deep (no distractions) work on my most important goal(s) and hardest, most important action steps, each day, is great. As is making sure I fill out the habit tracker. Even if I'm missing days, just having my attention on it helps keep me on track.
Reflecting on that, I see that I may have to put a few of the habits I want to instal on hold, while I focus on others.
One habit, the productivity system, has been wonderful. It gives me a sense of peace and focus, using it, and keeps me on track. So I'm definitely keeping that one. It has a lot of moving parts, so that might be the only one I keep, for a while.
Though I think I have one more that I'd actually like to add, that of tracking my time very carefully. I haven't been getting as much done as I think I should be, and so I want to be able to see exactly where my time is actually going, so I can problem-solve it, the same way I'm problem-solving this whole motivation and goal-achievement system in general. Scheduling the time for this review was also really useful, I'll be keeping that.
I've been having issues following through on my intentions to go to bed early though, and it is a bit of a keystone habit, as sleeping in then gets the whole rest of the day out of whack. I think I'm going to add a digital sunset and some rules to the beeminder, as I think it's an important enough goal, and hard enough that it needs the extra umph of serious loss-aversion to back it up. We will see how that goes this week.
I've also been reading about OpenAI's projects more, it is just intensely fascinating, like witnessing the birth of the internet or the personal computer or something. It kind of feels reality-warping, and though OpenAI seems really dedicated to "do no harm" the problem is that if others realize this technology is possible, they are going to make their own versions, and some of those teams will likely not be as moral. That's frightening.
Also, the fact that the people who create the AI, don't understand how it works, is also a bit frightening. It's a little bit of a black box, it seems, where the massive computations that go into creating the AI's "neural network" happen away from human view, and so in a sense it's like interacting with a person, who we don't know what they're thinking, what they're motivations are. I don't think it's a Terminator/Skynet scenario, but I am worried some day the AI will be solving health and environmental problems, and give us a solution that looks good on the outside, but results in some serious environmental problems, that it either didn't realize would happen, or didn't think was a problem. It's the same problem as guns I think, where the tool can do so much with so little input, that it becomes easy to make a really big mistake really quickly.
On the other hand, you will be able to ask your computer to do just about anything for you, from doing your taxes to making up a story just for you based on your own plot. Or probably at some point, a movie, or a complete virtual world.
In some ways, it's really cool, and I think that's what a lot of people will be thinking.
On the other hand, distraction and entertainment does not lead to a rich, meaningful, and satisfying life. That's something that comes from inside and there is no short-cut to that or technology that can do that for you. Just look at the fabulously wealthy, and you will see they don't have special access to happiness, any more than the middle class person who can feed and house themselves and take care of their health. AI may change a lot of things but it won't grant us self-actualization or lasting peace and joy.
But that's ok, we can do that for ourselves. Given dedication and persistence.
OK, I'm out for today.
^_^
-Isaac
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