Does anyone else have this problem? I do not care about gift etiquette, Street Fighter, or any given subject likely to be found in the Community section. However, I still find myself frantically checking replies. Even now, I am starting a thread that does not need to be started. You, the reader, are wasting time reading this thread and more time if you reply. It is pretty troublesome how I allow so much time fall down this sinkhole of threads that are of no importance to me.

I never waste my time at this forum reading threads that will do nothing for me, especially those ones that go so off topic that you can't even know what was the topic supposed to be... nor do I waste my time writing meaningless posts when I should be doing something productive...

Oh wait...

lets face it, this is a community of learning geeks. If you are wasting time checking (and replying -even worse) its not because of the content, but its because your communicating with people on a similar wavelength. Everyone here shares an obsessive interest (learning Japanese) -we get how you feel - wanting to stay on task, but unable. Wanting to complain and discuss with people who understand

it certainly is better than a lot of other ways i waste time

if you read this -this applies to you

I figure forum surfing is just another hobby. I like studying Japanese, I like drawing, I like listening to music, and I like surfing the internet. I check out my favorite forums regularly, but I try to make sure I don't spend more time than necessary on them.

Studying Japanese intensively is great, but I think some people get a little obsessed. It's not the end of the world if every spare moment isn't used on learning Japanese.

I've got Spring Break this week, and so I've been pretty intensive on learning my kanji. I want to get as far as I can before I get back to school and I actually have to be productive.

Although, I figured I'd take a break from kanji and do some homework I have (but of course...I chose the translation for my Lit Class...) and I found a lot of kanji compounds in there that I understood just because I studied them recently.

As for WASTING time...studying RTK could be considered wasting for me -- I've got enough actual homework to do...

of course...here I am posting in this thread....

One link to rule them all: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4476

Burritolingus Wrote:一ne link to 則ule them 皆ll: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4476

You may have just save my marriage.

Speaking of firefox add-ons, the Kanjglish add on makes wasting time on english forums semi-productive in terms of learning kanji.

Burritolingus Wrote:One link to rule them all: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4476

I used that for a while and would just end up installing other web browsers

you can always go waste your time in the 日本語中級会話 thread
or finish up your review and failed stacks and add more kanji...
I wont let you put ME on a guilt trip..o no no no!

Smackle Wrote:Does anyone else have this problem? I do not care about gift etiquette, Street Fighter...

Wait a minute...did you just say....you don't care about gift etiquette?

[fuaburisu]

Since time is relative, "Wasting time" is relative. Your time is different than my time.

Smackle Wrote:You, the reader, are wasting time reading this thread and more time if you reply.

That's a bold statement to make. Maybe it gives me time to reflect on *my* spending of time. It's not you to say what's time worth to another person, only suppose.

I think "wasting time" is a dangerous expression, personally. There's no doubt that you can make more valuable use of any given time. But then you will never be satisfied. The earth is only so big and in a lifetime you will NEVER have the time to meet all the most interesting people, read the most interesting books, eat the best cuisine, see the greatest outdoors, etc.

Above the fear of "wasting time" I would focus on the principle of "doing something 100%". If you're going to work, WORK. If you're going to study Japanese, DO IT 100% !! I f you're going to "waste time" posting on a forum and enjoy reading the topics and the flamewars ;-) .. then DO IT GOOD! THen I suppose, whatever you do you're not wasting your time

Heh, just look at my post count. I even POST in all the threads I don't care about

I spend way more time on this forum than studying Japanese, probably even more time than I spend actually exposing myself to Japanese.

It's a disease I tell you, and you're infected.

I must admit I do spend a lot of time reading different threads and keeping up with conversations probably more than I should some days its surprising how much of your time it takes up when you look at how many kanji/sentences etc that you could have entered.

Although it needn't be completely wasted time when doing your Japanese you can still have audio playing or jump between windows.

It also depends how you look at it a lot of people won't see conversing and talking about methods etc a waste as your learning new things talking to like minded people and so on.

[fuaburisu]

I just thought of an exercise to make the wasted time slightly more useful. Before every post that you want to read, you must recall the Heisig keyword for that poster's kanji avatar

Tobberoth Wrote:Heh, just look at my post count. I even POST in all the threads I don't care about

Yeah.. That's something I have wondered before..

I have been here more than a year longer than you have, but you still have a thousand posts more than I do!

I'm not a follower of AJATT. As long as I do my 30 or more Kanji, my daily kana and 2000 iknow lesson ( if I do ) and listen to some Japanese cartoon, the "wasted time" is a well earned reward. I'd love full immersion, but I have a full time job and the mind needs rest too.

And what's with calling people with bookish hobbies geeks? How socially well adjusted, groomed and fit does one need to be to stop apologizing for for training the mind for fun?

J

fuaburisu Wrote:I just thought of an exercise to make the wasted time slightly more useful. Before every post that you want to read, you must recall the Heisig keyword for that poster's kanji avatar

Nice idea but this thread's poster, Smackle, doesn't have a kanji avatar;

Guilty as charged.

1. Go to forums
2. Read everything
3. Tell yourself to study
4. Say another 5 minutes of forum surfing won't kill you
5. ????????
6. PROFIT!
7. Repeat

It's a pretty vicious cycle .

I'm gulty too. I always have to work, but keep reading these stupid things in japanese. ;D

I feel like I've wasted half of my life doing nothing on the internet.

Then again, some of that "doing nothing" lead me to AJATT, and from that to this website, so I guess it wasn't a complete waste.

Imagine for a second what this forum would be like if everyone stopped wasting time here.

*watches tumbleweed pass by*

On second thought, don't!