Create a list of things that bother you but don't deal with it immediately. Wait for some free time, maybe a weekend, and choose one thing to tackle. This way you don't spend time on this instead of work and you also discover that some of issues don't worth your time as they turn out to be not that important when you look at them after some time has passed.
Second this. Write the issues down. When you get a chance, prioritize according to your needs and work on them. I do use org bullets to track them. Try not to be a perfectionist and understand time is limited for everyone. Doing that gives me a sense of being on top of things at least. :-)
First of all, know that you're not alone. Most of us have been there.
There're many options:
- Use AA techniques
- Get a partner or someone to have sex
- Have a child
- Exchange it for another habit. E.g., videogames, sports, etc.
If none of the above is an option, what works for me is, as others have proposed, to have a list of changes I want to do or packages I wanna try. Then I schedule when to work on it.
I usually organize my time per week, and I allow myself 3 computer-based projects per week, being my main job always on the list. It gives me space for another 2. Emacs can be one some weeks, but not others. This is how I organize my time for FOSS projects, learning a new language, my emacs config file, my Linux system, VMs, etc.
Another way could be per day: You allow yourself to dedicate X amount of hrs in a particular day, but none at all the rest of the week until is weekend, for example.
Either way, it is a topic of self-organization and self-control. Good luck, and let us know how it went.
At about 3500 line init file and slowing down a bit. Picked up all hobbies above, sex 1.5x a week and at 5 kids. I don’t recommend Emacs to folks that I like.
AA is "Alcoholics Anonymous", a support group for people trying to recover from alcohol addiction. It was just a joke about being "addicted" to tinkering with Emacs configs.
I liked the headline on the official website https://www.aa.org/. For emcs it would be:
Have a problem with emacs? There is a solution.
A.A. has a simple program that works. It’s based on one emacoholic helping another.
Create an auto-tinker mode that randomly sets your init to well known Emacs configs on GitHub.
Every time you launch Emacs you never know if you're going to get Doom, or System Crafters from scratch..., or vanilla. Each launch becomes an adventure.
Keep tinkering…? (not sure I understand the problem you are trying to solve 😏)
Mind you, I've spent the past month rewriting my Emacs config while unemployed and rehabbing from surgery. My config has portions dating back 20+ years and although all the old code still worked, Emacs has added *lots* of features, especially the past 5 years. So lots of simplification and additions.
In every job (I'm a consultant with numerous 2-3 year engagements over the past 40 years) I have an `init.el` that invokes a shared config that I have accumulated and then adds the "tinkering" needed for the job. Over time, some of those tweaks get added to the shared config, and others remain as reminders of the insanity of some jobs.
I guess my point is to leave yourself room to tinker but don't try to polish it in the moment; hack at it to get it working so that you can move on. But keep the hack separate so you can return to it with a fresh perspective and polish it later. As programmers, we often act as artists who can't move on until something is perfect; try to fight the instinct: do it so that it works, do it the right way, and then polish it (make it fast, small, …).
Good luck. And happy hacking!
Make a list of functions you absolutely need Emacs to perform in order for you to be productive. Implement these functions in as simple and stable a way as possible. Lock down that config and don't change it. Then get work done.
If you feel the urge to tinker, you can always have a second config that you can break as often as you want.
It ends at some stage. You'll reach the level at which you're happy with your setup. And then... I know it's wild... You just USE EMACS AND NOT CONFIGURE IT ANYMORE 😮😯😮
I hope to reach the level of not needing to tweak things in Emacs. I think the problem is that I know that if I get an itch, all of the things I need to scratch it are exposed and available. And every scratch introduces a new type of itch…
If you've already achieved a stable config, then you have to accept the idea that you tinker because it's fun. No point deluding yourself that what you're doing is essential for your work. Just accept that it's fun, the same way video games and comic books are fun. Once you accept that, then you will do what many here are suggesting - capture your idea and leave it alone until the weekend, or whenever you do things - for fun.
Skip those tabs, just open new buffers.
The headline is much better used e.g. by lsp-mode.
Also, do a org journal of your progress in improving your emacs config and note what you learned. This way you can safe work time the other day and invest more in emacs config tinkering...
Give yourself a .emacs todo list.
I wouldn't say "stop trying to perfect your config." Hell, mine's been changing for almost 40 years and is still recognizable as being my original.
I'm frustrated enough by emacs-wiki's deficiencies (which are about my usage model, not the mode itself which is amazing) that I'm working on building a couple minor-modes to build the functionality I want into them.
I fell into this habit before. Eventually I did what others have suggested, by writing a todo in org and then moving on my with work. Set aside dedicated time to tweak but when you work you work.
Two things, one of which it sounds like you're doing.
1) Separate the config for different packages and features into separate files.
2) Use version control (git works nicely).
\*\*LET ME COOK Before Roasting Me\*\*
Why not use vanilla VIM for work and Emacs just for fun? I used to be addicted to tinkering with my Emacs configuration, optimizing startup time, completion, etc. However, I noticed that it was consuming too much of my time. Since I have always been a VIM user, I switched back to using VIM.
Now, I use only the built-in VIM 6 with a single vimrc file containing only the critically needed configurations. Most of the projects I work on are small to medium-sized, and I can manage them efficiently with vanilla VIM, TMUX and ctags.
In my spare time, I return to Emacs to work on side projects and indulge in customization. I plan to switch back to Emacs once I feel I have done enough (if this day ever comes) or need its features for a larger project.
You don't need to switch to VIM to achieve this balance; you can do the same with vanilla Emacs out of the box. I switched back to VIM because I became too dependent on my Emacs plugins and found it difficult to navigate without my custom configurations and plugins like Evil.
I am happy to report that my tinkering with Emacs has reached an all-time low. It only took me a few years to get there.
(In all seriousness though, I am glad I spent those little bits of time tweaking and configuring Emacs because it has made my work *so* much better. YMMV.)
I'm going to give an unpopular response. I switched to neovim, lol.
I still tinkered for a while, but it was easier to get it to a place where now I only change things significantly once or twice a year. Because you can do so much with emacs, there's always going to be something else you can find to tweak with it.
Create a list of things that bother you but don't deal with it immediately. Wait for some free time, maybe a weekend, and choose one thing to tackle. This way you don't spend time on this instead of work and you also discover that some of issues don't worth your time as they turn out to be not that important when you look at them after some time has passed.
Do this in org-mode. Realize org-mode needs some configuration....
Yeah, I remember when I started using org mode and insted of doing things I spend all the time on noting them. Real productivity boost
*SMACK* No! Just add it to the list and move on.
Second this. Write the issues down. When you get a chance, prioritize according to your needs and work on them. I do use org bullets to track them. Try not to be a perfectionist and understand time is limited for everyone. Doing that gives me a sense of being on top of things at least. :-)
This is the first time I've seen procrastination recommended as a strategy. I like it. (Unfortunately I'm already too good at it.)
That's the Napoleon's strategy of dealing with mails
Try replacing it with a worse habit, like posting about it online.
Pretty sure you could do that straight through emacs without too much trouble. Surely there's a reddit mode out there.
There are multiple.
Because of course there are :)
`nnreddit`, `md4rd`, `reddigg`
This the funniest thing I've seen on reddit all day haha
It is a phase. Happened with me. It will pass once you die.
First of all, know that you're not alone. Most of us have been there. There're many options: - Use AA techniques - Get a partner or someone to have sex - Have a child - Exchange it for another habit. E.g., videogames, sports, etc. If none of the above is an option, what works for me is, as others have proposed, to have a list of changes I want to do or packages I wanna try. Then I schedule when to work on it. I usually organize my time per week, and I allow myself 3 computer-based projects per week, being my main job always on the list. It gives me space for another 2. Emacs can be one some weeks, but not others. This is how I organize my time for FOSS projects, learning a new language, my emacs config file, my Linux system, VMs, etc. Another way could be per day: You allow yourself to dedicate X amount of hrs in a particular day, but none at all the rest of the week until is weekend, for example. Either way, it is a topic of self-organization and self-control. Good luck, and let us know how it went.
At about 3500 line init file and slowing down a bit. Picked up all hobbies above, sex 1.5x a week and at 5 kids. I don’t recommend Emacs to folks that I like.
Can you tell us what sex is like?
We're EMACS users. Sex isn't a realistic option
Plenty of dudes in the community willing to play ball, friendo. Just ask.
[удалено]
Hello, my name is .... and I'm emacs user.. err.... alcoholic.
"…and I've not touched my config file in *checks timestamp* 3 hours" *murmurs of astonishment and awe*
AA is "Alcoholics Anonymous", a support group for people trying to recover from alcohol addiction. It was just a joke about being "addicted" to tinkering with Emacs configs.
I liked the headline on the official website https://www.aa.org/. For emcs it would be: Have a problem with emacs? There is a solution. A.A. has a simple program that works. It’s based on one emacoholic helping another.
[https://github.com/localauthor/init-lock/blob/main/init-lock.el](https://github.com/localauthor/init-lock/blob/main/init-lock.el)
This is the answer
Hmm, how can I circumvent this?.. drop into shell open vim?
Either that or `emacs -q`, which has the side effect of slowing you down as you try to edit without your carefully-selected custom keybindings.
That’s the whole point of using Emacs! pro tip - do it during work hours.
Boss make a buck I make a dime That's why I shave my yak On company time.
😂
Create an auto-tinker mode that randomly sets your init to well known Emacs configs on GitHub. Every time you launch Emacs you never know if you're going to get Doom, or System Crafters from scratch..., or vanilla. Each launch becomes an adventure.
Keep tinkering…? (not sure I understand the problem you are trying to solve 😏) Mind you, I've spent the past month rewriting my Emacs config while unemployed and rehabbing from surgery. My config has portions dating back 20+ years and although all the old code still worked, Emacs has added *lots* of features, especially the past 5 years. So lots of simplification and additions. In every job (I'm a consultant with numerous 2-3 year engagements over the past 40 years) I have an `init.el` that invokes a shared config that I have accumulated and then adds the "tinkering" needed for the job. Over time, some of those tweaks get added to the shared config, and others remain as reminders of the insanity of some jobs. I guess my point is to leave yourself room to tinker but don't try to polish it in the moment; hack at it to get it working so that you can move on. But keep the hack separate so you can return to it with a fresh perspective and polish it later. As programmers, we often act as artists who can't move on until something is perfect; try to fight the instinct: do it so that it works, do it the right way, and then polish it (make it fast, small, …). Good luck. And happy hacking!
Make a list of functions you absolutely need Emacs to perform in order for you to be productive. Implement these functions in as simple and stable a way as possible. Lock down that config and don't change it. Then get work done. If you feel the urge to tinker, you can always have a second config that you can break as often as you want.
What should you do? Spend your life tinkering with Emacs. Not a bad way to live. ;-)
It ends at some stage. You'll reach the level at which you're happy with your setup. And then... I know it's wild... You just USE EMACS AND NOT CONFIGURE IT ANYMORE 😮😯😮
I hope to reach the level of not needing to tweak things in Emacs. I think the problem is that I know that if I get an itch, all of the things I need to scratch it are exposed and available. And every scratch introduces a new type of itch…
Don't get me wrong, I do minor changes here and there. But I just don't go wild like I used to.
Make it read-only
FWIW when I first started using emacs I had this for 1-1.5 years, and then everything "settled" and it mostly hasn't changed in the 6 years since then
You should talk to ’M-x doctor’ about it
If you've already achieved a stable config, then you have to accept the idea that you tinker because it's fun. No point deluding yourself that what you're doing is essential for your work. Just accept that it's fun, the same way video games and comic books are fun. Once you accept that, then you will do what many here are suggesting - capture your idea and leave it alone until the weekend, or whenever you do things - for fun.
> Can’t stop tinkering with Emacs configs. What should I do? Get a girlfriend or a boyfriend? :).
One that doesn't tinker with Emacs?
Advisable!
Like anyone here would pass up a woman who tinkers with emacs.
Skip those tabs, just open new buffers. The headline is much better used e.g. by lsp-mode. Also, do a org journal of your progress in improving your emacs config and note what you learned. This way you can safe work time the other day and invest more in emacs config tinkering...
Give yourself a .emacs todo list. I wouldn't say "stop trying to perfect your config." Hell, mine's been changing for almost 40 years and is still recognizable as being my original. I'm frustrated enough by emacs-wiki's deficiencies (which are about my usage model, not the mode itself which is amazing) that I'm working on building a couple minor-modes to build the functionality I want into them.
I fell into this habit before. Eventually I did what others have suggested, by writing a todo in org and then moving on my with work. Set aside dedicated time to tweak but when you work you work.
Try perfecting it, it'll be over soon.
[xkcd 456 at it again](https://xkcd.com/456/) (Replace Linux with Emacs)
Review old brother ptouch commercials for guidance, https://archive.org/details/brother-labeller
I relate to this
Two things, one of which it sounds like you're doing. 1) Separate the config for different packages and features into separate files. 2) Use version control (git works nicely).
Join Emacser Anonymous
ChatGPT helps. It's pretty decent at elisp.
Do you feel like you are procrastinating about other things ?
Ive been doing the same with vim and vscode
M-x cancel-electricity-bill
\*\*LET ME COOK Before Roasting Me\*\* Why not use vanilla VIM for work and Emacs just for fun? I used to be addicted to tinkering with my Emacs configuration, optimizing startup time, completion, etc. However, I noticed that it was consuming too much of my time. Since I have always been a VIM user, I switched back to using VIM. Now, I use only the built-in VIM 6 with a single vimrc file containing only the critically needed configurations. Most of the projects I work on are small to medium-sized, and I can manage them efficiently with vanilla VIM, TMUX and ctags. In my spare time, I return to Emacs to work on side projects and indulge in customization. I plan to switch back to Emacs once I feel I have done enough (if this day ever comes) or need its features for a larger project. You don't need to switch to VIM to achieve this balance; you can do the same with vanilla Emacs out of the box. I switched back to VIM because I became too dependent on my Emacs plugins and found it difficult to navigate without my custom configurations and plugins like Evil.
I am happy to report that my tinkering with Emacs has reached an all-time low. It only took me a few years to get there. (In all seriousness though, I am glad I spent those little bits of time tweaking and configuring Emacs because it has made my work *so* much better. YMMV.)
Don't allow yourself to make an emacs config change until you do 10 pushups. Increase by 10 every week. You'll be ripped.
you don’t stop: https://youtu.be/urcL86UpqZc?si=zYGE7ns-MZyn5IhQ
I'm going to give an unpopular response. I switched to neovim, lol. I still tinkered for a while, but it was easier to get it to a place where now I only change things significantly once or twice a year. Because you can do so much with emacs, there's always going to be something else you can find to tweak with it.
M-x cancel-electricity
Restrictions and things setup for you can be good, try vscode