Hey there! I have been struggling with my work lately. I have been in programming field for 5 years now. I have always done my work as good as i could. But lately I can not find motivation to do some work. Even If employer wanted to fire me - its still not enough motivation for me. I just open my laptop and slip right into binge-watching youtube videos… Or just read block of code and than do something else… I just can not stay concentrated. I thought maybe some exercise would help but nothing. Still can not find my way through. I like to build things. I started at home by myself at the age of 15. But now I feel like everything programming related is against me…
Yeah, I think with the world being the way it is for the last few years, a lot of people are feeling like this. I’ve definitely noticed some of this. It’s like reading a psychology study about mice that they leave in a cage with no stimulation (wheels, toys, etc.) one ones that do. The bored mice get listless.
It’s easy to say that the answer is just a need for discipline. There’s some truth to that but there is also more to it.
I think we need to find things to stimulate us, inspire us. Break out of our ruts. Learn a new language. Get into opera. Teach yourself Thai cooking. Start planning a hiking trip for when the apocalypse ends. Figure out when you might be able to buy a house - where would you want to do that? I know that for my wife and I, moving to Spain and buying an apartment was a big motivator.
Maybe get a side project going. But I also think a non-coding hobby would be good. Learn kintsugi. Take an online African dance class. Read books. Learn to write poetry. Learn to whittle. Plan a vacation to Fiji to learn SCUBA. Plan vacation to Hawaii to learn to surf. Hike the Inca trail.
Life is too short, make the most out of it. And having a stable job with a good income can be a part of that. Our collective depression and torpor are symptoms of this current situation - but that won’t last forever. Don’t our temporary problems create longterm problems.
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I should also ask if you have a lot of contact with others. I know it’s tough in our current situation, but try to connect with others as much as possible.
Well I live with my girlfriend and I meet with my friends once a month. I bought myself a nice car. Its my first car and I thought it will be the motivator. But nothing… I like to cook and I picked up React because of the new project at my job. Could it be because of hate of PHP? Im working as a mainly PHP developer and this two weeks in React I’ve had the feeling that the concentration was better.
Well, I’m a little biased because I hate PHP…
But it may just be that it’s something new. It gets you excited so you focus better. Why not learn a new skill? The trick is to allow that excitement to seep into your work, too.
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Thanks! I will try something new. I guess I just fell into this rut like you said. Thanks a lot.
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i need a vacation )))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if-za0Lu7tI
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I read the other post that was posted by you on a similar topic a while back, and I have question.
Is it possible for you to clarify for us the meaning to you of 'Burnout".
Because, for some people, the term is Used casually, almost as a way of saying that they are bored or overburdened with their jobs.
But, the actual Clinical Manifestation of “burnout” is a much Different thing to be dealing with.
Could you Possibly Clarify…
Hey! Sorry to hear about this. Definitely a tough situation to be in.
Sounds like you could be experiencing burnout? Definitely worth reaching out to a therapist as they’ll be able to dive a lot deeper than any of us could.
We can all give you a list of things that have worked for us but at the end of the day a therapist is more likely to give you specific advice that’ll actually work based on your personal needs.
I did find this video quite interesting to watch and you might too: An Engineer's Guide To Burnout And How To Hack It • Tim Duckett • GOTO 2019 - YouTube
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