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Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

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Re: Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

#11

Post by rbranson »

lsc wrote: post #3

several strategies that have worked for me: 1. get yourself checked out for ADD. I'm not saying this is the problem, but it's easy to check for, and if it is the problem, there are drugs that can at least temporarily make the problem just go away. Now if this is something you've never experienced until just now, it's probably not ADD. But if you've had these sorts of problems on and off forever, (I know for me, my pe…

I second the ADHD check. This sounds like classic ADHD symptoms to me. Once you sort of reach that pinnacle you've been striving for, it's easy to lose the drive when you can relax and quit striving or when things are less challenging. You will find your motivation will wax and wane, week in and week out. You start avoiding the real work so much with distractions that it becomes painful just to face it and your own procrastination, which magnifies the symptoms by an order of magnitude.

Do NOT let this relatively easily solvable problem destroy your career. I made this mistake early on in my career and paid for it with a lost job. I'm glad things ended up the way they did, but it would have been better if I left there on good terms.

Even if medication is a temporary fix, it might be what this situation calls for. Often in life we have to chose the best of two evils, and your career is not something to put on the line. I know that I am way happier working 40 hours a week steady than I was when I would binge hack for 120 hours straight while riding a motivation wave.

If you can get yourself back into the groove and being productive, try to figure out what gives you motivation and try to work your way into a position that continuously feeds you these things. That's what I'm working towards.

Re: Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

#12

Post by sambe »

ob wrote: post #8

I've had similar stuff happen to me. One trick that has helped to get me out of the rut is to go back to the basics. When I'm stuck I would find a textbook problem, from the very simple (reverse this array, etc) to the more complex (implement a red-black tree). I find these problems help get me back on track and give me useful tools that I might use some day. I think there are two pieces to being effective at program…

The classic advice: http://projecteuler.net/

Helped me get something done.

Re: Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

#13

Post by albahk »

I can identify with elements of what you are going through, but I cannot add anything to explain the why behind them.

I remind myself though, that what you see in others around you is the polished exterior surface of their lives, which many times hide the tangled mess of cabling and crap inside. My point is you are comparing your messy insides to another person's polished exterior - hardly a fair comparison for you.

Best of luck

Re: Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

#14

Post by dlsspy »

I get this sometimes. For me, it takes the right balance of something I'm excited about, having a lot to learn, and having drive from people whom I feel are pushing me in a direction that's better when I'm having trouble ramping up, but not in the way when I'm really rolling out code.

I've been doing most of that lately, though I can get into a dream state quite a bit where I want to make something really awesome that will slow things down a bit too far.

Re: Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

#16

Post by throwaway_stuck »

RBerenguel wrote: post #5

When was the last time you disconnected from programming? Holidays? Have you taken a halt and re-started? If you are getting nowhere, try to get two weeks off. If you can manage, a month. And keep away from programming for that time. You will crave coding after 2 weeks :D

See "this is serial" above. I took about 9 months off. Didn't really do any coding at all.

Re: Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

#17

Post by lisper »

Definitely familiar. What I would suggest is to figure out what it is you're really getting hung up on. It has to be something more specific than "my brain turns to mush." Try writing down a description of the problem you think you're having. The act of rendering a thought into writing will often break a logjam for me.

Re: Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

#18

Post by sliverstorm »

rbranson wrote: post #11
lsc wrote: post #3

several strategies that have worked for me: 1. get yourself checked out for ADD. I'm not saying this is the problem, but it's easy to check for, and if it is the problem, there are drugs that can at least temporarily make the problem just go away. Now if this is something you've never experienced until just now, it's probably not ADD. But if you've had these sorts of problems on and off forever, (I know for me, my pe…

I second the ADHD check. This sounds like classic ADHD symptoms to me. Once you sort of reach that pinnacle you've been striving for, it's easy to lose the drive when you can relax and quit striving or when things are less challenging. You will find your motivation will wax and wane, week in and week out. You start avoiding the real work so much with distractions that it becomes painful just to face it and your own p…

> I second the ADHD check. This sounds like classic ADHD symptoms to me. Once you sort of reach that pinnacle you've been striving for, it's easy to lose the drive when you can relax and quit striving or when things are less challenging. You will find your motivation will wax and wane, week in and week out. You start avoiding the real work so much with distractions that it becomes painful just to face it and your own procrastination, which magnifies the symptoms by an order of magnitude.

Holy crap, you just described my life. There's no way I'm an extreme case, but maybe I really do have a little ADHD going on...?

Re: Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

#19

Post by throwaway_stuck »

kenjackson wrote: post #15

The beginner mistakes line stuck with me. What types of mistakes (specific examples)? This might be useful for me to know what is going on ewith you.

Big things like agreeing to start coding without requirements.

Little things like inconsistent return conventions or code disagreeing with documentation comment blocks.

People are referring me to classic coder texts like Code Complete. Okay, maybe I do need a review but I fucking read that book in the 90s. It's incredibly galling.

Re: Ask HN: Underperforming, feeling stuck

#20

Post by abraham »

lsc wrote: post #3

several strategies that have worked for me: 1. get yourself checked out for ADD. I'm not saying this is the problem, but it's easy to check for, and if it is the problem, there are drugs that can at least temporarily make the problem just go away. Now if this is something you've never experienced until just now, it's probably not ADD. But if you've had these sorts of problems on and off forever, (I know for me, my pe…

> You can get a CS student to watch you code and kick your chair when you stop for under ten bucks an hour.

Excellent idea.

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