> I've started sitting at home, without music and with a notebook, where the only two choices are to do nothing or write pseudo code for the immediate next exciting feature.
If that doesn't work it is pretty likely you have ADHD.
Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
11–20 of 21 posts
Re: Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
#12Only thing inspiring me to code in free time is that I need it or I have motivation for it. I code things that are I am really interested into rather what is a general interesting thing.
Re: Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
#13[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
#14after i read "discipline beats motivation"[1] i realized my biggest problem with personal projects were exactly lack of discipline, awaiting for the motivation to come by itself. Now i have a large paper calendar in front of me, where i mark with a large red "F" ( Failure ) every day i don't spend my allocated 1 hour on my pet projects.
( the number of "F" varies over time, but tend to reduce... )
[1]https://medium.com/1-one-infinity/discipline-beats-motivatio...
Re: Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
#15> I've started sitting at home, without music and with a notebook, where the only two choices are to do nothing or write pseudo code for the immediate next exciting feature. If that doesn't work it is pretty likely you have ADHD.
or it's just writing code into a notepad by hand is ridiculously boring and tedious
Re: Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
#16Coding by nature is nothing like a regular hobby, like dancing or playing guitar, or skiing... There is no inherent pleasure in the process itself. In solving puzzles - yes, in overcoming obstacles - sure, in seeing final product working and not failing - of course. But coding itself is a boring but inevitable process of reaching some goal(s). Thus the only reliable and long lasting source of motivation is a specific…
> There is no inherent pleasure in the process itself.
Speak for yourself. I find pleasure in writing code inherently, playing around with different languages, data structures and algorithms that may not have any definite end goal in mind.
Re: Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
#17Coding by nature is nothing like a regular hobby, like dancing or playing guitar, or skiing... There is no inherent pleasure in the process itself. In solving puzzles - yes, in overcoming obstacles - sure, in seeing final product working and not failing - of course. But coding itself is a boring but inevitable process of reaching some goal(s). Thus the only reliable and long lasting source of motivation is a specific…
> There is no inherent pleasure in the process itself. Speak for yourself. I find pleasure in writing code inherently, playing around with different languages, data structures and algorithms that may not have any definite end goal in mind.
Me too for very different but similar reasons.
I tend to take my time adding code, anything from a few lines an hour to a few lines a month. So the moments where I do are like adding a few careful brush strokes to a painting and seeing its character change immediately.
In between, I read about things related to my problem, I think on walks, waking up and going to sleep, and during more active times I have worked on a problem in my dreams all night.
The mornings after "dream work" always feel magical. I realize how repetitive and grindy dreams are. Seems that my mind goes over the exact same ground dozens of times, without any normal daytime fatigue, then figures something out like finally seeing a gem after scraping away meters of rock.
Re: Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
#18I remove frictions. An IDE is a friction, so I'll use the interpreter directly to write snippets of code and play with a library or prototype a feature or something. Small functions. This works just like foreplay or messing around because after a bit of doing this, I'm turned fully on and possessed and banging much more serious and fully fledged code. It gets me fully in the zone, and I regain situational awareness s…
You have shared some wisdom. Managing the flow. At least three new things that sound very right for me. Thanks!
Re: Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
#19What a fantastic question. I didn't expect so many truly great responses.
For many years I have had this humorous fantasy of having a bare room with little but natural rock walls and irregular rock paving flooring, a fireplace, and a ceiling consisting mostly of a huge sky light. with only a little desk for furniture as a place to work with no distraction. My contractor is now designing that room to put on the top of my house.
I can't recommend it because I have no idea if it will be the happy place I have always imagined, lol! But I think it will. :)
What I can say is imagining that kind of peaceful natural hermit-able place was one of my visualizations that helped me get into the zone many times in the past.
What code we would write if we all lived in lighthouses?
Re: Ask HN: People who enjoy coding in free time, what does your process look like?
#20Coding by nature is nothing like a regular hobby, like dancing or playing guitar, or skiing... There is no inherent pleasure in the process itself. In solving puzzles - yes, in overcoming obstacles - sure, in seeing final product working and not failing - of course. But coding itself is a boring but inevitable process of reaching some goal(s). Thus the only reliable and long lasting source of motivation is a specific…
> There is no inherent pleasure in the process itself. Speak for yourself. I find pleasure in writing code inherently, playing around with different languages, data structures and algorithms that may not have any definite end goal in mind.
From the sound of it you find pleasure in exploring something new (dopamine kind of pleasure).
Whould you enjoy writing code with same language, same data structures & algorithms for a long period of time?
If not => you don’t really enjoy coding itself.