When you are overworked, tired, have low motivation to continue and possibly on the brink of burnout.. what helps you drive what you're working on to the finish line?
Ask HN: What helps you push through?
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Re: Ask HN: What helps you push through?
#2Slowing down. Most things can wait another day, so I do my best to take the time I need to relax and recover.
A stress-free, relaxed brain used for 6 hours is much better than stressful brain used for 10h.
Re: Ask HN: What helps you push through?
#3My family. I wanted to quit my job with nothing lined up, and even went so far as putting my two weeks in. They told me to shut up and get back to work, and in hind sight, its made all the difference in keeping me as a productive member of society
Re: Ask HN: What helps you push through?
#4For me it's learning but mostly technical learning. This isn't the same for everyone though. It took me a long time to stumble onto this.
Think about finding what motivates you like you think about finding the right diet: experiment and iterate.
Re: Ask HN: What helps you push through?
#5For me it's learning but mostly technical learning. This isn't the same for everyone though. It took me a long time to stumble onto this. Think about finding what motivates you like you think about finding the right diet: experiment and iterate.
Also, Dr. Huberman of http://hubermanlab.com/ has been making the round on podcasts talking about the neuroscience of motivation.
tl;dr We are motivated/rewarded (at the neurotransmitter level) when we feel that we're on the right path. What makes you feel like you're on the right path?
This feeling of being on the right path causes dopamine to be released which quells the anxiety/quit sensation (adrenaline/norepinephrine) that's caused by struggle and is what leads to burnout.
Re: Ask HN: What helps you push through?
#6Exercise. Enough sleep. Good food choices. Take care of the body first, then, (for me) things that make me laugh in a wholesome way. Hugs from loved ones. It's all counter-intuitive, because it's "taking the foot off the gas". The drive to the finish line is fine if it's truly close, but you sound like you're part of the legendary death march, which can go on for a loooong time. We think for a living. Thinking works better in rested, relaxed bodies and excited, curious minds.
Re: Ask HN: What helps you push through?
#7Turning forty and having kids has been awesome. I spent the prior 20 years so ambitious and so worried I wouldn’t make something of myself. I was always reading books and watching YouTube videos on business,leadership, and self improvement. Staying up all night coding.
I got pretty lucky and created a small business when I was 32. That business is still alive today, but I don’t put anymore effort into it aside from doing customer support. That’s probably a big part of why I feel like I can finally sit back and enjoy my life and children. I’ve always had low expectations, and I feel like I accomplished more than I thought I would. I haven’t made that big of a dent, but it’s been enough for me.
I don’t know where I’m going with all this. I’m just glad I’m not constantly thinking about success—it can be so draining. I used to be worried about becoming who I am now, satisfied, somewhat complacent. It’s the happiest I’ve ever been.
Re: Ask HN: What helps you push through?
#8Where I work we try not to work like that. We break up work into manageable chunks. If someone is sick they take sick leave. If a project is too big for two shoulders it has probably been broken up anyway. Treat work like it’s the teams (although each item has one owner at a given time). Also avoid fake or real deadlines, but do provide estimates. This all fits into knowing your velocity and working standard hours such as 40h.
Outside of work, choose to relax, which might mean leaving a lot of stuff you should do go. Maybe the house doesn’t need to be tidy, or the kids can watch tv without you feeling guilty. Or use ubereats instead of cooking, or pause the side project, skip the run etc.
Re: Ask HN: What helps you push through?
#9Gus Fring said it better than I ever will:
"What does a man do, Walter? [...] A man provides. And he does it, even when he's not appreciated, or respected, or even loved. He simply bears up and he does it, because he's a man."
Re: Ask HN: What helps you push through?
#10Getting a good night's sleep is important, in many ways.
https://digest.bps.org.uk/2019/11/21/a-lack-of-sleep-causes-... https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/practical-mindfulnes...