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Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

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Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#1
I have a problem I've been experiencing for some time now. I hope someone experienced something similar and has some good advice.

I've come to a point where it's really hard to do even the easiest work. Each time I sit to code and I face the slightest "problem", I start looking for a distraction as soon as possible. I realized it today when I had to write one line of code to calculate the scale of an image.

It was really a trivial problem, I just need to figure out a couple of measures to put into a division, but since it requires 30 seconds of thinking, my brain guides my hand to the nearest distraction (i.e. the facebook/email/HN). I really have to struggle to do some work (as a side note this goes away a little when I manage to begin working, but the danger always lurks waiting for some more difficult task to distract me from).

It's not a lack of motivation. This is a project I want to work on and when I'm not at my computer I think about how to code it and I just wait to have some time to work on it. I feel motivated thinking how cool it will be and really want to do it. But as soon as I have time, like in weekends, I start wasting it in useless activities. When I force myself to sit and code, my mind surrenders at the smallest obstacle.

It looks like my brain is not used to think anymore. I can spend time reading a lot of things, but as soon as I try to actively do something, my mind refuses to do it. I think I have some sort of addiction/disorder and I can look for psychotherapy, but I wan to know if there are easier and cheaper remedies. Any advice?

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#2
Perhaps you are habituated to the distractions (if so find a way to block them, like killing your router for an hour). Another possibility is you are procrastinating to put off dealing with the stress of success or failure of your project. If you are having general trouble thinking there should be tons of other symptoms (and run don't walk to a doctor). Over all it is up to you to consider some alternatives explanations and come up with a counter strategy.

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#4
Download the documentation that you need for offline use. Yank the Ethernet cord. No Hacker News, Reddit, GMail, Facebook. If you need anything from the net, connect and yank the cord ASAP. Make it a ritual. I think we are getting addicted to the drugs similar to what we are trying to synthesize. Do tell me if it works for you.

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#5
Questions that might illuminate if there's a problem -

When's the last time you went for a walk?

When's the last time you were in nature for a while?

When's the last time you spent a day absolutely, completely relaxing?

How's your diet?

How's your sleep?

How's your sleep schedule?

When's the last time you had a vacation?

How much inspirational media have you been through in the last week - books, movies, audio, whatever.

When's the last time you hung out around or talked on the phone with someone really inspirational?

Beyond that - changing environment can bring you out of a funk, bringing a laptop to a cafe with no internet can be a great option if you can do some work offline.

Re: Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do?

#10
From time to time I suffer the same issue. I look back hours later and get angry at myself for 'wasting' so much time. There are a few things you can do to help you out that others have mentioned. However this works for me the best:

I edit my hosts file (Windows: /Windows/System32/drivers/etc/hosts, Mac: /etc/hosts) to look something similar to:

127.0.0.1 news.ycombinator.com

127.0.0.1 techcrunch.com www.techcrunch.com

127.0.0.1 reddit.com www.reddit.com

etc.

Alternatively you can use other tools to block traffic. RescueTime (http://www.rescuetime.com/)is an awesome tool as well.

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