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Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?

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Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?

#61

Post by greendesk »

zinckiwi wrote: post #5

I'm familiar with this. There's no magic solution, sadly, but I'll share one thing that has helped me and may apply at least to some of your situations. I realised a while ago that my main issue was with nebulous tasks -- that is, the more concrete, defined, and _meetable_ a task was, the less trouble I had with it. So I started to break down large tasks, which never got started much less finished, into smaller ones,…

This approach has helped me significantly.

Another aspect that is also useful has been my experience of Pomodoro technique. At a job where we were practicing Pomodoro technique, I realized I don’t struggle with concentration anymore. The minimalistic explanation of the technique is to work on a task inside 45 minute intervals; then walk away from the computer for several minutes.

Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?

#62

Post by tlrobinson »

zinckiwi wrote: post #5

I'm familiar with this. There's no magic solution, sadly, but I'll share one thing that has helped me and may apply at least to some of your situations. I realised a while ago that my main issue was with nebulous tasks -- that is, the more concrete, defined, and _meetable_ a task was, the less trouble I had with it. So I started to break down large tasks, which never got started much less finished, into smaller ones,…

I've been wondering, is there a todo / task tracking app that can somehow aggregate tasks across multiple applications?

Currently my tasks are spread across emails and email drafts, Github issues, iOS reminders, Slack, my head, etc. It's a lot of work to keep track of them all.

Maybe I should just carry around a paper notebook and make that the authoritative source of tasks.

Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?

#63

Post by iovrthoughtthis »

> Am I suffer big from some form of undiagnosed ADHD.

Possibly but I would take that question to a medical professional.

I have this problem when my tasks lack a clear answers to "why are we doing this?" and "what are we trying to achieve e?".

Without clear answers to those questions it's hard for me to motivate myself on work.

Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?

#66

Post by xwvvvvwx »

Firstly if you think you may have ADHD go and see a doctor for a diagnosis. It's a very common condition and there are a set of well understood and effective treatments.

Second, if you struggle to motivate yourself, maybe reassess what you are working towards. Perhaps the problem is not with you, but rather with what you're trying to make yourself do. There is an almost infinite range of activites available to you, try some new stuff, and then keep trying new stuff until something sticks.

When you really find your passion you won't need to play tricks on yourself to get stuff done, you'll just do it because it's fun and rewarding.

Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?

#67

Post by qwerty456127 »

I have felt this way for my whole life since my very childhood (when working meant doing homework). In my case this is ADHD. Ask your doctor about this. As for me (disclaimer: don't try this without consulting to a doctor, also note neither piracetam nor sunifiram are FDA-approved, anyway sunifiram should never be taken in doses higher than I do - it would do much bad and no good) I have found out empirically (I have tried many different things, adderall helped too but far not this great) that a combination of ¼ of a xanax pill once a day + a combination of 1200mg of piracetam, 4mg of sunifiram, 500mg of l-tyrosine and a strong multivitamin complex pill 2-3 times a day solves the problem by making me happy, concentrated and productive.

Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?

#68

Post by f_allwein »

greendesk wrote: post #61
zinckiwi wrote: post #5

I'm familiar with this. There's no magic solution, sadly, but I'll share one thing that has helped me and may apply at least to some of your situations. I realised a while ago that my main issue was with nebulous tasks -- that is, the more concrete, defined, and _meetable_ a task was, the less trouble I had with it. So I started to break down large tasks, which never got started much less finished, into smaller ones,…

This approach has helped me significantly. Another aspect that is also useful has been my experience of Pomodoro technique. At a job where we were practicing Pomodoro technique, I realized I don’t struggle with concentration anymore. The minimalistic explanation of the technique is to work on a task inside 45 minute intervals; then walk away from the computer for several minutes.

+1 for Pomodoro technique. Traditionally, it's 25m, but you can choose any length that works for you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique

Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?

#69

Post by cheschire »

mikekchar wrote: post #40

I don't know exactly what your "success" or "failure" looks like to you, but I will say that working in an unstructured environment (which is what you normally do when freelancing) is super hard. I'm willing to bet that if you were to get a 9-5 job you'd discover that you're actually outperforming most other people -- because the 8 years of experience you have pushing yourself. Being "self-driven" is both a talent an…

Not saying OP, but some people chaff under leadership and need that "out" of freelancing to feel like they can walk away without concerns for loyalty. Sometimes it's because the leaders are inept, and sometimes it's because people just don't like being controlled.

The Wachowskis spent 3 movies telling us about how there are layers of control no matter where you look. Perhaps OP is struggling because he may have been avoiding control by freelancing, only to find that he's being controlled in other ways.

I don't want to sound judgmental at all. It's possible that this could simply be a matter of perspective and once he finds out how to live within the abstract boundaries of freelancing controls, he'll be more able to take on the rigidity of authoritarian control found in office life.

Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?

#70

Post by superasn »

I think this can be a result of spreading yourself too thin. I was in a similar situation myself when I was trying to do too much by myself and had insane ambitions for myself.

The question to ask yourself is Are you trying to accomplish the task of 5 people by yourself?

Because if you are then any amount of work you do, you will never feel satisfied (because let's face it nobody can do the work of 5 people and ace it all.. you are bound to dislike some aspect of it, procrastinate and then blame yourself for not doing enough). So I advise you to first create a list of the expectations you have for yourself and then imagine assigning it to a friend. What would be your take on it.. Do you think he should be able to handle it easily or do you think you're asking too much from him?

Lastly, you really need to get rid of this thinking "If I don't work for X hours, I'm a complete failure". This is classic "Labeling" or "All or nothing thinking" (things you can learn in CBT) and if you keep thinking like this it can cause depression (which also makes a person unmotivated).

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