Maybe, try adderall? You could just have ADHD.
Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
121–130 of 382 posts
Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
#122Things to try: - get more sleep - time off to recharge / re-motivate - meditation / yoga / exercise - try to stop using stimulants (includes caffeine/nicotine/sugar) or try using different stimulants (eg. arecoline) - absolutely do not smoke marijuana, it is known to make many people lazy and demotivated - control your environment (quiet, no phone, phone off, offline) - clean your environment (zero clutter) - change…
Managing distractions, clearing, and changing your environment are particularly effective for me. I was reminded of the following study skills lecture, some of which is applicable when trying to get going and keep going in a work context.
Marty Lobdell - Study Less Study Smart ~60 min. Study environment commentary from 10:15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlU-zDU6aQ0
Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
#123You might enjoy reading Yihui Xie (bookdown, Knitr)'s very honest blog post on his problems that sound similar to yours:
Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
#124I was there too. Oh my gosh, how hard it was for me to push myself to do any work on time.
For me, the solution was to change job. I didn't want to work on a thing that I haven't believe in. It was just uninteresting. Now I can say I work in awesome place, on wonderful project where I learn interesting new stuff every day and feel that I become a better dev every day.
Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
#125I'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.
Sounds like you need a process, rather than a tool. Personally, I jot down everything that gets mentioned to me on paper and, within 1-2 days, it will end up in the project management system (if it is something to be worked on). Once it's there, I strike it through in my notepad. So basically, 99% of my notepad is a scribble - only 1% that I need to think about remains un-struck.
Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
#126I can relate a lot. I'm still burning through self-motivation hacks at 35, some of which are helping while most don't. Eventually, the hack with by far the largest impact (which brought me to currently being cofounder and CTO of one of the more successful German startups) was realizing that while I simply suck at self-motivating, I never had a problem getting stuff done when working for others. I effortlessly produce…
Have you ever tried medication? For me personally it's even worse when working for others. Even went to the therapist, but she said they don't prescribe stuff like Adderall (don't even have it), and solution is just therapy in form of talking, which had zero effect (she asked questions I asked myself when I was 15). Really curious about Adderall.
Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
#127Working alone is sort of like having ADHD. When I'm grinding on something, pomodoro is pretty useful. Really any kind of discipline works here.
It's not 10/10 though; for some kinds of tasks (math oriented ones) you need to get into the zone; combinations of oversleep and undersleep seem to help with this. Also blocking internets. I used to go to the Cal library (I don't have wifi access there) to concentrate.
Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
#128I can relate to this and AFAIK there's no magic/quick solution. Even if you find some job/project that motivates you a lot, that motivation won't last forever and eventually the lack of focus/procrastination will come back. I work a full time as a remote software developer, and what helped me in recent years was to focus on developing self-discipline, which is what pushes you forward in the long term. And yes, self-d…
Cold shower after waking up early sounds like a great way to start the morning and improve discipline. I think I'll attempt starting this plus adding a short run after the shower. I'm sure I'll be able to conquer the day easier after breaking through that early resistance.
I agree that my self-discipline trainable and improving it is the best solution in the long run. There are a lot of things that I need to do but don't want to do, getting that discipline muscle strong will help me do those things and improve my life in many ways.
Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
#129I have had similar challenges when working on side projects or boring tasks at the day job. It is tough to say if it is just procrastination or something else.
I think if you have a very creative mind, you may just enjoy the design part of the process instead of the actual work.
I have tried many different methods, the one I am trying now is using an app to implement the GTD method. So far it is working well.
Previously I have tried to plan things out the night before and be able to just hit the ground running. It works well, but having more of a running list of next actions with GTD seems to be a better fit.
Re: Ask HN: Is it 'normal' to struggle so hard with work?
#130I suspect the issue isn't that rare, but clinical explanations are worth considering. Look at a wider range of that menu too.
What used to be known as Asperger's syndrome (now "high-functioning autism spectrum disorder" or something like that) can have these sorts of issues as a facet, and is also of particular interest to our demographic.
But I think you would also do well to consider what you do have easy access to motivation for and if there is a mismatch between your work and your values about how you want to live.
Hope you'll find satisfying answers.