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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?

#221
post #129

I 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. Previou…

Design is actual work to some people.

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

#222
I did struggle at work and since being laid off (after 33 years) I struggle as a middle-aged guy at college too.

ADHD may be part of it for me but when I organize my tasks and hunker down I do better. But I do see people who are amazing who seem to pick up new tasks and complete them effortlessly.

As someone once said every piano player isn't a Mozart there are shades between. Whatever the task some of us are terrible, some OK, and others are great.

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

#223

Get hired in some software corporation. You'll be amazed how easy the work is and how well it pays. The only motivation you'll need is to get up in the morning and haul you ass to the office. After few months of what will feel like vacation to you, in the company of fresh smart people, you'll start to get bored, even despite doing more hobby programming in your free time then you done in a long time. But at this poin…

>As a side note don't ever play MOBA games. You'll get hooked so bad you'll have very little time to do any personal development and will have trouble enjoying any other games you enjoyed previously.

5000+ hours of DOTA2, started playing DOTA in 2005, played lots of HON and LOL too, confirmed.

I was able to quit for 6 months, which was the longest I'd ever stopped playing, but relapsed recently. I don't even enjoy playing that much anymore. It's just really addictive.

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

#224

I 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…

I have a music studio in central Germany. Wanna do a single together? ;-)

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

#225
The only advice I can give (I'm 29) is that my work life gets easier AND more productive when I think about it in terms of my path to the top of the mountain. So, pick a spot that you feel represents a point of accomplishment that you'd be happy to die having done (big goal, tombstone style stuff). Then as you approach your work, ask yourself "is this a stepping stone on my way to the mountain?" If it is, you'll find some reward in doing the work, as you feel like you have invested in yourself and your long term goals. If it is not, then you can measure that sense of frustration and now understand why you feel frustrated. And if you feel that frustration on a daily basis, it's probably time to get a new job.

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

#226

I 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…

I’m just like you although I doubt as successful. This is very very good feedback for this person.

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

#227
post #96

"Smart Guy Productivity Pitfalls" ( http://bookofhook.blogspot.com/2013/03/smart-guy-productivit... ) were useful to me and techniques related to "no zero days" and just getting started (with a single sentence, slide, line of code) are virtually the only things that consistently work for me. These techniques are nicely summarized in "Micro-Progress and the Magic of Just Getting Started" https://mobile.nytimes.com/201…

I love that first blog post: "Productivity Deficit: Your Attitude Writing Checks Your Work Ethic Can't Cash"

Wish that guy continued writing...

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

#228
post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Problem Slicing is the key; Kent Beck wrote an article about "Master Programming" and I'd like to take his advice whenever I encounter a problem in programming, but also in real life (e.g. coordinating tasks in work or private life): https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/4n3s7c/kent_be... > Slicing. Take a big project, cut it into thin slices, and rearrange the slices to suit your context. I can always slice…

What do you know about the author, Kent Beck?

Kent Beck is the father of TDD[1] and a well-known agile advocate

[1] — https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/387190.Test_Driven_Devel...

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

#229

I 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…

Working with someone else who holds me accountable creates a bizarre amount of motivation for me. There is certainly something hard-wired in humanity about working in groups.

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

#230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This approach is immensely helpful to me as well. Started practicing problem slicing after watching a lecture from Don Knuth. He started by writing down a problem and underlining it. He then solved small bits of it and worked through many examples that seemed almost trivial. Eventually, some amazing results began to emerge after the many trivial examples were worked through. Impressed on me the power of breaking a la…

Do you have a link or title to the video? I'm interested in watching it, but searching isn't turning up likely matches.

Second this, please link, really want to see it! Also couldn't find it.
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