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

Sometimes it's also a bad self-diagnosis, we tend to forget that a few months ago we were the most productive. People have ups and downs.

Burnout drains your motivation, but unlike depression, it goes away when you go on vacation and lose the deadlines. Read up on it a bit, and if it sounds like what you're experiencing, do what Google tells you (take a break, focus on intrinsic motivation over extrinsic, align your motivation with your goals, take care of your body, etc.) and it will clear up. It may be that's not the problem, but I'll share some of the ways I overcame it in college because they apply to motivation in general.

1) I reengaged with a friend. I was so busy and stressed that I went months at a time without making social plans, and when a she wanted to get coffee, the first thing through my mind was how taking a few hours off from studying would make me that much more overwhelmed. She told me about burnout, and that's how I realized I was in a temporary state that I could get out of. Beyond that insight, just talking with a friend and breaking my isolation was the right thing to do for my social and mental well-being.

2) I switched from an accomplishment-oriented schedule (I'm done once I finish this task) to a time-based schedule (I have two weeks to do this assignment, and it will take me up to 20 hours, so I'll spend 2 hours on it per work day; that leaves six hours for these other projects, eight hours for sleep, and eight hours of free time.) I made a spreadsheet so I could see how much I was accomplishing and see that I'd have time to finish everything.

This made a big difference. There was always more work to do, always some long term project that wasn't finished yet that I felt like I had to work on, but scheduling time for it made it possible to take free time without worrying I was being lazy and I was never going to finish. It made my work, even huge projects, feel manageable.

3) I reevaluated my motivation. I was motivated by a sense of duty and obligation to work hard and make the most of my education, by grades, and by not wanting to fail. Hearing someone say, "Hard work pays off," was a great reminder to me that there were better reasons for what I was doing. Looking back, my hard work really did pay off. My education prepared me for my current job, which I love going to even on Mondays. It was very encouraging to look forward to the payoff and remind myself that my work was adding up to something.

4) I gave myself a break. I made it through the term by changing my time management and reevaluating my motivation, and the next term, I signed up for a lighter workload. I made it through college, and I've avoided going through burnout again by keeping an eye on my working hours and my motivation.

TL;DR: Take care of yourself, make some progress each day, don't forget your real motivations in the midst of your proxy motivators, take time off when you need it, and know that you're doing a good job and your work will pay off.

> I honestly don't know how far I am from "normal," but why do you believe there is a kind of implied sacredness even in the "normal" human condition? This is actually a very important question. You could even argue further and say, is a schizophrenic person healthy from 'their' viewpoint or should we measure it with the ordinary man as a standard and declare him ill.

I definitely can see that a unconscious behaviour can be seen as an illness, and then it's something that should be treated. But altering your perception of the world, into a more narrowed state, can lead to losing the ability to correct your course in life. The same way an alcoholic or drug addict, is able to enjoy himself in his drugged state but lives in hell in every other. But society can see in these examples an ill person. In case of you, going to a doctor, giving him the responsibility to tell you to be ill, accepting it and living in this state, nobody sees as something that's not good for you. Nobody means in this case, neither you. Suffering can lead the way out of things. Out of harmful relationships, jobs, addictions. If you suffer in your normal state, it doesn't have to be your chemistry but the mindstate you were in. Why would meditation work so good, because it alters your mindstate, and instead narrowing it down it opens it up.

I picked up bullet journalling last year and it has dramatically improved my procrastination and disorganization which has had the biggest impact on my motivation.

Setting aside each night to review the day and plan the next really helps. I love checking shit off. Just make sure your list is achievable and the tasks are small enough. Large tasks that take multiple days can be overwhelming and lose meaning.

It also helps that my bujo is a physical book. That tactile experience makes a big difference.

I've got ADD and as a software engineer, yes I struggle with this everyday when I am not medicated. And unfortunately I self medicate with various drugs like research chemicals, prescription medications, and even methamphetamine. I would NOT recommend any of those - being a speed addict has been a personal hell for me over the last few years but it's been extremely effective with keeping me on task and engaged at the expense of my health (high blood pressure, insomnia, stimulant psychosis, etc.)

I would look into maybe finding something that is more stimulating as a career. I think this is what I'll end up doing; I really can't be a tweaker for the rest of my life.