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Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#151

Post by muzani »

sonnyblarney wrote: post #36

You don't need 'motivation' to put one foot after the next. It's 99% 'perspiration', remember? If you care about the outcome (whatever it is) then that should be enough 'motivation' to do the 99%. You're a professional, right? If you want a 'purely motivational' project then do something that's simply that: games, writing/playing music, reading etc., where 'it doesn't matter'. Instead of trying to 'find motivation',…

There's a trick to this.

This only works for those who want to accept it. Some may find freedom in being elites, not being restrained by motivation.

But others may enjoy the thrill of the hunt. So being separated from the pain and thrill of the work is a big loss to them.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#152

Post by MarsAscendant »

davelnewton wrote: post #3

If it's necessary then motivation is irrelevant. You don't have to be motivated, you have to work. Your problem isn't motivation, it's not understanding that not all work is, or needs to be, pleasant, or intrinsically enjoyable. Look at what your goal is: if the result isn't motivating, then the unpleasant work isn't the issue, rather your goal.

This kind of attitude, diminishing of the person's feelings, isn't helping said person overcome their trouble with keeping working.

Not everyone's built with the kind of internal drive that makes you go for it without much hesitation. Some of us need a certain guidance, an understanding of the process.

In an ideal world, your message wouldn't even be mentioned. The one we're living in is far from ideal. We live in a complicated world, filled with norms, expectations, fears, desires, anxieties, and passions. Making sense of all that takes beyond picking the right goal.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#153

Post by MarsAscendant »

mitchty wrote: post #72
riebschlager wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I usually like to save my existential crises for later in the week, but thanks for helping me dive right into it on a Monday morning.

Its really not anything more than that silly yoda quote "do or do not there is no try". Motivation/willpower is a very weak way to get things done, approach it instead with "I'll just write one line of code today/work on it for 15 minutes straight/document one thing/design one function". You'll likely find that once you start, you'll do more than you planned, the crux is almost always the start. You look at the entir…

> And if the prior posters statement gets you into an existential crisis, I'd start reading up on the stoics, buddhists, etc...

Not that it's not a good advice (I'm quite enjoying Meditations by Marcus Aurelius), but I'm fairly certain the above-poster said so in jest.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#154

Post by MarsAscendant »

mgolawala wrote: post #70
tjkrusinski wrote: post #31

One day, you will be dead. Each year that passes after your death, fewer and fewer people will remember who you were, what you did or what your face looked like. Eventually, you'll be completely forgotten. Who cares if that side project you put out sucked or not. Might as well put it out there and see what people think. There's a good chance too that the project won't even be remembered even by the time you die. The…

That line of thinking can also be quite demotivating. For instance, it could also be used to argue that since none of what I do matters anyway, I might as well spend it doing something else such as watching TV, playing video games, hiking in the forests, reading a good book, etc.

I've been thinking about that lately.

A couple of months back, I went through an existential crisis. I couldn't find a universal, cosmological reason for being, and, therefore, for doing anything productive. I asked myself: to what end is ouputting effort, if none of it will ultimately matter?

It took me some time – and a Viktor Frankl quote – to get out of the rut. Yes, my life doesn't matter as far as the Sun is concerned, or the black holes that make up the center of our galaxy, or the dark matter, or the next grain of sand I'll encounter... So what?

I enjoy making things. I get a kick out of it. Whenever I'm not facing the dread of failing (an excessively-frightening event that's seriously up to no good), I'm giggly about making effort towards creating something I value. Could be a short story. Could be another element of web design. Could be a philosophical paragraph or two. I enjoy it.

At some point during the bleak week, I thought of killing myself. Why bother if none of it matters the least, right? Might as well not experience any of it.

And then it clicked: it's the same fear you experience when you face the prospect of asking for something and may be rejected as a result, amplified to encompass my whole existence. It's like asking the boy/girl out, but if I'm rejected, by whole being is at stake. Like I'm going to lose myself if I make the wrong move here.

"What the fuck? I'm gonna cancel my being subscription just 'cause I'm afraid to ask the life out? Fuck no!"

What I was left with is my passion, and the fear I'm facing. I didn't just not want to die: I wanted to live. I wanted to explore, to create, to love and be loved – all a consequence of the inner passion I was afraid to realize. Why would there be need for a higher reason when, down here, I'm all good for doing something good?

Most things you face are deeply circumstantial. Life as we know it is absurd. If you want to live, you might as well live without resorting to fear as your safety net.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#155

Post by sonnyblarney »

muzani wrote: post #151
sonnyblarney wrote: post #36

You don't need 'motivation' to put one foot after the next. It's 99% 'perspiration', remember? If you care about the outcome (whatever it is) then that should be enough 'motivation' to do the 99%. You're a professional, right? If you want a 'purely motivational' project then do something that's simply that: games, writing/playing music, reading etc., where 'it doesn't matter'. Instead of trying to 'find motivation',…

There's a trick to this. This only works for those who want to accept it. Some may find freedom in being elites, not being restrained by motivation. But others may enjoy the thrill of the hunt. So being separated from the pain and thrill of the work is a big loss to them.

That's a really interesting point.

But if you're going to do something big, that takes quite some time, you're going to have to be the former, not the later.

Some things are not good for the adrenaline seekers.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#156

Post by robbrown451 »

danielplainview wrote: post #148
robbrown451 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No problem. We're going to start a new group (and also do a web site and an app), maybe you'd like to join?

Who specifically is the “overall manager?” And how does working for the manager differ at all from working “for the man”? I might wanna join

Currently I would probably be the overall manager for any that I'm involved in, but it could be anyone as long as they have the skills. And the manager is mostly just making sure the whole system keeps working well, while individual monitors (everyone is a monitor) are the ones most directly keeping people on task.

It sounds complicated, but it sort of takes the approach of "everything should be a simple as possible, but no simpler." It just has enough indirectness to make it much less susceptible to "death spirals."

It differs from working for "the man" because you still decide what projects you want to work on and so forth. You are working for yourself, but the system (manager/monitors) is helping you keep on task in ways you have already decided you want to do.

Really, the manager can be considered an agent of your long term interests (i.e. your desire to finish your projects and otherwise get things done), helping you defeat your short term interests (which might be your love of sleeping in, watching TV or playing video games, or whatever it is you do when you procrastinate).

Get in touch if you want to join. I've got a few people but we could use a few more. We are starting a new group since I've sort of spun off the old one

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#157

Post by shanxS »

WillPostForFood wrote: post #27

Get married, buy a house, have kids. Then you know you have to finish your work because you are responsible for others.

Can you prove it? For starters, can you provide stats of "out of work" / "unemployed" people who are single vs have a family?

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#158

Post by projectfunded »

tjkrusinski wrote: post #31

One day, you will be dead. Each year that passes after your death, fewer and fewer people will remember who you were, what you did or what your face looked like. Eventually, you'll be completely forgotten. Who cares if that side project you put out sucked or not. Might as well put it out there and see what people think. There's a good chance too that the project won't even be remembered even by the time you die. The…

I use modanifil.

Understand sometimes motivation is lost due to low level of dopamine feedback loop.

I tried to motivate myself by thinking about negative scenarios like loss of job due to low performance etc...but it made motivation worse.

You can take DRIs like Modanifil or Armodanifil to setup a stronger Dopamine feedback loop.

Some people have this naturally so they are lot more driven, focused and motivation..

Some people suffer from low level of these due to lifestyle, diet or genetic reasons.

So far it has helped me, some day I work 20hours+ and don't feel drag.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#159

Post by vicnov »

robbrown451 wrote: post #156
danielplainview wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who specifically is the “overall manager?” And how does working for the manager differ at all from working “for the man”? I might wanna join

Currently I would probably be the overall manager for any that I'm involved in, but it could be anyone as long as they have the skills. And the manager is mostly just making sure the whole system keeps working well, while individual monitors (everyone is a monitor) are the ones most directly keeping people on task. It sounds complicated, but it sort of takes the approach of "everything should be a simple as possible,…

I might want to join as well! Lmk if there are open spots.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#160

Post by yesenadam »

MarsAscendant wrote: post #154
mgolawala wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That line of thinking can also be quite demotivating. For instance, it could also be used to argue that since none of what I do matters anyway, I might as well spend it doing something else such as watching TV, playing video games, hiking in the forests, reading a good book, etc.

I've been thinking about that lately. A couple of months back, I went through an existential crisis. I couldn't find a universal, cosmological reason for being, and, therefore, for doing anything productive. I asked myself: to what end is ouputting effort, if none of it will ultimately matter? It took me some time – and a Viktor Frankl quote – to get out of the rut. Yes, my life doesn't matter as far as the Sun is co…

I don't see why people say things like "Life as we know it is absurd". Because we die? Or.. I don't know. What would be a non-absurd life, then?! Absurd, compared to what? Just because some existentialists said life is absurd, doesn't make it so. (Maybe it was to do with the cultural loss of religion, God no longer there watching, giving life meaning - the creator of the universe caring a lot about you personally, eternal life etc. That plus WW2..)
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