Mentally spent, in the back of my mind I have this feeling like "why aren't you accomplishing something" but I just literally can't. I can't even watch tv or something I'm just in a bad mood in general today idk what to do, kill time till I fall asleep. Wake up with a fresh brain and then do the hardest thing first. In the end... it is just passing time... I guess I'm lucky I at least have a job that pays... what I build isn't Uber or something you know it's just like a self jerk "look at me I made a todo list" kinda crap.
Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
221–230 of 316 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#222i did, but now i'm depressed and burned out
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
I dunno, if one of my team members was constantly coding up non viable prototypes instead of communicating with people, writing up proposed solutions and alternatives, and seeking a bit of consensus first, that would strike me as a much worse waste of time.
Prototyping takes less time than writing up the requirement in paper. And customers can give more accurate feedback watching the prototype than reading the docs. It rarely happens that once a prototype is written, the developer finds out it was all a wastage and the customer wanted something quite different. Think of the prototype as a Photoshop mock, but interactive like the real application.
You aren’t writing up UX requirements. You’re writing system designs.
If you’ve never had to write down and get feedback on a system design that is entirely okay, but as you work on projects of increasing complexity and scope, it becomes more and more important to plan before you write.
The prototypes you’re describing are primarily useful for UX iteration, not system design.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#224I am paid to solve problems, programming is one part of that, thinking about the problem and the code is a prerequisite to programming. Sometimes one needs to step back and let things sink in rather than continuous action (programming)... while doing that you can even play games, I'll admit some activities are better than others for the purpose of de-focusing your subconscious - but sometimes you also just need a sho…
> For the same reason our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5. Speak for yourself. Some of us have been there, burnt out and had to rebuild our relationship with work in a healthy manner. I think no matter what you do, if it is thought work and you don't find a wat to turn it off, you are doi…
It's a good point, but, to be fair to parent commenter, they may have meant something different.
I think they may be referring to the phenomenon of walking away and having the solution "come to you" while doing something else. It took me a while to appreciate this, but simply walking away is often the fastest way for me to solve a hard problem. There I am, lying in bed, or cooking, or whatever, and BOOM the solution is presented to me - just like the divine inspiration described by so many. Of course, now we (hopefully) know that it's probably less a matter of intervention and more a matter of brain chemistry, but true regardless.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#225I am paid to solve problems, programming is one part of that, thinking about the problem and the code is a prerequisite to programming. Sometimes one needs to step back and let things sink in rather than continuous action (programming)... while doing that you can even play games, I'll admit some activities are better than others for the purpose of de-focusing your subconscious - but sometimes you also just need a sho…
> For the same reason our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5. Speak for yourself. Some of us have been there, burnt out and had to rebuild our relationship with work in a healthy manner. I think no matter what you do, if it is thought work and you don't find a wat to turn it off, you are doi…
How do you not think about work outside of work though? My current job is a shitshow, and I would like my thought towards it to only happen 9–5 while I get paid, but my brain is always thinking about whatever I’m stuck writing code about even during my weekend or outside work hours. I don’t work outside work hours but I can’t stop the thinking either. You make it sound like there is an on off switch, but I don’t seem to find mine. Do you have any tips?
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#226Because Coding is not Working. Coding is not Planning. Coding is not Being Efficient. Coding is not Accomplishing Goals. Coding is not Saving Money. Coding is not Gaining Customers. I am getting paid to get things done in a good manner. If I wanted to have a house built for me, I would not expect to pay somebody and immediately have them start laying bricks without them looking at the land, taking soil samples, sketc…
> Because Coding is not Working.
Implementation is work. It's a phase in the SDLC.
> Coding is not Accomplishing Goals.
If the goal of a particular task is defined as a code deliverable, then coding will help you accomplish that goal.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#227Earlier quoted context omitted.
Prototyping takes less time than writing up the requirement in paper. And customers can give more accurate feedback watching the prototype than reading the docs. It rarely happens that once a prototype is written, the developer finds out it was all a wastage and the customer wanted something quite different. Think of the prototype as a Photoshop mock, but interactive like the real application.
You aren’t writing up UX requirements. You’re writing system designs. If you’ve never had to write down and get feedback on a system design that is entirely okay, but as you work on projects of increasing complexity and scope, it becomes more and more important to plan before you write. The prototypes you’re describing are primarily useful for UX iteration, not system design.
A short system design doc with a working prototype is vastly superior to a 50 page design doc with no code.
Think of it as the scale model of the house in the original example. It’s a way for sake holder to see and feel what they’re going to get.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#228Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you work with 0.1x engineers, and you are 1x, does that make you a 10x within the organization?
One would presume that 1x is the baseline for 'competence', which is fine, but being able to do something competently vs. making it worse is really an infinite difference.
This isn’t valued everywhere. I worked at a company where doing that kind of work (piling more hacks on top of what’s already there vs taking a step back and seeing if there isn’t a better way to do it while slightly improving what’s already there) was considered over-engineering things and actively discouraged.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#229Meetings.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#230I turn happiness into code, but require more minerals.