Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?

There’s a couple of different kinds of “rut,” though:

1) Ennui

    The project has become a “slog,” and I am tired of the grind.
    This happens pretty much daily, for me.

    Is this my life? Where did I go wrong? Should I just pack it in?
    This tends to happen as the project nears completion, and I’m “polishing the fenders.” The work is more “rote,” the bugs are harder to find, and I get disgusted, by looking at my code.

If it is #2, then I need to take a more significant “break.” I will often find an alternate project to work on. Many folks will take a vacation. Coming back can be difficult, but, once I’m fully engaged, again, I find I am back to full sail.

I tend to work on alternate projects. I find it invigorating, and keeps me “in the swing.” That does not work for many folks, as they need a far more comprehensive “change of scenery.” I know folks that go on wilderness vacations.

I actually did a #2 break, the last couple of days. I have been working on a project for the last year, and we are approaching ship (still a ways off, but we can see it, from here). I was starting to feel quite “burnt.” As you approach “ship,” the work becomes a lot more “picky,” you have to say “no” to other team members, and you start to feel the responsibility, settling on your shoulders.

I took on a Web site project. I’m not a Web designer, by trade, but I do OK. It took me a couple of days.

It was one of those projects, where things had been allowed to “rot,” and I was cleaning up a “mess.” Gave me an excuse to grouse and rant, while I got the site back on its feet. I do a lot of volunteer work.

I’m done, and will be getting back to the main project, now. I’m looking forward to it.

One big problem, is that employers tend to take a dim view of employees “taking a break.” This is especially true of #2.

In that case, you may not have a choice. It can profoundly affect the quality of the deliverable. The employer needs to get with reality. It may not happen; especially if they are “self-made” type As (like many startup founders). Large corporations tend to be better than small shops.

I’m semi-retired. I can do what I want. I did not have that luxury, before.

> People tell me this all the time, but when I exercise I just feel tired afterwards?

Okay, to normalize the discussion, consider stationary biking. For me I get the aforementioned high only when I exercise for atleast 30 minutes.

If I do it for just 20 or 15 minutes (instead of > 30 minutes), then as you said I just feel tired rather than good. I guess there's some threshold before you start feeling good, and this is probably different for different humans. Being the petrolhead that I am, I think of it like a turbo-lag followed by the turbo-kick.

> it only happens to people who are fit

I'm definitely not fit (though I'm not obese either) :)

> who have a history of exercising regularly? No there's a tolerance thing I think, based on what I read in [1]. So in the long run you need to exercise more to get that same level of feeling good.

[1] https://www.fastcompany.com/3025957/what-happens-to-our-brai... (I don't know whether or not the person who wrote this article is an expert.)

More positively, basic life management may provide a way forward. Make a list of all the things that are interesting to you. Whenever you are bored or without direction review the list for opportunities. That may mean entries in the list itself or any entry there. Most of the time there is some avenue for exploration and value generation that you already know has potential and also fits the mood and moment.