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

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

#131

Post by zepolen »

oliwarner wrote: post #90

> I've found myself sitting at my desk each evening Wait, isn't that what daytime is for? Get out. Play games. Read. Write. Ride a bike. Build something with your hands, with code, whatever. Hit the gym. Cook complicated dishes. Go to restaurants. Join a club and make some friends. Even sleep more. You need to find what you like to do with your time, and truth is it's probably not what you want it to be. Picking up h…

> Wait, isn't that what daytime is for?

Who would want to sit at a desk when the sun is out? I'd rather be outside.

- Night: Wake up, work until the morning, others are asleep, no distractions. Work gets done a lot faster and you have time for:

- Morning: Sync on anything that requires other people.

- Midday: Go out and enjoy life, so you're physically exhausted and ready to:

- Late afternoon: Sleep.

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

#132

Post by kirso »

oliwarner wrote: post #90

> I've found myself sitting at my desk each evening Wait, isn't that what daytime is for? Get out. Play games. Read. Write. Ride a bike. Build something with your hands, with code, whatever. Hit the gym. Cook complicated dishes. Go to restaurants. Join a club and make some friends. Even sleep more. You need to find what you like to do with your time, and truth is it's probably not what you want it to be. Picking up h…

The replies are actually quite disturbing... this all the way!

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

#133

Post by theklub »

I like to make lists of things I need and want to get done. Just in a tiny notebook I keep with me. Anytime I think of something I write it down. Then later when I’m sitting around unproductive I look at it and find something that I feel like doing.

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

#134

Post by ehnto »

Recognizing the state is probably the most important skill to get good at. Whether it's from long term burnout or just a short term lethargy, you should practice acknowledging it instead of just wallowing in it.

My computer is a gateway into another world of positivity some days, and a self imposed prison on other days. But you can't solve computer burnout at the computer, so stand up, detach yourself from it, get some breathing room to regroup.

After that I usually go work on a physical project, go for a walk, go for a ride, be outdoors or if that's not possible be physical in some way, like a makers hobby. Weight training is a great option for indoors too.

Burnout can be related to overworking, but it can also be related to not being stimulated enough by your work, a long term anxiousness built up from all your time being spent on something that doesn't satisfy you. It's worth trying to identify and solve the cause of the burnout rather than just working around it.

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

#135

Post by blablabla123 »

YMMV but what helped me during studies was for example to watch my favorite series and at least have the open book in front of me and eventually go into it. Also if there is any lengthy stuff you need to learn (I mean weeks or months) it might help to start with the most interesting yet possibly completely irrelevant and way over the top part. Other popular tips I used to hear from others include studying at night. Oh yes and some structure helps, I mean having a high-level learning plan that helps you slice your tasks and days. Also for practically every exam I used to write myself self-written summaries of the material. (5-30 pages depending on how lengthy/difficult it was; using colors can help as well for particularly boring stuff that boils down to memorizing) Not sure if it's an option but finding for a particular exam (if it's more than a month of learning) a study partner is also great help because you can keep each other motivated and try to explain to the other. (That requires actually understanding the stuff...) Personally I also skipped most of the lectures which were not mandatory for me and instead only went only to the practical lessons where we had to present our exercises.

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

#136

Post by ineedasername »

oliwarner wrote: post #90

> I've found myself sitting at my desk each evening Wait, isn't that what daytime is for? Get out. Play games. Read. Write. Ride a bike. Build something with your hands, with code, whatever. Hit the gym. Cook complicated dishes. Go to restaurants. Join a club and make some friends. Even sleep more. You need to find what you like to do with your time, and truth is it's probably not what you want it to be. Picking up h…

This tells the OP what they could be doing instead, but not quite how to get there out of the rut they are in. Apathy or lack of motivation can be difficult to shake. Don't get me wrong-- they are great ideas, it just seems like going from A to C without addressing the issue of a vehicle, B.

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

#139

Post by tacoluv »

protontorpedo wrote: post #64

If you're anything like me, or anything like 90% of humanity, you can't rely on motivation to progress in life (whatever your idea of progression is). None of the platitudes or self-help-shaped advice you read here or on Reddit will help you with that. You can't trick yourself. What works for me is, as much as I don't like the word, discipline. I take an hour every week to review my routine and plans, when I'm inspir…

That is true, but depending on how you are living your life, being disciplined can be differently challenging.

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

#140

Post by ineedasername »

Getting out of a bout of apathy or lack of motivation can be difficult. Sometimes it can slowly go away on it's own, but I have found that it helps to make yourself do things that you don't want to do. You want to get out of the rut, so use that little bit of motivation to force yourself into doing things you may not otherwise want to do.

Options are fewer with COVID limiting social interactions, but within your own risk tolerance, force yourself to do something social, even if if you're going to be bored and uninterested. The change of scenery alone can help shake your mind out of its pattern.

Or if you can't bring yourself to that point, take your laptop-- or just your phone if your computer isn't a laptop-- to another location and do there whatever you would have done sitting at your desk. That can be as small a change as another room in your home, or the lobby/commons if you're in a dorm, whatever other location you have available.

The main goal is to gradually introduce changes to your current routine. It's not a silver bullet fix, but it's a small step that can help you get started.

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