Ask HN: I'm in a rut. How did you get out of yours?

How I got out of my rut:

1. Moved across the country from Chicago, IL to Portland, OR

I don't know how people live in these massive cities with zero good nature to explore around them. Overcrowded, overpriced, overrated! What a miserable existence I lived! Now I go out and explore the Pacific Northwest which has a seemingly inexhaustible bounty of outdoor activities to do.

Additionally it made me realize my current friend group wasn't all that great. The people I met in Oregon are much more open to my artistic expression, novice as it is, and they in themselves are MUCH more accomplished artists than me.

Even with the houseless problem here, I have ZERO regrets.

2. I got organized.

I read two books:

- Deep Work

- Atomic Habits

"Deep Work" made me realize my basic methodology for getting shit done was broken. I need unbroken blocks of time to actually accomplish work. Which I express in my meetings with managers, and if I don't get that time, i make it clear why work doesn't get done.

Atomic Habits gave me a framework for how to actually get shit done. Instead of tracking "goals", which I have come to despise, I track time. It is less stressful, and is the real leading metric for achieving my goals anyway. Work + time = results.

3. I changed jobs

All jobs suck, but jobs that don't such TOO much are rare. I had 5 jobs in 3 years, and I have ZERO regrets moving on when something wasn't working. Businesses would eventually fail the "Clown Test" and i would start applying.

One thing I DO regret is quitting with nothing lined up. That was a brutal 6 months of searching.

4. I started listening to audio books when I run

Sometimes I still drag my feet in the morning before my run, but other times I am excited to continue the story i am listening to. Cut down massively on boredom!

This also feeds into the huge city thing: My route on my morning run is along a road with a massive sidewalk, alongside the Willamette river. When the sun is shining and reflecting off the river, it is a breathtaking view. So much more pleasant than the game of frogger I used to play in Chicago.

edit: actually, i want to add one more book to my list: "Laziness does not Exist"

You are allowed to take breaks when you are tired. Boredom at work is exhausting. You are not a robot, and if you don't have energy it needs to come from somewhere else.

Kinda sounds like your job sucks.

Check out healthygamergg. He's selling a product and also has a lot of filler. But u should be able to glean enough. Also the excercise as others have mentioned and check out what I've learned on youtube about meditation, mindfulness, porn, dopamine. And eat clean! Maybe pray

I thought his point was valuable, but you're right - life is certainly not all boring.

But it's important to be able to dwell in boredom, or "less exciting" things.

I think it's fundamentally about purpose. If you know that your work allows you to do the things you love, and you can find any joy in it, then it's possible to be content with the trade.

If you can't find joy in the job: you have some soul searching to do. Is it that the job just sucks? (they're out there) Or are you having trouble enjoying life generally? It sounds like it's more of the latter. If so, the job isn't the problem and a new one won't be the solution.

When I've felt like that, what's helped is to change my environment. Really seek out things I feel driven to do (hobbies, new sports, exploration, etc). Learn new things, meet new people. Take some vacation. Quit seeking cheap gratification and invest in myself in ways I feel good about (working out, being active, helping people, meditating/etc). Be honest about your situation, is there something secretly driving you nuts that you could fix but are avoiding awareness of?

And doing drugs, binging on shows, video games - these will sap you of your own internal reservoir of drive, and probably make you feel bad right after you've done it. Kind of like junk food for the mind.

In the interium, I'd say forget about the video game (and don't shame yourself on that) and just pick very small things to play with intellectually. The goal should be something modest and achievable that you're genuinely driven towards. Do something small achievable that you'll feel good about, and just do it. Do this a few times, and congratulate yourself on the achievement (focus on the benefit of the learning or effort). Make this a pattern, and you'll start to dig out of the hole.

Please add animal fats or olive oil to your diet. The modern processed oils are bad. Animal based fats or olive, coconut and other traditional oils are better. Avoid palm, corn, vegetable oil. Also salt is healthy. Check out the channel what I've learned on youtube.