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The blissful Zen of a good side project

joshcollinsworth.com

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Re: The blissful Zen of a good side project

#131

Post by xandrius »

aaarrm wrote: post #40
keyle wrote: post #39

It's an interesting read. I'm in the complete opposite camp. I can't pick up a game controller for more than 5 minutes without feeling like I'm wasting time. This has lead to many, many side projects throughout the years, which I tend to like a zen garden[1]. Pruning, refining, improving, and sometimes rewriting. As soon as I work out the game mechanics of any game, I just see it as just content now, and there is not…

I'm the same, and it has kind of ruined me. No one I know thinks the ways I do. I keep wondering if it's just due to anxiety or a fear of death, or an inability to feel present or what. But I really wish I could figure this aspect of myself out so that I can relax and enjoy in a moment. Whenever I realize that I was lost a moment, I get anxious about what I should be doing with my time instead.

The fear of death is a strong motivator (or demotivator), so that could be it.

Ever since I truly realised how I feel about dying, I have had to willingly put myself to take a break and play games once in a while. It gets better!

Re: The blissful Zen of a good side project

#132

Post by tipsytoad »

keyle wrote: post #39

It's an interesting read. I'm in the complete opposite camp. I can't pick up a game controller for more than 5 minutes without feeling like I'm wasting time. This has lead to many, many side projects throughout the years, which I tend to like a zen garden[1]. Pruning, refining, improving, and sometimes rewriting. As soon as I work out the game mechanics of any game, I just see it as just content now, and there is not…

I get the same feeling that I'm "not being productive" while playing video games, watching tv, etc that seems to kill any enjoyment from doing these things.

For me learning piano has been a great alternative to programming in the off hours (typing is quite transferrable too!). Highly recommend if you're like me on screens all day.

Re: The blissful Zen of a good side project

#134

Post by mvac »

It reminded me a part of the "The Tar Pit" esssay from The Mythical Man-month:

> Why is programming fun? What delights may its practitioner expect as his reward? > First is the sheer joy of making things. As the child delights in his mud pie, so the adult enjoys building things, especially things of his own design.

...

> The programmer, like the poet, works only slightly removed from pure thought-stuff. He builds his castles in the air, from air, creating by the exertion of the imagination.

Re: The blissful Zen of a good side project

#135

Post by purple-leafy »

aaarrm wrote: post #40
keyle wrote: post #39

It's an interesting read. I'm in the complete opposite camp. I can't pick up a game controller for more than 5 minutes without feeling like I'm wasting time. This has lead to many, many side projects throughout the years, which I tend to like a zen garden[1]. Pruning, refining, improving, and sometimes rewriting. As soon as I work out the game mechanics of any game, I just see it as just content now, and there is not…

I'm the same, and it has kind of ruined me. No one I know thinks the ways I do. I keep wondering if it's just due to anxiety or a fear of death, or an inability to feel present or what. But I really wish I could figure this aspect of myself out so that I can relax and enjoy in a moment. Whenever I realize that I was lost a moment, I get anxious about what I should be doing with my time instead.

You may have adhd. This is how I am. I can’t relax ever, I have to be constantly moving mentally or physically, I have to make the most of every moment. It’s an adhd thing, and medication does help with this. Worth getting yourself checked

Re: The blissful Zen of a good side project

#136

Post by Phanteaume »

Said it before and will say it again : side project are the antidote to burnout.

You need to have some agency in your life and being able to pick a project you like and doing it the way you want is vital. Sadly, it's being taken away from us, so reclaim that right !

Re: The blissful Zen of a good side project

#137

Post by kirso »

polishdude20 wrote: post #54
keyle wrote: post #39

It's an interesting read. I'm in the complete opposite camp. I can't pick up a game controller for more than 5 minutes without feeling like I'm wasting time. This has lead to many, many side projects throughout the years, which I tend to like a zen garden[1]. Pruning, refining, improving, and sometimes rewriting. As soon as I work out the game mechanics of any game, I just see it as just content now, and there is not…

I find that due to having a remote job and living alone (albeit with my lovely dog) I'm less inclined to work on a side project where I'm again alone. I tend to gravitate more nowadays to spending time with people and being outdoors. I used to be really active on side projects when I was a teacher. I'd have my social interaction filled to the brim so side projects were a way to have some alone time and recharge.

Sports is a great way to achieve that

Re: The blissful Zen of a good side project

#138

Post by conductr »

purple-leafy wrote: post #135
aaarrm wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the same, and it has kind of ruined me. No one I know thinks the ways I do. I keep wondering if it's just due to anxiety or a fear of death, or an inability to feel present or what. But I really wish I could figure this aspect of myself out so that I can relax and enjoy in a moment. Whenever I realize that I was lost a moment, I get anxious about what I should be doing with my time instead.

You may have adhd. This is how I am. I can’t relax ever, I have to be constantly moving mentally or physically, I have to make the most of every moment. It’s an adhd thing, and medication does help with this. Worth getting yourself checked

Not to gaslight you but sometimes adhd isn’t adhd. My son can’t sit still and is this way. The more I watch it and talk to doctors and reflected on my own memory of youth I realize he’s basically my clone and I have all these symptoms too. Turns out it’s a motor sensory (muscle/balance) issue that he can correct with some occupational therapy and learned coping skills. I developed my own coping skills without a therapist and never really intentionally built my core strength.

Anyways I mention it because if one can focus on selective tasks, like working on a side project, I think adhd is perhaps an easy/lazy diagnosis but maybe not the correct one.

Re: The blissful Zen of a good side project

#139

Post by lucasfdacunha »

I've been running a gaming content curated newsletter [1] for 5 years now, and although sometimes it's a little too much work to handle it, I enjoy curating the content, and the idea of people waiting every Friday for the newsletter has kept me going.

Now I've started a series of interviews with gamers called Unmuted [2], and it gave me some extra motivation to continue to find new people to be interviewed, which is not an easy task.

As a programmer I always had the idea of a side project involving code, but at the end of the day, I don't have the fortitude to code something, and the newsletter has been a great side project to have.

[1] - https://thegamingpub.com/ [2] - https://www.thegamingpub.com/features/unmuted-004-macy-inter...

Re: The blissful Zen of a good side project

#140

Post by purple-leafy »

conductr wrote: post #138
purple-leafy wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You may have adhd. This is how I am. I can’t relax ever, I have to be constantly moving mentally or physically, I have to make the most of every moment. It’s an adhd thing, and medication does help with this. Worth getting yourself checked

Not to gaslight you but sometimes adhd isn’t adhd. My son can’t sit still and is this way. The more I watch it and talk to doctors and reflected on my own memory of youth I realize he’s basically my clone and I have all these symptoms too. Turns out it’s a motor sensory (muscle/balance) issue that he can correct with some occupational therapy and learned coping skills. I developed my own coping skills without a thera…

ADHD is not an easy/lazy diagnosis, it’s a medical condition just like losing an arm makes you an amputee.

People with adhd have lots of side projects because of adhd

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