Consider focusing on some fundamentals like: exercising, cold showers, eating reasonably healthy (avoid insulin spikes). Also consider some kind of social or recreation activity that helps make you feel recharged.
Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
11–20 of 178 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
#12- Take a day off. Allow yourself at least one full day of not thinking about whatever you are struggling with.
- Take a long walk. Like 1 or 2 hours.
- Listen to some music you love. Maybe even go see a concert (covid permitting).
- Call up a friend or family member you haven't talked to in a while.
- Take a walk with a friend, or have a beer or meal with them.
- Shoot some hoops or pool, or do some manual labor, like shoveling snow or raking leaves. Get your body moving and focus on something concrete.
- Try to dump out all your thoughts onto a pad of paper (or a txt document).
- Draw, paint, play music.
- Get out of the city. Or go into the city.
Basically, get your brain and body working in a different mode. The only thing you know is that doing that same thing every day isn't working for you, so you have to shake things up a bit. Good luck!
Re: Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
#13Think about that and try to fix the reason behind it.
Also accept your body sometimes is not up to the task and that motivation comes and goes. It is pretty normal to have stints of high motivation followed by low motivation. Sometimes it is bad nutrition, sometimes the weather, sometimes just a fluke in your metabolism, sometimes your brain is just exhausted.
If you beat yourself up for not being motivated you will kill the remaining 5% of energy inside u with beating yourself up. That you so not what you want. Be kind to yourself.
Re: Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
#14Re: Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
#152. If it's existential: Watch Steve Jobs' Stanford commencement about the realization of the certainty death as a motivator. [i] What would you do if this were your last day? Last week? Last month? etc. What do you really need vs. want out of life?
3. "If you had a million dollars, what would you be doing right now?"
4. Map your Maslow's hierarchy of needs (inputs, contributors, stressors, and goals). Is there anything big missing?
5. Experiment and try new things. Volunteer. Read a new genre of literature. Make something. Explore the nearest library or museum. Get a telescope and look at the planets and the stars. Take up powered paragliding (PPG). :) Or learn how to longboard.
6. Exercise.
7. Healthy distractions. Keep yourself busy on anything else, even if it's chores.
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Re: Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
#16Me, I'm going to move into the kitchen and work on some dishes.
Re: Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
#17I struggle with this too. The best boost to my mood is when I go for a walk with my wife. Try to get some exercise and sun ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YV_iKnzDRg ). Watch your sleep hygiene. Talk to your doctor. When I was younger I rarely even considered going to a doctor. Perhaps you should get some lab work done to make sure you're not vitamin deficient. I got so depressed that my wife had to make appointme…
I have electric fruit fly traps that produce blue light. Two flies with one stone. :)
I take a multivitamin, D3 + K2, zinc, magnesium, iron (deficiency), and fish oil. Low T can also cause many problems (a medication I was on caused it). Diet is important too.
Cardio exercise ^ 3.
Re: Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
#18Re: Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
#19Re: Ask HN: How do you get out of a rut?
#20What I do is find something I actually want to do and do that instead. You don't have to forget about the earlier goal; it becomes a puzzle that you need more clues for by doing different stuff for a while.
In short, follow your heart and it'll all work out in time.