Lovely. Do I even know how to code anymore?
-
I've been taking a break from coding lately, but work beckons. Now I've got a project in front of me on a fairly tight deadline, so every day matters. I pulled up my project which I managed to work on for a couple of hours yesterday but never got in "the zone" At least some progress was made. Now I pull it up, and I know what I wrote was legible, but I don't understand it. I should be able to. Anyone who has read Douglas Adams knows what I mean when I say "the long dark teatime of the soul" - the Sunday afternoon where nothing ever seems to get any traction, and you're listless - that sort of thing, well it has overcome me now, and it's not even Sunday. Today is a write off. I don't know what's up with my head today, but it's like I can't focus on anything. I can't afford for this to continue, and it's not like me.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
-
I've been taking a break from coding lately, but work beckons. Now I've got a project in front of me on a fairly tight deadline, so every day matters. I pulled up my project which I managed to work on for a couple of hours yesterday but never got in "the zone" At least some progress was made. Now I pull it up, and I know what I wrote was legible, but I don't understand it. I should be able to. Anyone who has read Douglas Adams knows what I mean when I say "the long dark teatime of the soul" - the Sunday afternoon where nothing ever seems to get any traction, and you're listless - that sort of thing, well it has overcome me now, and it's not even Sunday. Today is a write off. I don't know what's up with my head today, but it's like I can't focus on anything. I can't afford for this to continue, and it's not like me.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
That's the crux with creativity. Whereas non-creative folk can usually zone out and do their job since it's so repetitive... people that have to think need that spark. Energy is not infinite. There's no real good way to get back in the zone. Best way I figured out over the years was to just start with something small and innocuous. It's like writing a book, even if what you're writing sucks because you're not in the zone, just start. Eventually the ol' noggin should catch up. Or go dig a ditch for a day and realize that coding is better than doing that. :laugh:
Jeremy Falcon
-
That's the crux with creativity. Whereas non-creative folk can usually zone out and do their job since it's so repetitive... people that have to think need that spark. Energy is not infinite. There's no real good way to get back in the zone. Best way I figured out over the years was to just start with something small and innocuous. It's like writing a book, even if what you're writing sucks because you're not in the zone, just start. Eventually the ol' noggin should catch up. Or go dig a ditch for a day and realize that coding is better than doing that. :laugh:
Jeremy Falcon
I just love that dark sense of humor but I think I can improve on it. If you dig a ditch so deep you can't get out. Your spade brakes. Then you realize you forgot something at the top of the ditch. That would put a smile on my face :laugh:
-
I've been taking a break from coding lately, but work beckons. Now I've got a project in front of me on a fairly tight deadline, so every day matters. I pulled up my project which I managed to work on for a couple of hours yesterday but never got in "the zone" At least some progress was made. Now I pull it up, and I know what I wrote was legible, but I don't understand it. I should be able to. Anyone who has read Douglas Adams knows what I mean when I say "the long dark teatime of the soul" - the Sunday afternoon where nothing ever seems to get any traction, and you're listless - that sort of thing, well it has overcome me now, and it's not even Sunday. Today is a write off. I don't know what's up with my head today, but it's like I can't focus on anything. I can't afford for this to continue, and it's not like me.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
A surfer friend of mine told me once... If you are on the top of the wave for too long, you either hit the sand or the rocks. If you want to surf all the time, you need to "step down", go back and relax while waiting for the next good wave. I am pretty bad at it, but when I do realize it and follow the tip, it really works for me.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
-
I've been taking a break from coding lately, but work beckons. Now I've got a project in front of me on a fairly tight deadline, so every day matters. I pulled up my project which I managed to work on for a couple of hours yesterday but never got in "the zone" At least some progress was made. Now I pull it up, and I know what I wrote was legible, but I don't understand it. I should be able to. Anyone who has read Douglas Adams knows what I mean when I say "the long dark teatime of the soul" - the Sunday afternoon where nothing ever seems to get any traction, and you're listless - that sort of thing, well it has overcome me now, and it's not even Sunday. Today is a write off. I don't know what's up with my head today, but it's like I can't focus on anything. I can't afford for this to continue, and it's not like me.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
This experience reminds me of the moments I spend playing the piano. When I become intimately familiar with a musical piece, my fingers seem to possess a mind of their own, effortlessly navigating the keys while my thoughts begin to wander. It's as if I inhabit two separate identities: one consumed by the act of playing, and another that sits back and listens, engaging in unrelated musings. In these moments, I often find myself contemplating the peculiarity of this division, only to be abruptly jolted back to reality, realizing that I've momentarily lost track of the next note in the composition. It never fails to amuse me, and I can't help but chuckle at the delightful quirkiness of the situation. Interestingly, I've experienced a similar phenomenon where I enter a state of deep focus and flow during the middle stages of a project. It's fascinating how inspiration and productivity can strike unexpectedly, defying any specific formula or prediction. In essence, my suggestion would be to embrace the uncertainty of the "zone" and instead focus on establishing a work routine. By diligently working on your project, even during periods when the zone feels distant, you create an environment that hopefully allows for those productive moments to emerge more frequently.
-
I've been taking a break from coding lately, but work beckons. Now I've got a project in front of me on a fairly tight deadline, so every day matters. I pulled up my project which I managed to work on for a couple of hours yesterday but never got in "the zone" At least some progress was made. Now I pull it up, and I know what I wrote was legible, but I don't understand it. I should be able to. Anyone who has read Douglas Adams knows what I mean when I say "the long dark teatime of the soul" - the Sunday afternoon where nothing ever seems to get any traction, and you're listless - that sort of thing, well it has overcome me now, and it's not even Sunday. Today is a write off. I don't know what's up with my head today, but it's like I can't focus on anything. I can't afford for this to continue, and it's not like me.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
One of my all time favourite books, and the image is brilliant.
cheers Chris Maunder
-
One of my all time favourite books, and the image is brilliant.
cheers Chris Maunder
"So long, and thanks for all the fish" was rather good, too.
Will Rogers never met me.
-
I've been taking a break from coding lately, but work beckons. Now I've got a project in front of me on a fairly tight deadline, so every day matters. I pulled up my project which I managed to work on for a couple of hours yesterday but never got in "the zone" At least some progress was made. Now I pull it up, and I know what I wrote was legible, but I don't understand it. I should be able to. Anyone who has read Douglas Adams knows what I mean when I say "the long dark teatime of the soul" - the Sunday afternoon where nothing ever seems to get any traction, and you're listless - that sort of thing, well it has overcome me now, and it's not even Sunday. Today is a write off. I don't know what's up with my head today, but it's like I can't focus on anything. I can't afford for this to continue, and it's not like me.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
It happens. Even with a tight timeline, time to go do something else for a little while.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
-
I've been taking a break from coding lately, but work beckons. Now I've got a project in front of me on a fairly tight deadline, so every day matters. I pulled up my project which I managed to work on for a couple of hours yesterday but never got in "the zone" At least some progress was made. Now I pull it up, and I know what I wrote was legible, but I don't understand it. I should be able to. Anyone who has read Douglas Adams knows what I mean when I say "the long dark teatime of the soul" - the Sunday afternoon where nothing ever seems to get any traction, and you're listless - that sort of thing, well it has overcome me now, and it's not even Sunday. Today is a write off. I don't know what's up with my head today, but it's like I can't focus on anything. I can't afford for this to continue, and it's not like me.
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
When that happens to me, I borrow from the "Pomodoro Timer" method. You need to get some(any) kind of timer, set it for some small time like 25 minutes where you promise yourself you'll try to focus on an important step. I think 25 mins is suggested 'cause it doesn't sound too long, it's doable. When the timer goes off - you permit yourself to stray ( go for a walk, practice music and juggling etc. ) for about 5-10 minutes. Your mind deserves some fun off the leash. Repeat the cycle. I find it gets me back into the mode where I can get in the zone again where the "work" is actually "fun". Totally stray out of the "Pomodoro" rules when I am out of the funk.
-
When that happens to me, I borrow from the "Pomodoro Timer" method. You need to get some(any) kind of timer, set it for some small time like 25 minutes where you promise yourself you'll try to focus on an important step. I think 25 mins is suggested 'cause it doesn't sound too long, it's doable. When the timer goes off - you permit yourself to stray ( go for a walk, practice music and juggling etc. ) for about 5-10 minutes. Your mind deserves some fun off the leash. Repeat the cycle. I find it gets me back into the mode where I can get in the zone again where the "work" is actually "fun". Totally stray out of the "Pomodoro" rules when I am out of the funk.
It wasn't a motivation issue. It was a focus issue. I could not get my brain to engage with the code. I was totally ready to work and I just couldn't. The code may as well have been French. :laugh:
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
-
It wasn't a motivation issue. It was a focus issue. I could not get my brain to engage with the code. I was totally ready to work and I just couldn't. The code may as well have been French. :laugh:
To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.
I have been where you are. I find a disconnect while my right-brain can suggest to my left-brain what I need to do usually works. Of course, if the deadline is not looming, the urgency is not there and the inspiration will not be forthcoming . . You have always come through before - this time will be no different. Trust the magic in you - it will show you the way . .
A few are great. I am small. Together we are the Universe.
