
Ask HN: My brain refuses to think, what should I do? - DeusExMachina
I have a problem I've been experiencing for some time now. I hope someone experienced something similar and has some good advice.<p>I've come to a point where it's really hard to do even the easiest work. Each time I sit to code and I face the slightest "problem", I start looking for a distraction as soon as possible. I realized it today when I had to write one line of code to calculate the scale of an image.<p>It was really a trivial problem, I just need to figure out a couple of measures to put into a division, but since it requires 30 seconds of thinking, my brain guides my hand to the nearest distraction (i.e. the facebook/email/HN). I really have to struggle to do some work (as a side note this goes away a little when I manage to begin working, but the danger always lurks waiting for some more difficult task to distract me from).<p>It's not a lack of motivation. This is a project I want to work on and when I'm not at my computer I think about how to code it and I just wait to have some time to work on it. I feel motivated thinking how cool it will be and really want to do it. But as soon as I have time, like in weekends, I start wasting it in useless activities. When I force myself to sit and code, my mind surrenders at the smallest obstacle.<p>It looks like my brain is not used to think anymore. I can spend time reading a lot of things, but as soon as I try to actively do something, my mind refuses to do it. I think I have some sort of addiction/disorder and I can look for psychotherapy, but I wan to know if there are easier and cheaper remedies. Any advice?
======
lionhearted
Questions that might illuminate if there's a problem -

When's the last time you went for a walk?

When's the last time you were in nature for a while?

When's the last time you spent a day absolutely, completely relaxing?

How's your diet?

How's your sleep?

How's your sleep schedule?

When's the last time you had a vacation?

How much inspirational media have you been through in the last week - books,
movies, audio, whatever.

When's the last time you hung out around or talked on the phone with someone
really inspirational?

Beyond that - changing environment can bring you out of a funk, bringing a
laptop to a cafe with no internet can be a great option if you can do some
work offline.

~~~
Alex3917
"Beyond that - changing environment can bring you out of a funk, bringing a
laptop to a cafe with no internet can be a great option if you can do some
work offline."

Even the best entrepreneurs have a really hard time focusing because they have
so many different kinds of tasks that they can never really get into a flow
state. Trying to do work as an entrepreneur while having access to the
Internet is like trying to study for finals in a crack house.

~~~
DeusExMachina
You are right, internet is a huge time sink. On the opposite site sometimes I
need to look for something and if in that moment I do not have a connection, I
use it as an excuse to stop working and procrastinate.

~~~
robryan
Yeah, your defiantly going to need a lot of resources handy to work off-line
and even then you probably hit something that you need to lookup online.

I can see that given the right task though it would be beneficial, the
slightly slower working pace by lack of resources could be made up by the
concentration you get.

It works for me studying for exams when I can have all the course content in
front of me, even then though I end up finding something interesting that I
want to look up in lecture notes or something that makes no sense so I need to
search for a better explanation online.

------
jacquesm
I suffer from the exact same thing from time to time and I've learned to
resort to lists when I am like that.

Anything I need to do goes on a list and I reward myself with some kind of
distraction only _after_ any item on the list gets completed.

Usually it's a sign that my mental batteries are running low or even past
empty but some stuff still needs to get done. I find that after the third or
the fourth item from the list gets completed habit takes over and I'm getting
'in to it' more and more and those molehills-turned-mountains disappear with
greater ease.

Good luck combating this, it can be a real problem, especially if it persists
for a longer time.

I've found that sometimes it is symptomatic of some underlying issue,
something else in life that is deadlocked and needs solving first, not sure if
that could be the case with you.

~~~
tortilla
Lists are key. A simple text file labeled todos.txt sits in my dropbox and I
have it set to open with a hot key (quicksilver, osx). I tried all types of
apps for todos/project management, but the simplest is the best, for me.

~~~
smallblacksun
I prefer using a physical notepad for my list. I really like being able to
physically cross out items after I have completed them.

------
starkfist
This exact thing started happening to me more and more frequently when I hit
age 30. I tried all the standard remedies: psychological tricks, pomodoro
techniques, vacations, exercise, reducing stimulants, increasing stimulants,
blocking the internet, and so forth. However, in late 2008 I faced up to the
fact that I simply do not care as much about programming as I once did. I also
did some soul searching and realized that perhaps I never really "liked"
programming. My relationship to programming has been more like an obsession or
compulsion than someone pursuing a passion.

My solution is that I set a hard deadline of my 35th birthday to leave the
field. I took a much higher paying programming job in the financial sector at
the beginning of 2009, and moved in with roommates for the first time in 15
years, to save as much money as possible. I am lucky in that I have other
talents to explore, and friends and relatives with unrelated businesses where
I can always get a job in a pinch.

This might not be the right way for anyone else. However, I thought that since
your symptoms are exactly the same as mine, I should share. I wish I would
have figured this out for myself years sooner, as I could have saved myself a
lot of frustration and unhappiness. Good luck.

------
stan_rogers
Take this seriously. Very seriously. What you're describing may be no more
than acute stress, something that can be fixed with a proper vacation (as in
"completely vacate your life" -- go on a camping trip, visit an ashram or
monastery, spend some time wwoofing) and a subsequent lifestyle change to
allow for periods of relaxation and enjoyment during your normal routine. Or
it may be something much bigger.

As a sober alcoholic (25 years), I can tell you from my experience that the
number of people who say "I think I may be addicted" without actually having a
problem is statistically insignificant. Not that you necessarily have an
addiction as such, but that you probably sense that you're using (whatever) in
a different way than you once did. In other words, you're self-medicating --
and you want to address what it is that you're medicating. Again, that may be
acute stress, and a quick fix may do the trick. ("Mental illness" includes
things like acute stress, depression, anxiety and so forth, so even if you
aren't heading for major psychosis, the feeling that you're going crazy is
more than just a feeling. And it's a positive feedback loop -- anxiety about
your anxiety is crazy-making.) If you've stepped over the line into real
dependency, then it'll take a little more work, and there are a lot of
solutions out there. The alternative to getting help is exemplified in the
gutters and alleyways of any major city.

On the other hand, medicating aside, you are also describing what I went
through during the early onset phase of Lewy Body Dementia about five or six
years ago. Not fixable, not fun, a bugger to diagnose, but its progress can be
slowed. I ignored the symptoms for long enough (there was always a reasonable
explanation) that I now walk around like a late-stage Parkinson's sufferer,
get lost on familiar streets, forget the names of the people closest to me,
and soil my trousers from time to time despite receiving the best possible
medical care.

Are you taking this seriously yet?

~~~
CamperBob
Not to downplay the serious symptoms you've described, but that's all a bit
dramatic when the guy has described nothing more or less than Slashdot
Syndrome.

When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.

~~~
stan_rogers
Horses' hooves will stomp you dead just as quick if you ignore the sound. The
point is: get out of it for a while, since stress is the most probable
culprit. If that doesn't do the trick, then look deeper. Don't minimize real
symptoms if they persist; they could indicate something really serious. And
don't take idiotic advice[1] from random people on the web -- it's far better
to spend an unnecessary half-hour with your head stuck in an MRI scanner and
feel a bit foolish later than to wait until a real problem becomes
irreversible.

[1] "Don't worry, it'll be okay" coming from someone who's never had personal
contact with you counts as idiotic advice. If you don't know the before-and-
after, if you haven't had a chance to notice other behavioural changes, then
even considering an attempt at diagnosis is irresponsible.

~~~
CamperBob
_... it's far better to spend an unnecessary half-hour with your head stuck in
an MRI scanner and feel a bit foolish later than to wait until a real problem
becomes irreversible._

Is it? Do you have any idea what MRI sessions cost? Money for risk mitigation
is limited, just as it's limited for everything else.

~~~
berntb
Personally, I have no idea what they cost but I'm interested, for a family
member.

So how much is it? Reference?

(We do have a state health system here, but a doctor must send people for
testing. It is generally easier to work and pay yourself, despite paying
_high_ taxes for other's use of the state health system.)

~~~
gruseom
NPR did a segment on how the price of MRIs varies to a crazy extent, because
no one knows what they ought to cost:

[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1203992...](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120399265)

They followed it up with some comparisons to Japan:

[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1205455...](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120545569)

------
Ratufa
I have similar issues at times. One cause (for me, at least) might be anxiety
-- if you are very worried about a failure or have had negative experiences
with evaluation of your work, it can carry over into small tasks. Our brains
can be pretty clever about avoiding stressors. Bringing your work with you at
all times (e.g. always thinking about some problem) doesn't help.

Some suggestions that sometimes work for me:

Get enough sleep (though, sometimes I find that lack of sleep, to a point, can
help with focus, especially if paired with loud music).

Cut down on the caffeine.

Segment your time. Specifically allocate blocks of time to do something
totally unrelated to work (see a movie, read some mindless fiction, whatever
you like to do for fun). Make an effort not to think about your work projects
during those periods.

Exercise and/or meditate.

Train yourself to be mindful of what you are doing, so that you catch yourself
when you switch from work to some distracter.

When you sit down to work, use a timer to set how long (at a minimum) you will
stay on task. When you feel yourself starting to drift during that time, close
your eyes and concentrate on your breathing for a minute or so, then back to
work.

If all else fails, you can try psychotherapy, but shop around for a therapist
who specializes in this sort of disorder (adult ADHD would be one way to
classify it). The person you visit will probably try to prescribe some drug as
treatment. From my experience (long ago), Ritalin really really worked as a
focus-enhancer -- perhaps too well, in some ways -- though the side-effects
were unpleasant enough not to want to use it for very long periods.

------
jawngee
Marijuana + Exercise.

Seriously.

I was having exactly the same issues recently, mostly the result of burning
out in a giant flame from my last gig. MJ and getting off my mildly chubby ass
were huge boons to productivity.

YMMV, but it's worth a shot. I'd go for something a long the lines of Sour
Diesel or BC Blueberry are strains I've found to really increase concentration
and focus without making one lazy or sleepy.

~~~
jacquesm
I'm kind of upset at the ease with which the use of Marijuana is advocated
here for just about every disorder that people might suffer from.

For one it is possibly an illegal substance, second, it affects your brain in
ways that would require a lot of research before you commit to it, after all,
a programmers most critical resource is their brain.

Now, I know some people that function very well in spite of using significant
amounts of pot, but I also know a much larger number of people that managed to
turn a mediocre career in to a non-existant one because of their use of pot.

If you want to advocate the use of drugs I really don't think HN is the place
to do it, if only because it is not exactly legal in most places, but most of
all because you are possibly sending someone from the frying pan in to the
fire and you won't be around to pick up the pieces should it go wrong.

~~~
mannicken
Perhaps it is advocated for a lot of disorders because it, well, let me put it
this way -- actually helps those disorders? To my knowledge, one of the
reasons behind making it illegal was extensive lobbying from drug-corporations
who were afraid of an easily-grown, non-addictive fun competitor.

For your second point, yeah, it's probably a good idea to research anything
before you ingest/inhale/inject it. High-fructose corn syrup, I'm looking at
you :)

Your example doesn't bring anything new to the table. I know people who
function well in spite of playing World of Warcraft and I know people who
temporarily ruined their lives playing WoW. Was it WoW's fault? Should we make
WoW illegal? Should we make everything illegal because it might lead to
devastating consequences?

In process of experimentation, I created two rules for myself: a) You can't
blame your fuckups on the drug, even if you were under the influence. b) You
don't have to mention that drug helped you, if you created something good.

~~~
Jd
Let's restate those rules of yours:

(1) You cannot blame the drug if something negative happens while you are
taking the drug

(2) You can give the drug credit if something positive happens while you are
taking the drug

I wonder why you come out with only positive feedback....

~~~
mannicken
>I wonder why you come out with only positive feedback....

It's a mystery to me as well :)

I also like your formulation better. The main point is the first one anyway --
about blaming this or that on "I was drunk/high/whatever".

------
forgottenpaswrd
I think you are exhausted and bored. Other people has told you what to do:
force yourself to relax, to take vacations or take a break, sleep well, eat
well, and exercise.

Read "The power of full engagement" Tony Swartz's. It has a very useful video
on youtube.

Force yourself to use facebook or read hackernews ONLY when you had finished
your work(evening-night), never when you start it(morning). Your short memory
is clean after sleeping(it gets backed up in medium and long memory), and you
don't want to fill it with pasive stuff but with active info. Creating
something(code, making things, writing a book...) takes way more resources
than consuming something(reading code, using things, reading a book or what
someone has updated on facebook). You should do what is harder first.

Your work environment should be at the right temperature, if it is too hot(now
the north hemisphere), your brain shuts down(so you don't generate more heat),
if too cold your body wants to move(not good for programming).

Maybe you are in love, who knows.

Don't worry too much, it's normal, the only problem you face is to know
consciously what your mind knows unconsciously as the origin of the problem.
Once you know, it will be easy to solve.

Bye

------
saurabh
Download the documentation that you need for offline use. Yank the Ethernet
cord. No Hacker News, Reddit, GMail, Facebook. If you need anything from the
net, connect and yank the cord ASAP. Make it a ritual. I think we are getting
addicted to the drugs similar to what we are trying to synthesize. Do tell me
if it works for you.

------
mannicken
Well, then not do anything. Lay in your bed, watch shitty sitcoms, eat food,
just don't do anything. It will feel unusual if you've been working for a long
uninterrupted time but you need time to rest.

You remind me of a runner who just ran 10mi and is asking: "Hey, I feel tired,
why is that? It seems like my legs don't really feel like moving. What should
I do? Drugs? Doctors? Am I addicted to something?"

Go and rest for brain's sake. In fact, I've been doing this all Sunday -- I'm
laying in my bed with a laptop, looking at the cars outside, and watching
crappy sitcoms. I am forcing this lazy behavior so I can recover and have fun
working tomorrow.

------
asnyder
You're burnt out, it happens, more so in the thinking oriented fields. As some
of the other comments mentioned, you need a break.

Fortunately my gf forces me to take time away from work, otherwise I would be
burnt out half the year.

~~~
jacquesm
That's the second time in a few weeks this comes up on HN, if you 'need a
break' you are not burned out (yet).

Burn-out is not something you're going to solve with a break or a change of
scene for a few weeks, but is a pretty serious state of mind that will
probably affect your life for many years and will leave lasting scars for the
remainder of it.

~~~
jacobolus
Can you elaborate? What do you mean by “burn-out”?

~~~
jacquesm
It's not just what I mean by burn-out, but more about what the accepted
meaning of the term is:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnout_%28psychology%29>

Edit: Thanks for the downmod, that article has a very thorough description of
what burn-out really is and goes in to a lot more detail than I ever could in
a comment here. If you think that linking to a wikipedia article instead of
writing an essay sized entry is bad form you're more than welcome to enlighten
me as to the proper procedure.

~~~
jacobolus
I didn’t downvote you, but the OP’s comment doesn’t seem to me to reflect
“burnout” as it is described in that Wikipedia article (e.g. the Tracy
quotation “burnout is largely an organizational issue caused by long hours,
little down time, and continual peer, customer, and superior surveillance”).
Then again, I’m still not sure I understand either a formal technical
definition, or quite what people generally mean when using the term
colloquially. Seems like a broadly and fuzzily defined term.

~~~
jacquesm
Yes, that was exactly my point. Burn-out is a (very) serious condition that
can have many consequences, including depression.

To say 'you're burned-out' and to say that 'you need a break' combined with
the statement that his gf keeps him from being burned-out half the year
indicates a use of the term burn-out that does a dis-service to both those
that are really burned out (because someone might read this and think that his
friend that is really burned out needs a break whereas in fact what he needs
is a radical change of career path or professional help to avoid worse) and to
those that will pick this up and think that they are burned out, when in fact
all they need is a break or a change of scene.

To me the OP does not sound burned out but has reached a phase in his work
where the normal tricks of the trade aren't enough to put him back on a
productive path.

Compare that with the symptoms listed for burn-out in the wp article and see
if you can match them up, it's a lot less fuzzy than you imply and from what I
know about the subject once you are burned out you are not going to cure it
easily and permanently.

~~~
asnyder
There's nothing I said that conflicts with the Wikipedia article. As someone
that has seen a medical professional related to burning out, I can say with
confidence that some R&R coupled with a change of pace, and focus can be very
helpful in shortening or delaying burn out.

Next time I'll make sure to include elaboration, just in case someone
misinterprets my brief statements with an official definition.

------
Eliezer
Sitting next to another person while I tried to write my rationality book
increased my productivity by at least 400%.

------
desigooner
Sleep on time .. atleast 7 hours of sleep.

Exercise ... Either early morning or early evening. To quote Frank Costanza, I
feel vigorous after working out.

Try to use natural light vs. Artificial light.

Meditate. If you're losing focus, switch off the lights, lower the blinds and
look at the flame of a burning candle for a few minutes and try to keep a
blank mind. Haven't done this for a while but did help me reduce stress.

------
maximilian
You have this problem: <http://xkcd.com/477/>

I know I have it sometimes. I think sometimes we just get in this bad habit of
letting our mind escape to easier things. I'd say just redirect that traffic,
turn off the internet or something and just force yourself back into a working
habit.

------
mahmud
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique>

Worked wonders for me.

~~~
da5e
Thanks for the link. I do a less formal version of this sometimes. If I've got
so much to do that I can't do anything, I make a list of everything then start
doing as little as 30 seconds on each thing and cycle through them till
something gets traction.

------
yannis
Try writing your code by hand for the next two hours.

------
CO-OP
The same thing is happening to me. It is the Reddit disease and I have it big
time. Read 'Is Google Making us Stupid'
([http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-
googl...](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-
making-us-stupid/6868/)) for some good perspective.

Essentially, the human brain will adapt to the environmental situations it
finds itself in. They find cab drivers (obviously) have more highly developed
spatial recognition than the rest of us, for instance.

In my case, for about 2 years I have been doing most of my reading on Reddit.
Most articles were small - 30 seconds to a minute of reading at most. Then I
would swing to another. As such, my brain structure has adapted to this
situation, but it is terribly ineffective at tackling tasks which require
constant attention (my essay marks have been steadily going down).

So I've decided to go into rehab. Taking a holiday in mid-August for about 3
months, and I have bought/downloaded a huge amount of very very heady reading
material (including the crem-da-la-crem of heady mind fuck material -
Heidegger's Being and Time) which I intend to use to rewire my brain.

~~~
mahipal
I really want to know... what else is on this reading list?

------
gte910h
You need a vacation, and you need to cancel a huge number of things in your
life that you "need to do".

------
glhaynes
Smoke weed. Or, if you've been smoking weed, don't smoke weed.

------
rphlx
I went through this for a few weeks before I realized the cause. For me it was
social media and news sites -- especially FB, twitter, mashable, reddit, and
to some extent HN. These sites are carefully designed to make you ADD, so that
you keep coming back for more, like a drug addiction. Call me cynical but
basically, they are machines designed to numb and enslave the masses (possibly
excluding HN).

If you are spending more than 5-10 mins/day on these sites, IMO it's a problem
-- that is time you could be using to create something, rather than consuming
meaningless social media updates from people you probably don't really care
about. It's sad to see that even very talented developers, scientists, and
otherwise-rational people are geting sucked into this bullshit.

Join a gym, hang out with friends IRL, travel -- basically, go offline for a
while until you find your center again.

I realize the irony of posting this as an HN comment. But at least I'm on my
way to the gym.

------
cammil
Here's yet another idea:

Your mind and body need to be in balance. I believe this is the essence of the
solution.

One factor that I believe is amiss is their speed. It appears that your mind
is thinking quicker than your body is acting, and this is causing your
discomfort.

There are of course two remedies, and they can both be administered:

1\. Speed up your body.

As many here have suggested, anything that increases what you do will be a
good thing. Exercise, work, chores, personal errands, etc.

2\. Slow down your mind.

Realise that your body is not functioning at the speed that your mind thinks
and simply accept it. Your mind will naturally slow down and you will begin to
appreciate your task, the present moment, and your life. This will release
your body from the paralysis as it now becomes possible, and even enjoyable,
to do that which your mind is currently thinking.

------
fintler
Go for a long walk in the park. Stop coding for a few days. Isolate yourself
from tech in general for a while. Let yourself reset.

------
datawalke
From time to time I suffer the same issue. I look back hours later and get
angry at myself for 'wasting' so much time. There are a few things you can do
to help you out that others have mentioned. However this works for me the
best:

I edit my hosts file (Windows: /Windows/System32/drivers/etc/hosts, Mac:
/etc/hosts) to look something similar to:

127.0.0.1 news.ycombinator.com

127.0.0.1 techcrunch.com www.techcrunch.com

127.0.0.1 reddit.com www.reddit.com

etc.

Alternatively you can use other tools to block traffic. RescueTime
(<http://www.rescuetime.com/)is> an awesome tool as well.

~~~
datasink
I wrote a small PHP command-line tool for turning on/off these host file
entries. It's fairly simple, but I've found it to be extremely useful in
killing off stray checks of favorite websites, which inevitably end in larger
blocks of misspent time. <http://github.com/killsaw/Timeguard>

~~~
jacquesm
Make it a command line utility only for turning those entries on, but make it
as hard as it could be to remove them again.

~~~
datasink
I considered this while writing it, but figured there's a fine line one must
walk with a utility like this. If it's too annoying to disable, you won't use
it.

Typically once I flip it on, I forget about it, until I actually try to check
a site that's been blocked. I find that being unable to load a site or loading
a local webserver hosted file injects just enough time to realize I should be
doing something else.

Previously I wasn't in the "trick yourself" camp, but having used this for a
while, I definitely am. Used in conjunction with the Pomodoro Technique, it's
a really solid way to keep oneself on track.

------
ohyes
I'm guessing that this is not a disorder, because if it is, then we all have
it.

Every programmer has trouble sitting down to code at certain times.

You say that when you are not at your computer you think about how to code it.
Why not keep a paper notebook with you and write down how you think you are
going to code it? Or keep a laptop with you and boot it up and start coding
when you get excited thinking about it?

Later on, when you want to jump start your programming process, read through
the notebook and let yourself get into the mental state you were in when you
were excited about it. (Also, unplug the internet).

In my experience, coding isn't as easy as 'making' yourself code (unless you
are typing boilerplate or doing copy/paste coding).

You have to either take advantage of the times that you are excited and want
to code, or you have to coax yourself into that mental state.

It is just like creative writing. Most good writers do _not_ sit at a desk
with a blank piece of paper and just start writing. They make notebooks and
journals and they write down ideas as they come. Later when they do have to
write, they have all of these cues to start the creative process.

For me, at least, this is roughly equivalent to "writer's block," so you may
want to read some literature on that.

(first off of google: <http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/block.html>)

------
MartinCron
Just wanted to add one more voice to the "how's your sleep?" chorus. Sleep is
so important to being able to focus.

One thing to check if you think you're putting in enough sleep time but are
still groggy and have focus issues, is that you may potentially have
obstructive sleep apnea. Have you been told you snore? Do you have a thick
neck (17'' or larger dress shirt size)?

From personal experience, getting a _real_ you full night's sleep makes a huge
difference in ability to focus and get work done.

~~~
jpdbaugh
I feel like this almost everyday and my girl friend tells me snore terribly. I
also fit the thick neck description. Where do you get something checked out
like this cheaply?

~~~
MartinCron
Cheaply? It all depends on your medical insurance situation. A full-on sleep
study is a big deal, a full night in a (cozy) hospital room, hooked up to
wires monitoring brain activity, oxygen saturation, etc.

What I did was describe my symptoms to my family doc, and he referred me to a
sleep medicine specialist. That's what I would suggest you do.

If you happen to be in the Seattle area, the sleep medicine folks at Swedish
are great.

------
mtipton
I'm guessing you are working LOTS of hours. This adds up when thinking is
involved in your work[like with programming]. You are most definitely bured
out. I'm almost certain. What you've described is a pretty decent description.
Being burnt out is a very strange thing. Even though it may not sound quite
right... trust me, that is the case... this is the best description of what is
going on with your brain- as others have pointed out. It's strange that the
term "burned out" is used so widely- yet most people don't recognize what it
is or what it's like to experience being burned out. Even first hand
(obviously) people most likely may not be able to recognize what exactly is
going on.. may take a few weeks or so to realize something is really really
wrong and depression could even start to set in at that point if you don't
catch it quickly. B-complex vitamins and fish oils can help repair your brain
from this type of subconscious distress... BUT the real answer is like minimum
1 week vacation RIGHT NOW. You may want to change your long term routines as
well and just make time for lots of non-computer-related things.

------
maqr
I'll say it: You should do drugs.

You're describing a brain problem. It might be caused by poor diet, sleep,
life perspective, etc. But whatever the cause, it's a problem in your brain;
and it's probably fixable with drugs.

If you feel you have an ADHD problem (which is what it sounds like), there's a
variety of pills that can correct your symptoms. This quiz is fairly accurate
in terms of diagnosis (really, self-answered questions are one of the few
indicators available to psychs for ADHD):
<http://psychcentral.com/addquiz.htm>

If you think you're too stressed, there's pills for that too.

I've also read that marijuana is helpful (counter-intuitive as it may seem)
for reducing both ADHD and anxiety symptoms; so depending on your local laws,
you might want to consider that.

My point is that lifestyle improvements are good, and I'd certainly advocate
them, but don't rule out the possibility of using chemicals to your advantage.
It's 2010 and we have that technology now.

~~~
forgottenpaswrd
I think this is a very bad advise. Don't use drugs EVER.

Drugs never fix problems. The only hide them. if your body is telling you
something, you should fix the root of the problem, not remove the symptoms.

Whatever a drug does(stimulant, depressant...)the body will balance it giving
the opposite effect over time(the roller coaster effect).This means
instability of everything from mood to chemicals on your blood. Not to mention
the body getting used to it, needing each time more and more to cause the same
effect and getting addicted.

~~~
BrandonM
I think this is a very bad advise. Drugs can sometimes be good.

For the last 3 years (since a long relationship ended) I was in a bad funk,
getting very little done and having a baseline that was a bit depressed, with
occasional moments of manic happiness/productiveness.

A few months ago, a new friend told me that I just _had_ to try mushrooms. It
was a spiritual, life-changing event. I have since done them 3 more times, and
LSD once.

 _Good_ drugs (and I guess I basically mean psychedelics when I say that) can
teach you a different way of thinking, one which you continue long after your
use of the drugs. My life is orders of magnitude better than it was six months
ago. I'm enjoying the little things, and figuring out how what I'm doing fits
into the big picture of how I'd like to live my life.

I really cannot get onboard with the advice to not use drugs "EVER". Even from
an anti-drug standpoint, it's very hard to argue against using pain-killing
drugs for the week following a surgery. Drugs have their purposes, and as long
as you don't let them take over your life, they can be quite positive.

~~~
jacquesm
People have been telling me I just have to try alcohol or drugs or smoking for
about as long as I can remember, and in spite of the fact that it really seems
to be life-changing for them I'm fairly happy with the one I've got and I'd
hate to trade with those that are advising me like that.

Pain killing versus drugs in the street sense of the word is a bad comparison,
'drugs' are a tool to be used when needed and appropriate, self medication of
hallucinogens or depressants can cause all kinds of problems down the road,
especially if your personality is not too disciplined.

Indeed, drugs have their purpose, and to tell a person whose life
circumstances are otherwise unknown to start using them is in general as bad
an advise as you could possibly give.

------
Gerd
Most likely you have given your brain the task to do so. You have given your
brain the task to care about a lot of things without letting go.

The best things to start with that I know and have done:

1\. Make a list of things that cost you energy. Mark the three most importan.
Solve them or let them go.

2\. Free your brain from your todo list. It has better things to do. Apply the
book "Getting things done" to give your brain peace from the things you
haven't done yet.

3\. Use a countdown timer to work 50 minutes on one task. Make a 10 minutes
rest and then do the same thing with a completely different task. What this
does to you is NOT to urge you to get something done. What it does is giving
you complete freedom not to care about anything else for 50 minutes. (I know a
similar method with 25 minutes. I prefer 50. It is no accident that it is
exacly half the time. Do 25 or 50 but nothing between.)

Feel free to combine this methods ad lib.

Gerd, brain hacker, hypnotist, NLP master

------
warmfuzzykitten
Welcome to Short Attention Span Theater. You must read email, but write as
little as possible. Remove yourself from all email newsletters. Swear off
facebook, twitter, HN and all other distractions for at least two weeks. When
you discover you didn't actually miss anything, you'll be on the road to
recovery.

------
csomar
I have the same problem (exactly) with another problem: If I start coding (or
working on some projects of mine) I just don't stop work until something stops
me (like dinner, extremely exhausted->sleep, a friend calling for coffee...)

I think the real problem is "How to get into that mode". It's simple:

\- Be ready: Sleep well. Eat, Water or Coffee should be near your desk.

\- Close all distractions. If you do web development, use another browser to
navigate or block websites with rescuetime ;)

\- Start with something simple. Much more simpler than coding. A to do list.
Don't start with coding it's hard. Start with your to do list and get into the
thinking mode that you used to get it when off-computer

\- You start thinking, opening folders, testing, write a line of code.... and
woups already 5 hours spent and you didn't notice it :)

Hope it's not Dementia, but a check is cheap (whatever it costs)

------
commanda
Maybe you want yourself to be interested in this particular project, but you
might really not be interested in it. Sometimes you can't force interest, and
it's often tough to focus when you aren't interested. I've felt what you're
feeling before. I realized that my problem was that I just was not into the
project - I just could not bring myself to focus on coding because I didn't
_really want to_. This is fine though. As an adult, hey, sometimes you don't
have to do things you don't want to do. You can have ice cream and beer for
dinner; you can pick some other side project, or nothing, to spend your time
on.

------
watty
I've also suffered from the same problem. I'm very interested in my project
and motivated to do it but some days I just can't. I've found one thing that
can change my day from zero productivity to 100% is a todo list. I just write
down on a piece of paper some tasks I want to get done that day and usually
I've crossed them all out by lunch time. Of course then you'll procrastinate
from writing todo lists but that's another issue.

If you try todo lists, exercise, motivational books, etc. and still can't seem
to focus on something you should be able to focus on, go talk to your doctor.

------
jasonkeene
If you use a mac check out <http://macfreedom.com/> or <http://anti-
social.cc/> I use freedom every time I have work in front of me that I want
solid time to complete and I can't trust myself not to get distracted down
some rabbit hole. It sounds stupid at first but two things it does for you
over just unplugging from the network is that 1) you can still communicate
with your local network/VPN and 2) you can't get back online without
restarting your machine.

------
wglb
I recommend reading the book <http://www.amazon.com/Courage-Create-Rollo-
May/dp/0393311066>

He offers the thesis that creating something new is likely to be fraught with
anxiety. Understanding that this is the case may in fact decrease this
anxiety. One of the symptoms of this anxiety is an avoidance.

So perhaps think of it this way: as you sit down to do something new, and feel
the distraction, this can mean you are getting into the creative mode.

------
igrekel
From my experience, it means you need a break or a vacation. Get in a totally
different environment for a few weeks days and do not bring anything related
to work.

If it is not possible at this time, you may buy time using a trick I have used
in the past. Dedicate a part of your day to working (ex: afternoon) and
dedicate another part of the days to something else entirely and in a
different environment (spend the morning playing sport, walking, exploring the
neighborhood, anything out of your work environment and off the computer).

------
jmount
Perhaps you are habituated to the distractions (if so find a way to block
them, like killing your router for an hour). Another possibility is you are
procrastinating to put off dealing with the stress of success or failure of
your project. If you are having general trouble thinking there should be tons
of other symptoms (and run don't walk to a doctor). Over all it is up to you
to consider some alternatives explanations and come up with a counter
strategy.

------
rajivn
This usually happens to me when the task at hand is not challenging enough.
Try and develop some genuine interest in what you are doing and everything
will just flow.

------
cheald
This happens to me when I hit burnout. I've solved it lately by using Toggl
(<http://toggl.com>) to track what time I'm spending where. It's a lot easier
to NOT tab over to reddit/HN if I look over and see myself "on the clock" for
a given project.

I keep time tracking for time spent on distractions, as well, and after a few
days of that number being bigger than I'd like, I started paring it down
pretty dramatically.

Hope that helps!

------
olliesaunders
Too much time surfing the web?

<http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/05/ff_nicholas_carr/all/1>

[http://tkcollier.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/acquired-
attention...](http://tkcollier.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/acquired-attention-
deficit-disorder/)

Also relevant: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=956493>

~~~
sp332
I see what you did there!

------
da5e
Perhaps do the parts of the task that do not require thinking and that will
lead to the thinking part of the process.

Perhaps write out a detailed description of the task (even if its a small
task) without a commitment to tackle it. That might concretize it for you.

A recent article on procrastination referenced on HN summarizes the ideal
process as thinking in concrete terms to get started and then visualizing the
wider ramifications as you are moving forward.

------
noxn
I have had this for quite a while now, and I cant be burnt out or anything
because I´m just 16. And its not just on coding, but anything, really. Even
gaming.

------
j_baker
"I think I have some sort of addiction/disorder and I can look for
psychotherapy, but I wan to know if there are easier and cheaper remedies."

I'd highly recommend seeing a doctor of some kind. This isn't necessarily
something that's all in your head. What you're describing could be the
symptoms of any number of physical or mental disorders, many of which need a
doctor's attention.

Don't be afraid to seek help. It could very well change your life.

------
skalpelis
If you're getting enough sleep and don't have any other psychological
disorders, e.g., depression, etc., most likely it's burnout. A serious
lifestyle change should help (e.g., spend 6 to 12 months travelling through
Europe, work as a logger in the Canadian wilderness, join the Peace Corps)
but, alas, not all of us have the luxury of doing that. Perhaps also just
finding a less stressful job might help.

------
goodside
Instead of asking HN, ask a doctor. What you're describing sounds like the
textbook symptoms of ADHD. Numerous studies have shown psychotherapy to be
ineffective for ADHD compared to medication therapies, which have remarkably
high success rates (much more so than, say, antidepressants do for depression)
and relatively good side effect profiles.

------
aaronblohowiak
"But as soon as I have time, like in weekends, I start wasting it in useless
activities."

Are you familiar with the concept of a duty cycle?

------
honopu
you a drinker? I find that if I was out partying the night before, my mind
just likes to do brainless and mindless tasks like watching tv, surfing
reddit, etc.

That's why I try to limit it these days. I wouldn't have a problem writing
documentation, but actually creating productive code is a chore in and of
itself during those days.

------
sruffell
When I'm having trouble getting started I like to reread Joel Spolsky's "Fire
and Motion" post with this quote: "Maybe this is the key to productivity: Just
getting started"

<http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000339.html>

------
fmora
You probably just have programmers block. Give in to your distractions for an
entire day or two. You'll get so sick of them that you may want to go back to
programming. Going to a cafe to work is also a really good idea. Have done a
lot of work in them. We all go through these problems.

------
anigbrowl
_I think I have some sort of addiction/disorder and I can look for
psychotherapy, but I wan to know if there are easier and cheaper remedies._

The loss of productivity from what sounds like ADD will be a lot more
expensive than the cost of consultation and medication.

------
redraga
If I find that if I'm not concentrating or get easily distracted I just do
something fun for a while. Soon I'm refreshed and I can start working
seriously. Maybe you can take a break, go away on a weekend or watch a movie
to refresh your mind?

------
runjake
Obligatory Time Management For System Administrators (and programmers)
reference: <http://www.tomontime.com>

I've read through the comments and think this book would apply well to many of
your situations.

------
n2dasun
I'm on Reddit all the time, but never on HN. I just visit occasionally (just
now created an account to post this). I'm so happy I found this post (until it
gets lost in my sea of bookmarks and I don't get to try any of the solutions).

------
mhb
We're happier when busy, but our instinct is for idleness:

[http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2010/07/were-happier...](http://bps-
research-digest.blogspot.com/2010/07/were-happier-when-busy-but-our-
instinct.html)

------
malkia
I've noticed that since I've been using internet - circa 1997-1998 right after
I was out of the army (Bulgarian's army).

Too much distraction - even news.yc is one for me and TCE (thechaosengine)

------
computerslol
Short advice: Sounds like burn out. Take a vacation, get a hobby, find a girl
to make out with. If that doesn't work, get checked for adult onset attention
deficit disorder.

------
gcheong
You might try this:

<http://contextualpsychology.org/act_for_the_public>

------
krmmalik
Read a book called "The power of full engagement" by Tony Schwartz and Jim
Loehr. Its a life-changing book.

------
greenlblue
Set up your router to block certain sites during certain hours so that you are
forced to work.

------
jacoblyles
Try Rescuetime's focus time. Warning: it is a little broken on Mac with
Chrome.

------
bramcohen
When I find myself doing stupid distraction stuff, I generally go take a nap.

------
paolomaffei
yes yes yes this is me too :( i dont find code/work to be enough interesting
to _need_ to do them, and since i have no fixed deadlines i end up
researching/reading a lot and producing almost nothing.

------
plainOldText
Read "Pragmatic Thinking & Learning" by Andy Hunt.

------
karlzt
go to a place where there are many trees, what you need is a break of what
distracts you.

------
mrleinad
Modafinil

~~~
jiganti
Or provigil. But I don't suggest either as longterm solutions unless you get
psychiatric confirmation that medication is necessary.

------
aneth
I highly recommend learning meditation. I meditate once a day for 15 minutes
and it's worked wonders for my ability to feel well and focused.

Personally I learned a cheaper and less cult like variation of transcendental
meditation, because it requires little training, time, or even effort.

A day without meditation for me now is worse than a day without sleeping.

~~~
justlearningnow
Hello, could you please elaborate a bit on the meditation technique? What
exactly do you do? Thank you so much for answering. I've been trying to learn
TM but all the courses cost a fortune..

~~~
DeusExMachina
I'm getting interested in meditation too and I'm starting with this:

<http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php>

~~~
justlearningnow
Hello, thank you for sharing this!

------
dnsworks
The past month I've been hitting the gym in my building whenever my brain
doesn't want to work, and clear my mind completely. I'll put on the noise
canceling headphones, find some good 100 -> 120bpm music, and get lost in it
while pedaling as fast as I can for 30 minutes, then a shower and a snack and
some coffee seems to be a good way to really put me back on track for a few
hours.

------
isnoteasy
Sound as if your mind is in another place. Your mind is on vacation and you
want to get it to work again. Unfortunately it refuses to do so and you are in
this situation.

Speak with your mind as with a friend and try to convince it that today is not
a holiday. You need to order your life, to have a plan for the future, that
will give you the strength for today.

------
goldenthunder
Sleep more!

This happens to me when I don't get enough sleep for a while.

