Ask HN: Problems of de-motivation.. after a while

3 points by vbh21 3 years ago | 2 comments

I always seek new challenges. I have found few organizations, established or new alike - are able to offer me the tech challenges I need to survive in this industry. Without challenging problems and with petty office politics, I tend to become numb in an organization - usually within a few months of joining. Then it becomes a slog, and I don't want to lie like a mundane and just-another employee who is going through the same motions.

I don't know if there's a solution..:(

surprisetalk 3 years ago |

I've totally been there too. Here's a few ideas:

• Discipline is more useful than motivation. Motivation isn't under your control, so it's not worth relying upon. I've found that pushing my body through discomfort via exercise, stillness, etc. can increase discipline over time.

• I view boredom as "giving up". When I'm bored with a challenge, my mind is telling me that I'm not smart/skilled enough to finish. Yeah, sometimes work is not fun. Conquering boredom to deliver value is an underrated skill.

• Being "just-another employee who is going through the same motions" is the point of being an employee. If you want more variety, maybe you need to work with a studio, become a freelancer, or start your own thing.

• Life became much much easier for me after I started taking antidepressants and ADHD meds. You may want to check in with a therapist/psychiatrist to see if you have any troublesome patterns worth looking into.

bombadil44 3 years ago |

One recommendation is to focus less on tech challenges and more on working in an industry / company / team that is solving problems that are meaningful to you.

There are many worthwhile problems in the world that can benefit from building high quality technology solutions.

It's unavoidable that there are going to be times where the day to day is mundane, but at those times it's great to be reminded that you're still working towards solving a problem that you are passionate about.

Can be easier said than done to find work like that, but maybe a different perspective on how you can find that motivation.