This is about programming specifically, but I guess you can experience similar things with many other activities as well. So if you can even remotely relate your thoughts are very welcome.

Alright so, every time when I sit down to programme it tends to start out great, I feel relaxed and kind of looking forward to it. However, at some point there is going to be a bug in the code or some library does not work as I expect it to. I then start googling; try something out; doesn’t work; google some more; try more stuff; still doesn’t work. While this is of course just what coding is like, during these “google, test, repeat” sessions I tend to go faster with every iteration and at some point I am in such a rush that it feels like I hardly remember to breathe. Needless to say that this is freaking exhausting. After an hour of this my brain is just mush.

Of course, the obvious solution to this is to just take a break as soon as I notice me speeding up. I will try to do this more, but sometimes it feels like I can’t. This unsolved bug will sit in my mind so that I can’t stop thinking about it even if I’m not at the keyboard. “It must be solved. Now”. Of course it doesn’t, but that’s what my mind is telling me.

In a few months I will probably be working as a full time dev again and until then I have to have solved this problem somehow if I want to do this any longer than a couple of years.

Ideally I want programming to be a meditative experience and feel refreshed afterwards instead of completely drained. This might be illusionary, but at least I would want it to be draining more like I’ve been on a good run, instead of feeling like being hit by a truck.

Anyways I’m wondering if any of you can relate to this and maybe has solved this in some way. Does this ever happen to you? What do you do to prevent this from happening? I appreciate any thoughts you have on this.

  • SnailpopeEnglish
    11•4 months ago

    Have you tried ‘rubber ducky programming’? I’m not a programmer but the trick has helped me with other things when I hit a wall like your talking about. Basically you have a rubber duck with you and when you have a bug or issue, you back up and explain each peice and what it’s supposed to do to the duck. The duck doesn’t know programming so you have to explain it like it’s, well, a duck. This helps slow down your thoughts and focus more on what each line does individually. As an electrican it helps me trouble shoot problems without opening up everything.

    Hopefully this helps but I know each of us are different and what helps me may not help you. I know how hard it is to set a problem down when your in the thick of it. As a perfectionist I have to tell myself, it’s good enough, constantly or I’ll spend 3 days on something that should take 1.