Is anyone in a rut?

Howdy, y’all!

I recently discovered this groovy forum through https://ichi.city/

I joined that site because I want to get into some light web development…but then I also kinda want to learn some rust…and make music…and read…and learn more about AI.

All sorts of fun options, but I can’t seem to get into a groove.

Do any of you feel that way? How do you get yourself unstuck?

You know, I have felt like that occasionally. And like I was interested in too many things at the same time to actually start or finish anything. What's worked was —

Start with making something, something small, don't worry if you don't finish it. Three lines of a poem, a drawing the size of two square centimetres, half a second of a melody you like, anything.

If you're in the middle of reading half a dozen books but can't seem to sit down and open any of them, forget your progress and start over from the first page with one of them. Generally, any kind of reset can help. I once accidentally deleted half the files in my home folder and made rather a lot of things I liked in the next few months.

Remind yourself that you don't have to do things in exactly the proportions in which you're interested in them. You can focus on only one or two things at a time. This doesn't mean you don't 'actually like' the rest.

For longer projects — try and make them together with someone who is just as interested as you. It's a bit like when people ask a friend to sit with them when they're doing a task, to motivate them to not get distracted and shift them into a doing-things mood. Different, too, though, and you have to trust this person — because if you start to force yourself to keep making the thing only because they'd disapprove, that wouldn't be good either... Complicated. But I've been writing more and more often this way than I had in years, and I like what I end up with.

Try to find and solve some problems that make it harder to do some individual thing — maybe, find music to put on while reading of exactly the information density that doesn't distract you but does make the book not feel like too little. Or some other problem you in particular have. Then remember to use the solutions more than one time. Probably up until they stop working.

Notice when you're running away from doing something because you feel it would be — not too energy-intensive, but too intense and unfamiliar and potentially wonderful in a way you aren't sure you can handle. Then, run towards that instead.

So, yeah, this, I think. :) And good morning to you too

Last edited on 2023-12-29 22:17:36