How to deal with extreme boredom and lack of motivation?

Sometimes just thinking about sitting in front of a computer makes me feel nauseous. Literally. Looking at an IDE can trigger actual discomfort, and forcing myself to code only makes things worse — I become unproductive and even more frustrated. That’s why I stopped pushing myself at all costs and instead try to do whatever I can to increase my motivation, because that’s when I’m at my most productive.

The problem is that in programming, very often you don’t see tangible results. Refactoring, writing tests, fixing bugs — hours of work, and in the end… nothing impressive to show for it. On top of that, there’s a constant stream of errors popping up along the way. In moments like these, I feel like smashing my head against the wall 😫

It’s not always “laziness”

So… how do I deal with it?

There’s no magic solution, but there are small things that sometimes genuinely help:

• changing one's workspace (a different room, a café, a friend’s place)

• motivational playlists on YouTube or Spotify or whatever (My fav) , a playlist for morning

• going for a walk, even a short one

• taking a break from the computer for a few days, if possible

• spending free time on activities that don’t involve screens

• incense, candles

• coffee (in moderation)

• energy drinks (better to avoid)

• yerba mate no longer works for me — at least not the one from that brand; maybe it’s time to order some Kurupi online

But the most important realization came later:

• treat your project like your own child

• step into the role of a client who actually needs your application

• create something you can genuinely be proud of <-- this is propably the most important for me

• F*CK Productivity: I learned that I cannot program for 6 hours straight without feeling ill and that setting small, rational goals is more effective than acting like a "robot" 🤖

It doesn’t always work. Sometimes nothing works. But sometimes, a small shift in perspective is enough to make you hate the computer just a little less.