What is a good way to regain focus?

10 points by darren06 14y ago ↗ HN

Hey all, over the last 5 years as working as a Web Developer I feel I have lost my focus and passion for what I like to do which is build web apps. I believe I have become discouraged by realizing a lot of companies care more about getting the product out quickly than actually getting it out in a stable solid state that represents quality. I have also lost my focus in looking at finding my own product to make by focusing on what technology to make the product with. I have gone astray from my core language PHP and have have worked as a ColdFusion developer and currently work as a .NET developer now; and I am looking at Rails now. How do you get that inner Zen back where you can focus on personal projects and really enjoy what you do? Will this last forever or is it just a temporary thing? I thought I would ask this for some other other developers here who have gone through this.

Thanks

4 comments

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cleaver 14y ago ↗

I attended a Startup Weekend event... It definitely gave me a boost in energy and enthusiasm and ended up presenting me with multiple opportunities for learning and for work. There should be other local or national events that could also fit the bill.

Definitely look for opportunities to collaborate with others--working with a like-minded team can push you further than you could get on your own. Contributing to open-source projects will be a boost too.

tolitius 14y ago ↗

"How do you get that inner Zen back where you can focus on personal projects and really enjoy what you do?"

It might be a personal thing.. but the "inner Zen" relies mostly on self confidence, and it is ok not to have it constantly. Especially when approaching new things with lots of unknowns. It is actually cool to experience a discomfort, since it sparkles fresh ideas. But again... sometimes.

Why can't you enjoy your personal projects now? If choosing a "tech stack" is a problem, then choose literally anything that has a live and matching (to you) community around it. You are looking at Rails, and you like what you see, people you talk to (IRC, forums, groups, conferences)? Go for it, and have no fear of missing out on anything.

robgibbons 14y ago ↗

1. Buy the book "Mindfulness in Plain English" 2. ??? 3. Profit!

Paul8 14y ago ↗

Consider the values that you seem to take personally, the ones that you can't leave alone, even when it seems to make sense to set them aside. What are the things that you can't leave undone, that you can't not do?

Most people have a few closely-held, somewhat abstract values that stay with them even though they may get expressed very differently in various contexts.

Look at Bret Victor - Inventing on Principle (https://vimeo.com/36579366). He's talking about himself and others who eventually got very specific about why things are worth doing, for them, personally. When people understand that, they get very inspired and very productive.

So, why do you value a stable, quality product? And why do you value choosing the right stack? Maybe it's the elegance or power of using the right tool for the job. Or maybe you enjoy understanding technology deeper than the people around you. What other values are persistent for you. Whatever they are, look for more ways to express those values and to share them with the world.

It's sometimes long hard work to learn this about yourself. And as you do learn, you'll know which projects can be satisfying and which to say no to.