How To Get Out of Developer's Block? 601
Midnight Thunder writes "I have spent the past six months working on a software project, and while I can come up with ideas, I just can't seem to sit down in front of the computer to code. I sit there and I just can't concentrate. I don't know whether this is akin to writer's block, but it feels like it. Have any other Slashdotters run into this and if so how did you get out of it? It is bothering me since the project has ground to a halt and I really want to get started again. I am the sole developer on the project, if that makes a difference."
Coder's block (Score:5, Insightful)
I take a walk if it's one of those small bugs that holds you up for days and then turns out to be a semi colon in the wrong place.
If I can't motivate myself to work on a particular project, I work on something similar for personal projects at home, because that's always more interesting than doing something because you have to. Once I get into it, I get little moments of inspiration like "Ah, that'd be a really useful feature to use at work." That makes the work more interesting and there are times at work when I get little moments of inspiration like "Ah, that'd be really useful to use on my home project."
Break your project into manageable steps (Score:5, Insightful)
Break your project into manageable steps. It's the only way to tackle large, complicated tasks when you lack motivation.
If you do enough small steps, you'll regain your enthusiasm for the project. Then you'll be back on the rails in no time.
Too many possible factors (Score:5, Insightful)
Sole developer is hard. There's no easy answer as people react differently.
I'd say:
1) Get away from the computer for a bit.
2) Do that other project that keeps interrupting your thoughts.
3) Sit down and work out a hard plan with deadlines. Not long term deadlines, but in the near future. If you can't do this, then maybe the project is too fuzzily defined.
4) Do a lot more work with pencil and paper. Only use the computer for programming and post-pencil-paper documentation.
5) Is there anything outside life that's affecting you? Afraid of zombies in red jackets dancing if you fail to finish the project? Is it actually going well, or are you unhappy with it? Ask yourself the hard questions to see if it's that. I.e., you feel it's not worth finishing the project, so you can't.
6) It could just be your work conditions - chair, computer position, desk cleanliness. Or the people around you - interruptions, etc. Make notes of when you get interrupted, and then see what they're like at the end of the week. Like a food diary, you might be surprised.
Don't Code, Design (Score:5, Insightful)
PIck a different module or direction (Score:4, Insightful)
That has happened to me on lone-gunman projects. It is particularly troublesome when you are determining your own deadline as the writer's block feeds procrastination.
Because this is a lone gunman project you may have an ordered list of development steps or modules to develop in your head. One thing to try would be to mix up the order of development a little in order to jump-start your brain and motivation with something different while at the same time being productive on the project.
Or set up a development schedule with firm delivery milestones and hand it to your boss, and working against a deadline may get the brain moving.
Start fun and build momentum (Score:5, Insightful)
Start fun and small. Do the fun stuff first, get your mind obsessing over it (sketching up your mockups, database schemas, etc), so that that's all you're thinking about, then starting the coding isn't so much of a hassle. Don't think too big off the bat, or the project will seem too daunting. Focus on getting a small prototype up and running, then once you've got that momentum, you can start adding features.
They say to start but not finish the easy stuff at night so that when you wake up the next morning, you have the easy part to finish, which gets you started. Then, once you've got momentum, continuing on the harder stuff is easier.
Start sharpening your axe (Score:3, Insightful)
Abraham Lincoln said: "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four hours sharpening the axe".
The same applies for building an app.
One approach:
Draw a schematic of data flow.
Start thinking about data structures for your app.
Write test cases for imaginary modules that talk to these data structures.
Code the modules utilizing the above test cases.
Write app code that utilized the modules.
Blocked? You're not interested in the code... (Score:4, Insightful)
3 Things (Score:4, Insightful)
1. Find something really easy, quick, simple to do. Builds momentum. (At the end of the day, I like to leave myself something easy for the next day to get started on).
2. Find somebody to discuss the project with. That alone will often get me going.
3. Get more sleep. This is more of a personal thing, but I find I'm able to concentrate less effectively when not getting enough sleep.
--D
Re:No it is not a writers block (Score:1, Insightful)
There's a lot more to coding than just mashing away at the keys.
I submit:
- thinking about a project
- coming up with specifications and test cases
Does not rule out someone being a programmer. The real issue is probably motivation. Noone had to tell Michael Jordan to go play basketball. Nobody had to go tell da Vinci to go paint. Nobody hand to tell Kerouac to go write.
You can't force good code... Hell. If coding isn't in your heart, you probably can't even force bad code. He needs to take a look at what he's doing and figure out why he's doing it.
Re:Too many possible factors (Score:5, Insightful)
I've had this problem where I've sunk into a funk, there's a few things I did to cure it:
- Quit coffee for a while and get your sleep patterns back to normal
- Exercise more. Sitting at a desk I can get my breathing down to almost nothing and my pulse down to 40. Do this for a year and your body becomes inefficient at getting oxygen into your system. Exercise and stretch your lungs. I do 50 pushups a day, and jogging on the weekend and it's changed my life.
- Once an hour move around a bit, again increasing your breathing and heart rate.
- Try to get more sunlight in your life.
- Stop reading slashdot for a while - it sucks the life force out of you. In fact try to cut down on tv and internet browsing and do stuff requires more active involvement.
Re:Coder's block (Score:1, Insightful)
Is it just me? I don't think I've ever met a good programmer who smoked pot at any time in their life.
No, I don't have short term memory (I think....)
Step by step process (Score:5, Insightful)
1) Examine your motives. Do you really want to do this? No? Think about the effect on you if you don't. Spend no more than 2 minutes on this stage. Decide.
2) Describe the problem to yourself, written, in a single short paragraph. Display this where you can see it as you work.
3) Determine the absolutely smallest possible component of this job that you need to do. Maybe a 5 minute job. If you can't break down a big job into smaller jobs, you're in the wrong business. Pick that smallest little job and do it. Write it down on a physical list and tick it off. Actually do this step.
4) Determine the next little job. Work a bit to find the next smallest task. Rinse and repeat.
5) By this time you might have momentum. But if all else fails, acquire a McDonald's or Wendy's job application. Have it framed and on your wall in front of you. Nothing will motivate you better than that.
Do some truth (Score:5, Insightful)
Sounds a lot like, deep down, you don't really want to be there, or at least you don't want to be working on that project. Are you happy working as a coder? Do you like your particular technical area? Do you truly like your colleagues? Your employer?
Conditions such as depression not withstanding, it sounds like something deeper within you is trying to tell you something.
More to it than that. (Score:5, Insightful)
Your motivation to work on something has to come from within. That being said, if you are in a depressed mood (understandable in these times), then you are less likely to be productive. I suggest going out for a run, getting your blood pumping, etc. Sometimes caffeine helps. Music helps. Minimizing distractions helps - web browser, cell phone, etc.
One thing you can do if you want motivation is to reward completing the boring or hard tasks with easier, more fun tasks. Mix up the hard problems you have to solve with minor annoyances. That way, if you can't concentrate on a hard problem, you can at least make some progress. Making progress is the way to get through the doldrums.
Go to bed early, next to a window facing East. Wake up in sunlight.
You might also take the approach that video games do - track the work you do. Reward yourself for making milestones.
Re:LSD and Weed (Score:5, Insightful)
*** Whoosh! ***
Sole development is hard (Score:5, Insightful)
Doing it by yourself is, indeed, hard.
I have done too much of this. Far too much. I need to get back to a group ... over a year away from a company, some years away from a team. My sanity is fading a bit.
You get the following problems:
You get lonely
You have nobody to talk over a problem or a design with - and that's bad. You can get stuck on a stupid problem, and if you talked to someone else they'd have said "You idiot, you just need to use this widget" .. and they'd be right. This is probably the worst one
You get very jaded. There's no competition, nor does anyone say "Well done Fred. Nice work"
If you are working at home - the fridge is far, far too close. Nasty
Your designs get corrupt because there's nobody charged with keeping the design and structure in shape. It's far too easy to cheat - you wrote the code, after all, why do I need encapsulation?
What to do?
The fridge problem takes self control, the corrupt design problem is tough, and the loneliness problem is very difficult. Take some external sport, maybe - perhaps some sort of team sport (I skate - in a team. Embarrassing for a geek perhaps, but nice to talk to people completely outside your field).
But you do need some interaction with your peers - Slashdot is not a good way. Too introspective.
You need a friend network, for the occasional geek chat, kick in the head, and the odd war story. Oh, and beer.
Personally I am trying to leap back into the arm of an organisation, with teams. A difficult change, especially in the current climate, but essential for my sanity.
So I wish you luck.
You might try studying a completely new environment - Ruby or something, in an attempt to reinspire the child-like wonder that got you into this area. It's still there. Go for it!
Prioritized Procrastination (Score:5, Insightful)
Right now, if your apartment is messy, work on your current project. Of course, instead of working the project, you'll procrastinate it by cleaning your apartment. When your apartment is clean, get yourself an urgent, unappealing project. Soon you'll be using your original project as a means of procrastinating the new one!
Re:Step by step process (Score:5, Insightful)
3) Determine the absolutely smallest possible component of this job that you need to do. Maybe a 5 minute job. If you can't break down a big job into smaller jobs, you're in the wrong business. Pick that smallest little job and do it. Write it down on a physical list and tick it off. Actually do this step.
4) Determine the next little job. Work a bit to find the next smallest task. Rinse and repeat.
I hear ya. Whatever you do with that code, keep fiddling with it. Keep your attention on it even if it's just some comment formatting. After a while, your brain starts to get into gear and next time you look up from your screen, the janitor will be telling you to go home already.
For most of us, there is a certain period of time we have to sit and look stupid, before we can be productive. Just stick with it.
Re:Too many possible factors (Score:3, Insightful)
Good advice. Good quality sleep where you're not thinking of work is great. Being a bit fit helps too. I walk a couple of miles a day, and am lucky to have a window desk so I see the sunlight. If you're in a dark office, or area of the world, then maybe invest in a lightbox. Do some gardening at the weekend as well - exercise, creative, different, sunlight and fresh air.
Actually, before you leave for the day, write a list of what you want to do the next day. And after that, DON'T think of work until you're in the next day. That list is a mental sign to yourself that you're done until the next work day.
And yes, the internet sucks time away. Stopping the cycle is important. Start by checking when you get into work, at lunch, and before home, rather than all the time. Then cut one of these sessions out.
Maybe you need a break (Score:1, Insightful)
Had that happening to me a long time ago. Eventually, I took a two weeks break from programming (I was going nowhere with my work anyway) and enjoyed some much needed relax. When I was back I had recovered enough energies to work as usual and complete the job. Since then, I plan in advance breaks, pauses, days off work and short vacations for any project that lasts more than three months: got downs and ups many times, but never came even close to have to stop working.
Re:Shut down your web browser (Score:5, Insightful)
"Shut down your web browser", especially that part that involves reading or...posting/submitting articles to Slashdot.
Re:R.I.P Michael Jackson (Score:3, Insightful)
> Given that Michael Jackson died a few hours ago, I would pick another image.
You really don't think the OP knew this?
Re:Too many possible factors (Score:3, Insightful)
#1 If you can, take breaks every 30-45 min. Just 5 minutes. Actually get up. Walk out of the office, down the hall and back.
#2 I agree with. It always helps me to work on something else, even for a half hour. Before you do it though, pick a class or a page of code that needs work and think about it (don't code, just think) and then start that other project. Sometimes it helps to put the ideas in your head and let your brain subconsciously multi-task. (like remember the name of an artist that was on the tip of your tongue after it doesn't matter anymore...)
#3, works... if you don't overdo it. We started Scrum logs at work and they are a constant reminder how far behind you are. Great for the project manager who promised a stupid deadline, but brain toaster for the developer doing all the work. We only look 2 weeks ahead. Yes, I've gotten a LOT done using it, but I am absolutely drained at the end of the day.
#4 Most definitely. I do work out a lot of things on paper. It helps your brain work out the problem logically before you start physically doing the work.
#5 Sleep. Sunday night (or whatever your first "work" night is...) get more sleep than you think you need. If you normally get 6 hours, make it 8. You'll likely wake up earlier, but that's a good thing. Warm up before trudging to work. Even light exercise or stretches can be a good thing. If you know you can or have flexible hours, turn off your alarm clock. Wake naturally.
#6 Headphones and "elevator music" are great for interruptions. I listen to music without lyrics or the lyrics are "integrated" better with the music when coding. I like listening to rock/progressive metal, but not when coding. Find the "slow" songs from bands you like. (Ascension and Human Shields by Fear Factory for example. They are not really like the rest of the songs they do. It's more mellow, atmospheric music... stuff that I think you'd hear in space if it had a soundtrack... and if sound traveled in space.) People tend to leave you alone and see that you are busy. When I say "elevator music" I don't mean literally! Get stuff you can listen to.
Happens occasionally to me (Score:3, Insightful)
So far, I remove all technology from my life. Phone kept to essential calls/text only. Turn off (temporarily) Internet at home. Zero tv and movies. No games. Zero technology and information intake.
I'll start to get better after a couple of days but I keep up the detox for about two weeks. Ramp up the reading, jogging, rowing, sport with mates, go for drinks.
You'll feel better and the 'itch' to burn code will return.
Re:More to it than that. (Score:3, Insightful)
I found the type of music has a huge impact. I pick songs that have no lyrics, are generally slow or ambient. If there is a fast beat or lyrics, I find it more distracting then silence.
Re:It is a managerial problem. You aren't motivate (Score:3, Insightful)
I wouldn't go so far as to blame management for motivation problems. It isn't really a dev manager's job to motivate a developer who doesn't know why they are demotivated any more than it is to be a developer's therapist. If the developer has a concrete reason (eg. "the lead is abrasive" or "the deadlines are way too unrealistic") then you can blame the manager for inaction.
That said, perhaps the solution to this developer's motivation problems is to become a dev manager for a while. Then he'll find coding far more enjoyable than being blamed for things outside his control.
Re:LSD and Weed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Too many possible factors (Score:3, Insightful)
I live in the American Gardens Building on W. 81st Street on the 11th floor. My name is Patrick Bateman. I'm 27 years old. I believe in taking care of myself and a balanced diet and rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion
Re:More to it than that. (Score:3, Insightful)
I always find my highest productivity times are when I can type to the tempo of fast techno songs. I'm not sure that the music helps, it might be that I can only really get into fast techno when I'm highly productive.
Re:promise yourself you'll get up in a half hour (Score:3, Insightful)
I find that my happiness, productivity, and quality of sleep are all on feedback loops with each other.
If I try to push myself 'too hard' I burn out and reduce my output. Once my output/focus starts to suffer I find that what was fine last week is now 'too hard'. I also start losing sleep because I'm not as happy, making me late of the office making me stay later to get the same hours and lowering the 'too hard' threshold again. At my worst in this loops I can put myself down to 3 grace C productive hours a day. At my best I can put in 8 grade A productive hours a day (so about 12 times more output)
The only thing I've found that pulls me out of these loops so far is time off. If I take time off before I start spiraling down it takes me less time off to keep myself in a healthy mental state than if I wait til I'm sitting at my desk for an hour (with my browser closed) and still only putting out 10 minutes of work. I also find that a walk at 3 PM helps keep me focused and productive (not sure if that's an option at your office).
You might also consider looking for a different job (if you can't find a solution at your current workplace). Is it a product of coding that you hate? The project you're working on? Corporate culture? Personally, I just hate wiring buttons together and that's a lot of what I do.
Re:Shut down your web browser (Score:3, Insightful)
I personally find that a quick checking of the news is good for a mini break between tasks and can help keep me feeling focused in the long term.
Re:It is a managerial problem. You aren't motivate (Score:3, Insightful)
Too right.
I've burned out myself during a large, sole developer project. I thought about leaving programming at the time. Tried to point out the insanity of deliverables at hand; but had a whole multi-tired management chain above me 'wishing' for some absurd counter-real truth. I crashed majorly. Took the blame. Saw a shrink. Apparently it happens to a lot of us and a huge hand in all of this is down to mis-mangement. Unreal-expectations which are out of your hand and 'seem' very end of the worldish; it's easy to get that sort of tunnel vision when you're a sole developer working on something. In my own case it was a project with a rapidly changing and volatile spec and unrealistic timescales, the manager was a thicksh1t who couldn't defend realism in the deliverables of those under him (he was under pressure himself) and I was pressured into agreeing to estimates which his managers wanted to hear. Total Burn Out. My shrink said he was a manipulating SOB. Picked myself up and moved on.
We're often put under undue pressure; if you're a good developer you'll get away with it 9 times out of 10. We started out doing it for fun; so you'll suffer sleep loss; long hours; whatever? We've all been there. It's fun - when you pull it off. Since we usually do, there's an expectation that we'll always pull the rabbit out of the hat. It's unrealistic and unreasonable. I now choose which of my 'own' projects I wish to stress out over. If you can't get past the code-block, just be honest with the powers that be. If they have an issue - move on or propagate up the chain. There are still a lot other roles and life options out there.
Good luck.
Re:It is a managerial problem. You aren't motivate (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:More to it than that. (Score:5, Insightful)
Many years ago I had a conversation with an author friend who mentioned that by the time she gets to writing chapter 11 in a book she begins to lose interest in completing it. Something along the lines of being far enough into the book to have put a good piece of work in and are bored with the prospect of what lies ahead and not far enough into it that the end is in sight. She mentioned that she just needs to power through those spots. Eventually you'll move through it and the work will become self fulfilling again.
I think that book-writing metaphor applies here too.
If this is essentially your first project (or your first solo project) you may not believe there's an joyful end to where you currently are, but if you really believed in what you were doing when you started you'll get that old feeling again when you start to get closer to the end. So ... yea... get back to work.
BTW, my author friend didn't refer to this as 'writers block' because that term applies to a loss of ideas and inability to figure out what to write next. Her "chapter-11" concern and what appears to be your concern too, is an easier one of lacking motivation; you know what to do you just don't want to do it. Now... if you got a thorny problem and don't know how to get started working on it then ... that's closer to the classical writers block problem.
sounds like burn-out (Score:2, Insightful)
Seriously,
Take a holiday.
Holiday, vacation, take some time off (Score:5, Insightful)
Depending on other factors you could also be suffering from burnout [helpguide.org]
Test Driven Development (Score:5, Insightful)
I find test-driven development a great way to break out of the developers block. Just write a small test, the tiniest most trivial test that you can imagine. Now make it pass. And pretty soon you are back in the game.
--
Hate your boss? [adaptiveapp.com]
It's called Burnout (Score:3, Insightful)
It's caused by one or more of the following - Doing something for too long - with a lack of support - without any likely rewards on the horizon - and with a realization what you're doing, while once seemingly important, is truly insignificant.
Burnout is your brain telling you you're on a loser and it's time to walk away and for good reason: There are worse things than walking away from a losing proposition. If you want to push on anyway, at least learn about it. Google is probably your only friend: http://www.google.com/search?q=burnout+ [google.com]"scientific+american"
Re:More to it than that. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:More to it than that. (Score:4, Insightful)
Many years ago I had a conversation with an author friend who mentioned that by the time she gets to writing chapter 11 in a book she begins to lose interest in completing it. Something along the lines of being far enough into the book to have put a good piece of work in and are bored with the prospect of what lies ahead and not far enough into it that the end is in sight. She mentioned that she just needs to power through those spots. Eventually you'll move through it and the work will become self fulfilling again.
If you "power through" it despite lack of inspiration, you risk writing a book that becomes boring and uninspired after chapter 11. Has she considered writingt books with 10 chapters instead? A lot of writers write books that are way too thick and get boring halfway through. Better write only the bits for which you have inspiration and skip the rest entirely, IMO. You don't need to tell everything that happens, just the bits that are fun to read.
Terry Pratchett (an author who doesn't use chapters at all) says there's no such thing as writer's block. There's only bad writers.
I'm afraid this advice doesn't translate well to programming projects, however. You can't skip bits of code and let the end user imagine them. Although you might skip over the boring bits of code and focus on the fun bits first, and later return to the boring bits when everything else is done, because otherwise it just won't work. Doing boring stuff that's essential to get the fun stuff working isn't nearly as bad as doing boring stuff that won't do anything meaningful until I've gotten around to the fun stuff later.