https://patzhong.com/stop-being-boring/ Stop being boring creativity --------------------------------------------------------------------- This week, I felt pretty depressed and lost my motivation and focus. After launching Space4, I got some signups from HackerNews, but no one was really using the app. Including myself. "Will people even use this? Am I doing the wrong thing again?", I wondered. It sucks. This is not unfamiliar to me because I have failed many projects before. This time is a bit different. I knew the problem was valid since many people have trouble staying focused. There are many successful focus apps in the market to prove that. During the prototyping, I also researched and asked friends for fresh perspectives. Furthermore, I tried to innovate by combining the app with ambiance sounds and an online community. Most importantly, the app got more tractions than all the previous projects. I seem to do a better job this time. However, I don't feel right. After asking for help from Indie Hackers and friends, I know what improvements I can make. Simplifying the landing page, a goal-setting feature, improving UX...etc. I also know that I shouldn't dismiss the idea easily because it doesn't work at first. And I believe success usually comes after perseverance and not giving up. But deep down in my heart, I have this scary feeling that I am no longer passionate about coding and building stuff. I feel bored, uninspired, and unmotivated. I am lost. II did sleep well, eat well, and exercise regularly. I don't have a problem physiologically. I am generally happy and optimistic, so I am psychologically healthy. So what went wrong? My gut feeling is that I am boring. I lost my creativity and the sense of wonder I used to have in childhood. I am no longer curious because I am settled for the world as it is. I accept things the way they are instead of imagining how they could be. I follow trends to avoid being wrong. I play safe instead of being adventurous. I am afraid of failure - fear of being judged, fear of getting started, and fear of the unknown. I am kinda sick of this. I need to make a change. I need to think differently and have my own opinions. I need to pick a fight and stop trying to please everybody. I need to unleash the child within. Most of all, I need to stop being boring. April 6, 2022 patrick Raw thoughts --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 responses to "Stop being boring" 1. [6c4] Will says: April 6, 2022 at 12:25 pm Sounds like you need some Soul shaking, "We gonna have a soul shake down party tonight" -Bob Marley Time to become a volunteer at the local youth center/ local shelter/ food bank/ care home Give something back to the community, Peter Krapotkins Mutual Aid has some wise words in it. Try that for a start. Good luck Reply + [1e0] patrick says: April 6, 2022 at 2:16 pm One of the best pieces of advice I have ever heard. I should think of ways to give instead of chasing money. Thanks, Will. Reply 2. [fe6] rodrigo says: April 6, 2022 at 1:11 pm I am from a 3rd world country. I don't think you are boring. It is the idea that people can be reduced to apps what is boring. I feel in general computers or smartphones boring as an extensions of a human being. That is not its purpose however we deviate into that. All apps devoted to improve people's lives, to make us really good isn't going to be a good business. If you want to make money do some porn site, if you want to make good to people ask them to avoid being all the time behind a screen and do it yourself. Reply 3. [eef] emit says: April 6, 2022 at 1:14 pm Try LSD Reply 4. [e2d] Will says: April 6, 2022 at 1:17 pm This article explains a lot, Patrick. Many thanks for sharing. It really made me think differently. Reply + [1e0] patrick says: April 6, 2022 at 2:09 pm Hi Will, thank you for dropping by. I wrote this article solely to express my recent frustration. I am glad that you can benefit from it. Reply 5. [1db] Douglas Gardiner says: April 6, 2022 at 1:47 pm You're not boring. You are feeling what it is like to fail. It should hurt and be depressing. You've made several attempts at it with no success of any kind. My suggestion is take a month or two away from it. Take lots of walks to clear the mind and focus on everything else and then come back to it. Write an app you will use. Start there. Its much easier to persist at something that benefits your own interests, and perhaps maybe others will also be interested. I was doing similar stuff and took a break. Then I wrote an app for software project management, so even if no one else uses it, I do. Plus it helps with the resume to say, 'hey I wrote this to help me work on my software projects.' Reply + [1e0] patrick says: April 6, 2022 at 2:12 pm Great advice Douglas. I should start by building something I will use myself! Reply 6. [df6] Paul says: April 6, 2022 at 1:54 pm You need a vacation. You sound burnt out and in need of inspiration. Let's play golf. Reply + [1e0] patrick says: April 6, 2022 at 2:06 pm Thanks, Paul. I am going to take a break and go camping tomorrow. Reply 7. [8ff] Eric Evers says: April 6, 2022 at 2:19 pm I am excited about many things. Classical music. Programming, math, Bitcoin. But most people find these topics as Boring! as I find football. I am creative in these Boring topics. Most people find poetry boring. So I started a poetry club to meet other poets. I listen to math and poetry and programming podcasts and read books to pump my knowledge and interest. Create someting every week, it does not matter what. And know , Creatives are rare. Seek them out. No one was born knowing how to sketch, play piano, or program. Oh. And Now I am dating a poetry lover. Create for yourself and then share, in that order. Reply 8. [a47] Noam says: April 6, 2022 at 3:01 pm You are changing, this is not necessarily bad. I once had the ability to play computer games for days on end and enjoy every moment of it. Now it feels claustrophobic and wasting my life. Was losing this "Childhood wonder" really a big loss? By the way you write I assume you are coding for many years. I would put my money that you are in fact not becoming boring, but losing interest in a hobby you had for many years and struggling to let go. What if you did some experimentation with other things and found that while you no longer enjoy coding as much as you did you now appreciate sports or gardening or hiking or history or music or spending time with friends more? Is it really that much of a loss? There are a lot of worthwhile things in life other than building products Destruction is part of creation, rot is part of growth. Don't be afraid to let go of what defined you in the past and reinvent yourself. While its OK to mourn the parts of yourself that are dying, don't let nostalgia for who you were prevent you from enjoying who you are. Reply 9. [34e] JohnTheBaptiste says: April 6, 2022 at 3:21 pm Try Psychedelics, this will change your life, in a good way. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Comment * [ ] Name * [ ] Email * [ ] Website [ ] [ ] Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [Post Comment]