[HN Gopher] Ask HN: How do you stay motivated and productive?
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Ask HN: How do you stay motivated and productive?
I don't have any motivation to do many of my tasks at work. They're
all boring and frustrating. It's just a job, not a career, so
there's no incentive to push through this just to get to the next
level. Also, switching jobs internally or externally doesn't seem
to be a likely option. Any ideas on how to increase motivation at
work?
Author : giantg2
Score : 33 points
Date : 2021-10-06 19:06 UTC (3 hours ago)
| xupybd wrote:
| Time for a new job. You've probably been there too long and have
| gotten fed up with the way of doing things.
| eigengrau5150 wrote:
| > It's just a job, not a career
|
| What's wrong with this? You realize that if you died today your
| job would get posted before your obituary, don't you?
|
| Don't let your job mean too much to you. Do the job, get paid,
| and find meaning, community, and fulfillment _elsewhere_.
| mastrsushi wrote:
| This. so. much.
|
| If your life feels empty and you're unhappy working for some no
| name company in an entry level role, do you really think being
| chief sr. lead back end architect at Google is going to flip
| everything around?
| giantg2 wrote:
| Nothing wrong with it. It just eliminates the option of pushing
| through this to get to the next level.
|
| It doesn't mean too much to me. But it does mean that I get a
| paycheck that I use to support my family. I just need to be
| motivated and productive enough to keep the job.
| badpun wrote:
| Usually, if you're visibly underperforming, you get clear
| warning messages from management before you actually get
| fired. They tend to be very motivating. Alas, if you're not
| getting them yet, then your performance doesn't look as bad
| from the outside as you think.
| giantg2 wrote:
| I'll likely get a porr rating this year based on their
| feedback. Interestingly enough, they say I've somehow
| turned it around in the past couple months eventhough I
| didn't change anything.
|
| The only real feedback I got on why I'm off track is that
| I'm slow. I also agree that I'm slow. Management and I
| agree that I'm slow due to a high level of context
| switching. I brought up that maybe a new team with less
| switching would be better for me. They are discouraging
| that.
| eigengrau5150 wrote:
| Little clue: there is no "next nevel" when you're working to
| realize some other asshole's dream. The "next level" is more
| of the same, with a small pay raise and a more prestigious
| title if you're lucky.
|
| If you want to do something meaningful with your life, stop
| making rich assholes even richer and get the fuckers to
| invest in _you_ so you can realize your own dream.
|
| Be a fuckin' entrepreneur instead of some entrepreneur's
| flunky.
| giantg2 wrote:
| Too risky. I have a family to support.
| icedchai wrote:
| I've seen entrepreneurship go wrong and become just
| another thing tying you down. You're beholden to
| investors, customers, and vendors. And also employees,
| complaining about bounced or late paychecks.
| [deleted]
| throwaway888abc wrote:
| Remember why you started.
|
| If the situation/conditions are different now and you are not
| happy or your expectations are not fulfilling: Time for change ?
| giantg2 wrote:
| I'm not happy, but I don't think another position would make me
| any happier.
| themodelplumber wrote:
| Sorry to hear about it...
|
| Motivation is an unfortunately difficult placeholder word when a
| lot of other words and descriptions could work better. Could it
| be that your preferred perspectives and roles are blocked by
| others at work, and your ability to believe in a good outcome is
| compromised? Just as one example. In this case it might help to
| reframe your role and your tools, in a way that still fits your
| skills. In this way, differing descriptions of the problem can
| sometimes offer new leverage.
|
| Same with "boring". Can your perspective on boredom be described
| in a different way that highlights solutions that weren't on the
| table before? I have one friend who finds a lack of ideation
| boring, because he's a conceptualizer. I have another friend who
| finds a lack of physical stimulation boring.
|
| And we would need to know, are you only temporarily comfortable
| ruling options out before trying them, and are you eventually
| going to feel more willing to allow for random unknowns and
| outside possibilities and try them? In such a case we could put
| switching jobs externally and internally both back on the mood
| board, which at least gives you more local control over the
| general process.
|
| There's a lot of ground to cover but I hope you find yourself
| getting some good ideas as you ask around. Good luck and may you
| find yourself in an awesome new work situation.
| giantg2 wrote:
| I definitely don't believe in good outcomes. I don't think
| performance is rewarded, and the next level is unobtainable.
| The systems only get more complex and unstable. The company has
| been making a string of decisions that have a negative impact
| on employees too.
|
| I'm a midlevel application engineer mostly maintaining systems
| that move data from a legacy system into a cloud system.
| There's a high level of context switching and constant PRD
| support issues. It's a terrible environment for me, yet most
| other postings don't seem any better.
|
| I haven't completely ruled out internal or external moves, but
| I'm tired of people saying "just leave". I have posted to a
| couple internal and external roles, but didn't get them (not
| enough "real" Android experience). I have some professional and
| personal things that limit some of my choices and can make the
| switch difficult/risky.
|
| I am a conceptualizer. I do think it's a lack of ideation, or
| that the even when new ideas are presented they aren't pursued.
| I think I'd love a job as an architect, but that's unobtainable
| from my current level.
| 908B64B197 wrote:
| > I'm a midlevel application engineer mostly maintaining
| systems that move data from a legacy system into a cloud
| system.
|
| The real question is: Are you working for a tech company or a
| regular business that "happens to do tech".
|
| If the latter, it's time to jump ship.
| the_only_law wrote:
| FWIW I was very surprised to learn that the former will
| have little interest in you if you're entrenched in the
| latter.
|
| Or so it seems.
| giantg2 wrote:
| IT is a cost center here
| the_only_law wrote:
| > I think I'd love a job as an architect, but that's
| unobtainable from my current level.
|
| I've thought this for years, given how many crazy things I've
| designed and architected in my head, but never built.
|
| But just as I found out with programming, I have a feeling
| it's a lot more boring when applied to "real world" problems.
| themodelplumber wrote:
| God, you reminded me what an energy drain it was to be in
| such a situation. I hear you there. I hope you'll take good
| care of yourself in your daily routines while you get this
| bigger-picture issue sorted.
|
| > I think I'd love a job as an architect, but that's
| unobtainable from my current level.
|
| You do seem like the exact kind of person who would benefit
| from using an architect's tools and perspectives. Fortunately
| being big-picture tools in large part, they are very readily
| adaptable to any process you want.
|
| IDEO design interviews and videos on YT, and lectures on
| systems thinking are sometimes a fun way to rekindle this
| type of mindset for problem-solving purposes.
|
| (An open-ended, architectural process of designing the system
| that will get you into your next fulfilling position? Not
| everybody can do that, but based on what you wrote, you'd go
| to the front of my line...)
| giantg2 wrote:
| Thanks!
|
| "An open-ended, architectural process of designing the
| system that will get you into your next fulfilling
| position?"
|
| It's certainly a challenging task. There are some
| significant constraints in my situation. I'm tempted to
| just not care, let them eventually fire me, and find a low
| stress job like working at Lowe's. It's boring but the
| expectations at $11/hr f you money at the opposite end of
| the spectrum (as in you don't pay me enough to care).
| themodelplumber wrote:
| yw. The temptation makes sense to me. I know a lot of
| people who have done something similar.
|
| I remember one who was a top salesman at a solar company,
| but totally burnt out. He had four custom houses in
| locations around the world; he sold them all & narrowed
| down his possessions into a single carry-on. Broke up
| with his GF and poof, his new interim life had started.
|
| He jumped around to a few different positions (f-u-style)
| before eventually re-anchoring.
|
| In a lot of cases this is something like a personal
| transformation process, as well, or can be described as
| such...
| otikik wrote:
| You sound like you might be burned out. If that's a possibility,
| my advice for you would be: get some professional help. A lot of
| psychologists offer a free first session. Take one.
|
| If you don't want to do that, I would advise concentrating on
| improving everything that isn't your job instead.
|
| Spend quality time with you r family. Exercise regularly. Eat
| healthy. Reconnect with old friends, or make new ones. Do some
| creative hobby from time to time. Sleep enough hours.
|
| Those things compound. It will be much easier to endure those
| boring tasks at work if the rest of your life is enjoyable.
|
| And you might find it easier to find a different job once you're
| have a more positive mindset.
|
| The worst that can happen is that you feel better and your work
| situation doesn't change.
| randycupertino wrote:
| This is bad advice, so don't do this, but here's what I do when I
| have a big project to tackle and want to work through it: I
| basically bribe myself with snacks or other stuff I like. Two
| more hours and I'll go make a peppermint tea with honey and
| lemon. Four hours in, I'll sit with legs up the wall in yoga
| pose. Six hours have some gummy bears. Etc etc.
|
| It's not a good practice for all-encompassing stuff like the job
| overall, but for specific dreaded projects it tends to work well!
|
| The other thing you might like to check out is Cal Newport's book
| "So Good They Can't Ignore You." His premise is basically that
| all jobs suck and are just jobs, and how you train yourself to
| "enjoy" them is to become the expert at the processes and things
| you do and do them so well that you end up enjoying the work for
| the sheer satisfaction of it. I don't know if I'm explaining that
| part well but basically you kind of learn to enjoy the
| frustration parts by learning to master them.
|
| When all else fails, become friends with your coworkers and now
| you have friends at work to bond with and that makes it
| enjoyable!
| the_only_law wrote:
| > His premise is basically that all jobs suck and are just
| jobs, and how you train yourself to "enjoy" them
|
| Sure, all jobs suck, but I'd be a hell of a lot more content in
| some, than others.
| giantg2 wrote:
| "become the expert at the processes and things you do and do
| them so well that you end up enjoying the work for the sheer
| satisfaction of it."
|
| I've hit this before. The environment on this current team
| doesn't really allow me to become an expert. I'll add that book
| to my list though. Thanks!
| randycupertino wrote:
| It's sort of a mindfuck almost because at least when I did it
| myself for the #1 thing I had to master at work it was sort
| of a "hate it so much you love it" situation. It was budgets.
| So I hyped myself up so much to tackle the damn budget that
| in some weird twisted way I started enjoying doing it and now
| it's like, "AHHHH HAAAA I WILL CRUSH YOU" when budget
| projections come up. Although truth be told I still loathe
| doing it, I just make such a big dumb "thing" over it in my
| head that I enjoy it more for the stupidity and theatrics.
| The second you finish it, they change it! Wahoo! Lol.
| halfjoking wrote:
| Spite has been a great motivator for me lately. Be like Michael
| Jordan and take it personal:
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss5Ndz0tn9o
|
| Then do the bare minimum as quickly as possible so you have time
| to plan and do what's necessary to change your situation.
| giantg2 wrote:
| I did that one year. Got a needs improvement rating for
| political reasons. Thought I'd just kick ass the next year and
| get the highest rating. Nope. They don't follow their own rules
| so I can't spite them within the constraints of the system they
| run.
| pmdulaney wrote:
| If you happen to be a Christian I recommend _Spiritual
| Depression_ by David Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Addresses many of the
| reasons people get in a funk or a rut.
| giantg2 wrote:
| I might check that out. This lack of motivation is really just
| around work and not other aspects of life.
| jstummbillig wrote:
| > Also, switching jobs [...] externally doesn't seem to be a
| likely option
|
| Why is that?
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(page generated 2021-10-06 23:01 UTC)