So I'm sure everyone has moments where they lack the motivation to do much of anything MUD related. But what do you do when that non-motivational feeling drags on for awhile and you find yourself looking for something else - anything else - to occupy your time with?
I appear to be running into this myself lately. Though I still enjoy coding, I find myself more and more simply not wanting to even though I've got things lined up I'd like to get done. I usually end up messing with the Sandbox code on my blog, or fiddling with something in QSFP, or even just sitting online for awhile BS'ing about stuff with others. Even pointless random surfing takes hold and before I know it half a day has gone by :P
Maybe I'm just being silly. I wouldn't say I'm burned out just yet, but it's certainly possible. So what all do people do to find that missing motivation?
Keywords: boredom, coding, downtime, motivation
Comments
I have to say, I can relate to the exact same things. For the past week or so I've been in Misc mode not really doing much, simply because I lacked the usual boost I had before. I kind of stopped building and anything concerning world design for a little bit without really noticing. I may spend about half an hour to an hour touching on some concepts but I never really jump into it like I used to. Like you say though, the enjoyment is still there, theres always times you think: 'That's an awsome idea, I wanna get started on that to freshen things up a bit.' but actually getting round to that keeps getting put off.
I can really relate to the random surfing too. :P I'll end up doing absolute bollocks for 6 hours straight, check up on the mud and I've already missed several conversations as everyone else has conveniently logged off/AFK.
I wouldn't go as far as to call it a burn out, I think it just comes and goes with different strengths every now-and-again, revolving more around a 'too-bored-to-stop-myself-from-being-bored' mood. I know for one when it happens to me I tend to take a break from developing and put on my gaming hat, I guess fresh scenery or some new, exciting ideas could be a possible cure. :)
Maybe we're just both being silly.
Sadly, I too can relate all too well. There's no one thing that helps "snap me out of it", but it does help that I have a couple of players on my mud who enjoy submiting bug reports regularly and then pestering the heck out of me to find out when I think I'll be able to get them resolved. *L*
Sometimes I'll run across a new (to me at least) idea for something and that'll help get me re-motivated, or I'll find someone who's eager to help with some minor project and that'll make me feel like I need to get back in there. It varies, but worst case is usually just that nothing gets done for a few weeks.
I have also experienced this quite often. In the past I tried solving it by doing something completely non-mud related for a while. But I've discovered that this actually makes me even less motivated to go back to the mud. I think the reason is that since I left -because- I was tired and unmotivated, that's the feeling I recall when I think about the mud.
Psychology aside, what I've found really helps, especially when you have a series of outstanding projects that nags on your conscience, is start working on some small coding project that you really think is fun. Say, a library that handles formatting of tables for you, for instance. It is important that this little petproject is relatively small in scope, and doesn't take much time to complete. By the time I'm done I feel ready to go back to the real tasks at hand.
Why does this work? Not sure, but it's the exact same thing that a lot of authors do when they have a writer's block. They start writing something else. A letter, a diary entry, a shopping list. Anything, as long as it's writing. Soon they can resume their book with new energy and fresh ideas.
So you want to code? Then code. Anything. Something small and fun.
I find that I'll often go back and forth between working on developing something and just spending my time playing games or finding a novel to read. I think for myself, it's mostly a lack of focus. I come up with an idea and enjoy working on that unless I end up second guessing myself with the "that works, but this other way would be so much better" syndrome. After rewriting something a couple times, I lose focus and just can't sit down and continue until I've done something else for a while.
I think that's a place the old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes into play. :)
So when stuck on some major overhaul of a system, a good thing to do would be to switch gears and go code some little clever routine for a mob, or a shell script to count the number of times a player says a curse word in chat, or a berserker battle axe that causes any dwarven player who wields it to occasionally attack any elf they see.
Ok, Well I didn't read all the comments, but if I get a mental block I go OUTSIDE! Wow, the outdoors :). Just take in the fresh air if you don't live in a city full of smog. Go attempt to run and then when you pass out from lack of air you'll wake-up and ba like man forget that thats why I code/mud/build. Reading helps too, for area ides mostly. Not saying copy the whole world after the Narnia series or design a council around Plato's Republic, but it does take the text off of the virtual screen and puts it in your hands. Yes, I know gas is high, but take a little drive around the country, or out to the country for a little bit. Crank that stereo up to that Tina Turner...I mean.......uh...Elton John.....wait crap...Hank Williams.....
Anyway, just getting out of the seat and not laying in front of the Idiot Box helps me.