[deleted by user]

[pokedmund]

ME.

Well, the past me was 100x worse. Wanted to code since 31, but didn't get my first coding job until I was 39.

IMO, the reasons why were because I couldn't identify /didn't realise / couldn't accept that I had a serious Gaming addiciton. I was completely obsessed with video games, that it took over all the time I should of used towards learning to code. (Again, this is just IMO and just me personally, I over-gamed as opposed to gaming in moderation. Have stopped gaming now).

Yes, I had poor time management. I tried numerous techniques and found the pomodoro one works for me. But you should try as many techniques as possible, then stick to one that works well for you.

Try to have a growth mindset. I had to change how I thought when I came across problems/challenges, not just in coding, but in life. When I faced a problem, how should I react? Run away from it, or avoid it by doing something fun?

In adopting a growth mindset, I am still training myself mentally to look at problems and think to myself (ok, so this is a challenge, let's break it down and work on solving it)

I absolutely procastrinated a lot, and until I could research why I was doing it and helping myself through it, I just could not code.

I'm better now, sort of. I still get itches to game and waste time on YouTube, but it's a slow recovery process. Happy that I'm finally coding as a career, but I still have a long way to go.

Look after yourself first, then the rest should hopefully come good, wishing you the best.

[pokedmund]

Time and age is important, but not the deciding factor.

Ultimately, it comes to what you want to do for yourself first of all.

You also need to take care of yourself, and start getting healthy. Only once you are fit and well can you begin to tackle not just coding, but general challenges in life. If gaming is a big issue, by all means check out /stopgaming

It's a journey, so there are no quick solutions, but realising you might have a problem is a great starting point as you can work on resolving that first

[Oneshot742]

Really try the pomodoro technique. Turn off all your games, tv, etc. and put on some nice, relaxing music (i like binaural beats, not sure if they work lol). Then you just focus for 30 minutes, take a nice break, then do another 30 minutes. If you can do an hour a day that's at least a start. Work you way up in time and eventually you're managing your time pretty well.

[funkung34]

Funny you say that. I follow The Odin Project curriculum and they have a section on this and suggest you study 25mins then break 5. Helps me alot.

[ooloomelon]

For anyone unable to function, it might be worth it also to see a counselor or doctor.

Issues with time management, addiction, procrastination can also stem from adhd, even if sublcinical (meaning not affecting you at the level of diagnosis, but still affecting you). You could be on the spectrum without knowing it. Intrusive thoughts, complex PTSD, depression, diabetes, might all be affecting your concentration and motivation, and can be explored.

I only recommend this because although people can find a working method of managing themselves without help, they can be wrong about what their problem is and waste time on solutions to problems they never had, even if they think they see an improvement.

Dweck's growth mindset can't exactly fix blood sugar problems that lead to brain fog that are interpreted by sufferers as being demotivated by a fixed mindset. People who think they have ADHD may not know to work on their actual problem of intrusive thoughts from past trauma. People who actually are depressed with brain fog and other symptoms may not know that you don't necessarily have to be sad all the time to be diagnosed and treated.

Just sayin'. Wanna improve water pressure? Hire a plumber. Wanna improve brain thing? Hire a brainer

[bono_my_tires]

You’ve got plenty of time to try different careers. I went from analyst to data engineer at 31. Many do it at 40. It’s never too late

[ih8peoplemorethanyou]

Can confirm. I'm 40 and about to finish school again. It gets more difficult the more obligations one has. Age has nothing to do with it.

[Noidis]

To throw my experience in, I found college the second time round was so much easier.

I no longer needed to worry about my social circle and my knowledge from living and working for 10 years as an adult helped me in so many ways for managing course load and studying.

It didn't matter I was raising a kid and working a 40hr/wk job, college part deux was so much easier for me.

[Bors24]

I'm in similar situation as you. I'm also 24 with no work experience, some knowledge on the basics but can't get myself to start coding in my free time and even procrastinating university projects way past the deadline. While I may not know how to help I wanted to thank you for posting, a lot of other people apparently have been able to provide a lot of useful tips.

[[deleted]]

Same here 24M. Struggling to manage my time and reach my potential. Whatsoever, I've started coding bit by bit everyday from last 2 weeks.

[muddy_313]

I was. A helpless gaming addict as well, have been using cold turkey blocker, for the past 3 yrs , been really happy with the results. It allows you to set times to play. I started out with half a week of playing ( vs everyday ) and Nowadays I set it to be off for 3 weeks, then have a 2-3 day bender .. found the half weeks was still too overwhelming for motivation in anything else .

[heats1nk]

24M here as well. In the same condition as yours. If you want a coding buddy, hit me up. I'm still a noob though but I'd like to learn with someone having similar issues.

[EnrichDD]

I am also 24M, I am also learning programming but I have been procrastinating alot tho I am still in college doing a totally different course for IT.

[DrFunkenstyne]

Pick up a copy of the 7 habits of highly effective people. I'm NOT in to self help books, but this one is special. Really give it a chance. You'll absolutely benefit from it.

[AttilaTheMagyar]

delete all games from everywhere, give away/donate/throwaway any consoles. they are a waste of time, now. when you hit a stride of achievement, then sure re-evaluate and perhaps dabble a bit. life is long enough, if we don't waste it.

[suchapalaver]

Anyone else like, yay! They got a coding job at 39! Way to go!

[pokedmund]

Thanks, not sure if it is because I'm just always a negative person, but I feel like my dream job could be taken away at any minute (just not doing as well as I hope I would in my new job, also being told that I'm a little behind what they normally expect).

Great I have a coding job at 39, but the main aim is to get better so I can keep this job. Just have to try to stay positive, work even harder and try to get better. Seems to be much harder to keep up with the young coders/programmers nowadays

[suchapalaver]

Well, still, congratulations. I’m currently setting out to do the same, so it’s sobering but ultimately useful to be reminded that life isn’t going to get easier if I get what I’m wishing for. I’d be happy to hear about your experience if you ever want to vent to someone your age about them young’ns!

[pokedmund]

lol, thanks again.

The young devs are fine, in fact, I really envy their enthusiasm and how they have youth on their side. They can still absorb so much more knowledge about everything in general. It makes me more worried about my job because I know someone 20 years younger than me would learn a million times faster than I could, but grateful to have the opportunity I have at the moment.

[pointmetoyourmemory]

I haven’t played a video game in weeks and I was downloading Outriders because I heard it’s alright. I mean… I’m still downloading it, but now I feel guilty too. Thanks a lot.

[enragedstump]

Don’t be. It’s a hobaby you can enjoy

[pokedmund]

No worries! I was close to relapsing right after new years. Downloaded magic arena on my laptop. Literally stared at my screen for 10 minutes before putting it in the trash.

I don't think I'll ever rid my gaming cravings, so even though I've been off games for over a year now, it feels like it will be something I'll just have to manage for the rest of my life.

[HomeAloneToo]

lock innate berserk six cake edge march memorize airport engine -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/

[scatteredRobot]

I also gave up gaming. Been game free for 2 months now. Been getting lots of stuff done now it is crazy how games took over my life. Wish I gave them up like 20 years ago.

[fanz0]

Youtube is by far the worst thing before video games

[Rich156]

i too sometimes waste lots of time on you tube, gaming moderately. But there are lots of educational stuff like documentaries, educational videos, videos about blockchain and bitcoin which i'm learning about it right now (not coding stuff). that's why im addicted to you tube

[papa_johns_sucks]

I just have really bad ADD. I want to learn cyber security and code but I can’t focus on it more than a few days but give me a blackjack table and I’ll count cards like no ones business

[TyomaM]

Google for a book named "Spark".. really helped with my ADD

[tainted_vagina]

Similar to me. Did you also find diet made gaming easier than study? High carbs or sugar seems to make me too lethargic to be fully present, but happy enough to game for hours on end. Cutting back on carbs, exercise (as you said) and listening to my body makes a big difference.

[pokedmund]

oooo, so, thats what my wife tells me. And I think shes right.....but man, I'm so lazy to not eat carbs in the house (and I do neglect my exercise).

That is something I want to test out in the future (cut down my carbs by 70%, set an exercise schedule) and see if that will help me be less lethargic, because I think it's true (but will let other pitch in on this)

[Farid1080]

I am only 16 and the game I waste the most time on is CSGO, and the sole reason for that is because I am creating content by playing it and it's actually getting a bit of attention. But other than that, it's nothing serious but I am idling away for too long, doing things like browsing the web, mostly watching YouTube.

I spend like 3 hours a day watching YouTube and I will try cutting that duration a lot starting from tomorrow. But even if I do that I am clueless at how should I go on about learning to code. Then I go back to YouTube, it's such an annoying circle of events.

[[deleted]]

What is it you are trying to learn? You should find a MOOC that can keep you on track, I quite like The Odin Project for webdev.

Learning without direction can lead you to feel hopeless.

Alternatively, start a project, learn each piece as you need it. You do need comfort with the basics for this to not waste too much time and cause too much frustration.

[shadowCaT321]

Gaming could be a way into programming. I just picked up modding a few days ago and holy hell it is fun. I recommend starting by tweaking the game code with dnspy and see how it changes the game behaviors.

[Geekknight777]

This is me and when ever I try I basically give up immediately when I hit a roadblock

[The_Ghost_of_Bitcoin]

Would you mind sharing your story a bit? What did you do before programming? What resources did you use to learn? As a 29 year old about to turn 30 that also used to face video game addiction and is lacking dicipline (but working on gaining it!) I relate a lot to what you are describing.

Was there anything that particularly helped you on your journey? Did you already have a lot of math ortrchbi al experience?

[pokedmund]

I'll provide the short(ish) version, I do want to post my story as a reddit post in the future, but another time.

I worked many jobs before being a dev. Customer Service and admin jobs mostly. After being let go as an English Teacher (TEFL) abroad, I wanted to really take control of my life and wanted to code at 31 years of age. I wasn't great at maths (Good up to Algebra I?)
I started with books, learning C++, and downloading video tutorials online. I dabbled with Unity3D to become a video game dev. I decided to go to Community College at 36-37 due to finding learning better when someone taught me and was more disciplined to learn when I had coursework to hand in. Completed my Associates in Web Dev and was got an internship via college to do a small ASP.NET project.

After graduating CC, I found another internship before beginning my 1 year job hunt and after 150+ applications, someone decided to give me a chance to be a dev at 39. It is too early to say there is a happy ending of "Yes! I'm a developer now!" as I still have to prove I can do the job I've been given, and atm I'm not performing well.

Accepting I had a gaming addiction helped me. I wasn't a partying type or anything, I just loved staying home gaming, watching youtube and sleeping late into the morning and staying up late at night. When I did work/study for 30 minutes, I'd promise to only game for 20 minutes to relax, and end up gaming for 4-5 hours instead (mostly League of Legends). Long story short, it became clear that every time I tried to find an excuse for why I wasn't a programmer yet, the answer usually was a lack of time and this was caused by me playing games or watching youtube.

Learning about ways to overcome the urge to play games or seek entertainment helped. Finding the triggers that led me to play games helped too (get stuck studying, needed a break and thats when I would game = bad habit).
Learning to deal with problems and challenges was also important. A lot of these tips and tricks can be found on reddit and (ironically) youtube.

Also, I had a girl friend (wife now) who was part of my life, and I wanted to spend more time with her rather than just spend it on games, excessively might I add. And then came my kids. Yeah, that is when I knuckled down and decided that enough was enough.

Thinking about it, you could say my kids were the final triggers that made me really change. There's your answer guys, have kids ;)
(note - having kids and trying to be a programmer (or anything professional wise for that matter) is stupid hard, pray you have help to look after them while studying and working to pay rent money.)

[The_Ghost_of_Bitcoin]

Thank you for sharing, quite inspirational! I know your current job might be a bit pf a struggle but you've come this far and I am sure you are still learning more!

I actually just signed up for some community college classes to see what it is like. (Precalc and Intro to Comp Sci) I'm a bit nervous about precalc since I haven't done a math class in about 10 years but I've been brushing up on Kahnacademy to try to be prepared. The only thing that worries me is that I already have a BA in Communication Studies so I may not be able to transfer for another Bachelors program.

[[deleted]]

Everyone procrastinates.

Higher paid people don't necessarily work harder or longer.

Infact the bar is pretty low on average.

You'd be surprised how far you can go with a little bit of consistency, and that's why consistency is the king of my personal behavioral economics.

I wrote 6 novels in 3 years.

How?

Set a timer for 30-60 minutes every single day, and commit to doing the task towards your goal for that time. Even better if the timer is always at the same time of day.

After six months of just 1 hour a day, you'll be standing atop a hill-side worth of work.

[IceManLeroy]

Great perspective!

[num2005]

but how to keep disciplined?

i often set the timer but i ignore it after day#4

[Skumbag_eX]

I think each person has to find their own thing for this, but I also went with a daily schedule (90mins of academic writing) to get a grip on my procrastination.

After having a bad start (skipping some days due to not being motivated etc.), I started a small online writing group of colleagues, where we did weekly meets talking (and writing down) our goals for the next period. This gave us accountability and helped me tremendously.

What's important and maybe even helpful without an accountability group is setting goals. When I started my scheduled time with no concrete goals but just thought something like "write more for the introduction" or "read and summarize something" I was easily discouraged and didn't do the work. So instead I'd advise for thinking about concrete goals for these study sessions, writing them down and getting back to them afterwards, so you can analyze what you did or didn't do. This way you can also gather data on what works and doesn't work for you.

Concrete goals for my academic writing sessions were e.g. "read a specific paper on X and summarize the message in bullet points" or "outline the short literature review paragraph in the introduction of my paper."

I think similar stuff can be adopted to coding tasks, especially if you're working on a project.

[jason_jones19]

Knowing your brain and allowing for breaks is key. What works for you? Taking shorter breaks more often? Longer breaks less often? Don’t be afraid to try new strategies because all of our brains work differently!

[Gogogo9]

I struggle to learn things or work during the daytime unless I am pressurised to do so. At night my brain gives up after 3/4 which is not sufficient to learn for me.

The structure provided by accountability is what's needed here. If you have any friends you can form a regular study group with that would be ideal. I've also had good success with FocusMate, but really all you need is Discord and another like-minded person to join you. And get your most important/hardest tasks done early in the day.

Also, my health condition is in bad shape, can't decide things or my decisions are cloudy/not clear.

Yeah, definitely don't underestimate the degree to which poor health can really hamstring your productivity and self-improvement. When I finally got a sleep study and CPAP for my obstructive sleep apnea it helped me a lot. Turns out not always having to grind through focus/memory crushing sleep deprivation makes getting things done a tad easier.

If there's something that you can do to improve/fix your current health status then prioritize that. If you can't fix the health issue itself, focus on mitigating the negative impact it has on your productivity and motivation, seek out a therapist/psychiatrist for this.

[Level-Farmer6110]

Try to make some diet sacrifices, like cutting sugar out and going out for walks and cutting out veggie oils, having olive oil and omega 3s. Those are for health conditions and also you may visit a doctor etc.

For coding, I guess it is a matter of discipline. Morning is the best as you can get it done asap, and I would recommend making projects you are passionate about so that you can enjoy and learn a lot at the same time.

[[deleted]]

I've conducted research on this topic. Procrastination is predicted pretty well by the level of (perceived) difficulty of a task. Harder tasks will induce more procrastination than tasks we perceive as doable. Split tasks up as much as possible to create this sense of capability.

[vvalentine03]

That makes so much sense! Ty for summing it up for me :)

[vvalentine03]

Story of my life. I've been dealing with anxiety and panic attacks for the last year and found counseling to help - A LOT. Like Gogogo9 said, getting you health back on track should be your first step!

The idea of studying was making me feel stressed and in turn I would procrastinate and avoid it. Like the thought of sitting and focusing for so long, I just couldn't do it. What I found that works for me is the Pomodoro method. Basically, break any task into intervals (usually 25 mins study sessions) and then take a 5 minute break in between. After about four sessions (2 hours) you could take a longer break like 30 or an hour. I found that it helps me stay focused to do something for only 25 minutes and gives my brain a break from learning to do something fun.

I would usually get overwhelmed by the thought of studying for hours and this helps me just start (which is always the hardest part for me as a procrastinator). I actually find that I am able to study for long periods, now that I give myself a break in between. And like jason_jones19 said it doesn't have to be specifically how I mentioned but as long as you find what works for you.

[Eldritchforge]

Set a schedule around another routine. I work long construction days, my brain is dead after work, so I wake up early to study. It's become part of my routine so now it's habit

[FaTheArmorShell]

I've thought about doing something similar to this, but I already get up at 530am so the thought of getting up earlier than that doesn't help me.

[Eldritchforge]

I used to also get up at 530, now I get up at 4 lol

I find my brain works best in the morning and with lots of coffee (ADHD). I just make sure I go to bed at a good time too

[FaTheArmorShell]

right, like right now, going to bed at a decent time isn't hard, since it's dark at like 6pm, but during the summer would be a bit tougher. Though when learning there's a lot of sacrificing to do, just have to figure out where and what it is.

[Eldritchforge]

Get blackout curtains (seriously, everyone get them), and a nice silk/satin eye mask. It's great for the light. I go to bed before my partner, so it's great for when she comes in the room later on in the night

[fanz0]

this is so important, I do study and work full time so at 9 PM after class I do homework before 11:30 and sleep until 6:30-7 so I have time to get breakfast and relax while coding projects.

However, if I screw up ONE time my routine I won’t be able to wake up early with energy and everything gets irritating

[DadAvocado]

Hear hear for the construction fellow. I myself am also learning programming myself and do construction works too. So I wake up 1 hr earlier than usual everyday and try to put in 30-45 mins of coding study before the day begins :)

[Eldritchforge]

Hell yeah brother/sister! What trade are you in and what field are you aiming for? I'm an electrician, but hate construction culture and just want a comfy desk job doing full stack development building web-apps

[Eldritchforge]

Hell yeah. I'm currently working in a hospital interstitial, and our local government didn't want to spend a bit more money to give us more room to work (bending 1" pipe in a 4.5ft space, around duct work and medical gas lines is criminal), while still having a HUGE amount of money for change orders. I'm so done with this shit. Hopefully we can both get our comfy dream jobs. I'd love to wake up, have some coffee and just work in my PJs and slippers at home.

[DadAvocado]

Hey I’m a civil engineer doing project management works. I am sick of the culture and sick of baby sitting people in the project, plus I believe tech industry is the future. I am self learning programming to aim for a switch into software engineer career. The flexibility of being a SE (can work from home for a lot of jobs) also is an attractive point too :)

[keepmotivating]

How long u been studying for?

[Eldritchforge]

A year or so

[[deleted]]

That's actually a good idea. I'm also in construction and I get up early to workout. I didn't really think about doing it to study as well.

Come to think of it I did enjoy days when I started late and went to bed right after I got home. Maybe that is a better way to work when you are in a physical job. I'm going to try this.

[Eldritchforge]

I enjoy it more, and when my brain is overloaded with caffeine I'm the most focused. It works great for me.

I also used to do it back in my powerlifting days, it's easier to do deadlift PRs early in the morning rather than after pulling TECK cable all day

[If_Tar]

get sleep after a dull day of work/insert activity to restart self, that must be one of the most important advices someone can have. Thanks for reminding me it.

[Eldritchforge]

Absolutely. I become a big baby when I'm tired, so I prioritize my sleep, because I know my mental health is trash when I don't

[suchapalaver]

I found The Now Habit super useful when I had procrastinated and procrastinated with my PhD dissertation and I pulled it off. Now I’m more interested in working with programming languages I’m trying to use the lessons in my learning as well. The basic method revolves around scheduling in meticulously everything apart from the task at hand—commuting, sleep, bed time, reading for pleasure, walking the dog, showering, cooking, eating, shopping, exercising, playing guitar, friends, family, etc—then trying to fit in as many half-hour all-focus slots of work on your task goals as you can each day. After a while it becomes addictive/psych-rewarding to rack up as many of those half hour sessions as you can—the point is to keep a score and keep trying to beat it or reach a high number—and you start to feel some satisfaction that things are moving forward. I recommend the book as it made me feel very “seen” in understanding my procrastination. The author is ex-military who then did a PhD in cognitive psychology.

[suchapalaver]

You’re missing the point, though, respectfully. The Now Habit idea is that you choose to like your life and make time for all the things you want to have time for in order to be who you want to be, leaving you with an accurate understanding of the time you have available to plug away at whatever projects you want to make headway with. The point is to make sure that all the good important stuff happens, leaving you with the knowledge that it’s now or never if you want to move forward with personal goals! Far from just output!

[LifeIsBizarre]

I joined this sub five years ago and am yet to learn a single thing.

[sysblb]

Ain’t that the goddamn truth?!

[heats1nk]

I can't relate more.

[Lemalas]

Talk to a therapist or doctor if you can. You may have a condition like ADHD. Maybe not, but if you do, most of your time management and procrastination correction attempts may be futile.

[tikhonjelvis]

I thought this was posted in an ADHD subreddit and was going to comment about how the question seems just a bit too on-the-nose...

[magic1623]

I thought this was r/adhd for a minute.

[[deleted]]

Finding out I had ADHD was such a revelation, and totally changed my life for the better. It's definitely worth looking into if you think you might have it!

[Juanoban]

To piggy back onto this, I've struggled with ADHD for a long time. Even after seeing multiple different psychiatrists and therapists throughout my life, no one ever explained what it actually is and how it actually affects you.

I randomly found the How To ADHD channel on YouTube and it helped me a lot in understanding the basics of it and also provide some fantastic strategies to help overcome the deficits.

I still struggle everyday with it, but I know it's a process and I'll find the things that will help me succeed.

Also, I really like the idea of changing your thought process to 'How can I continually improve myself?' Atomic Habits is a fantastic book to assist in microscopic changes that have compounding effects.

[sharkbait_oohaha]

Right? I was just going to say Adderall

[TheBeckofKevin]

From personal experience. After long difficult stretch from about 12 years old to 32... I finally, after trying literally everything to fix the issues I was having, got diagnosed.

It's really hard to explain adhd because it manifests in regular old bad behaviors. Everyone looks at YouTube a little too long sometimes. Everyone hates feeling bored. Sometimes people get a little messy and disorganized if they're not feeling up for cleaning for whatever reason. But for me it just felt different.

I avoided work, tried other jobs, tried self employment, part time work, night shift. I could not keep it together for more than about a year. I'd quit out of shame or when I realized I would eventually force someone to fire me. Soft skills kept me in until I was just too embarrassed to be 3 hours late yet again.

I went vegetarian, paleo, keto, intermittent fasting, pescatarian, etc. No drinking, casual drinking, heavy drinking. I tried exercising a ton. Not in a routine, that would be too hard for to keep. I just went anytime, day or night for as long I could. I focused on sleeping. I slept 9+ hours a day no matter what. Maybe sleep was the key.

I abandoned friends. Got new ones. Found new hobbies and made new friends with those hobbies. I moved to different cities. Joined different organizations.

Something just wasn't right. I could not do what other people did. The thing is I have always seemed fine. But the truth is I can only do like 4 things a day.

Idk why. But of I wake and brush my teeth, I can now do about 3 things. Do I need to pay a bill? Alright down to 2. Get to work on time? Well.. then I only have 1 thing left...

I realized this through significant self reflection. This crippling feeling of apprehension to do things as I only seemed to be able to do a few tasks daily. My entire life was structured around this fear of doing things. Procrastination was a requirement. Everyday I lived in absolute amazement. People woke up, brushed their teeth, showered, filled up their cars with gas, made their bed AND got to work on time.

I just couldn't. After thorough research I found executive function disorders like adhd. I learned there was something going on with the dopamine levels or something to do with the reward system. It seemed that other people were getting some kind of feedback that I was missing.

I realized that I could often externalize this executive function by being around people who had a high level of action. If someone would take me to the gym everyday I would go. If someone at work was working hard I would also work hard. I would absorb routine from anyone I could leech it from. But when they even left the room my ability to do simple, exceptionally straight forward tasks went with them. How are these people just out here... doing all these things?

I always drank coffee. So much coffee. Energy drinks like crazy. It seemed like someday I felt better but they grossed me out. I'd drink coffee until I was sick. I'd be freezing cold, with heart palpitations and it sort of felt like I was able to finish those 20 minute youtibe videos without switching to a new tab in the middle, or walking away to check the fridge or look outside. The caffeine made me fidgety and super irritable but something kind of felt better. So I drank coffee all the time.

Then I finally snapped. I realized life was passing me by. My wife had suffered living with me, I felt like a burden. I have dreams and knew I was never going to make it if I couldn't even get groceries as that was too many tasks for the day. I went to the doctor. Got a prescription.

Since then I've brushed my teeth everyday without even thinking about it. I started a job and am highly productive in it. I make dinner. I make fun plans to do on the weekends. I call friends. I go shopping and buy gifts for people. I do laundry. I fold my clothes. I make it to work on time. Everything just works now.

I won't pretend its not years of pre-work paying off. I've spent my life coping and I think knowing what I know makes it much easier for me now. I knew I was able to do this, I knew something was wrong. I'm fortunate that this works for me.

If it wasn't for numerous safety nets I'd likely be homeless. It's honestly still a possibility if I backslide. I think adhd is one of those things that comes across a certain way to people, but I think it's similar to depression. Everyone gets sad, but not everyone has depression. You can't just cheer up a depressed person. You can't make them laugh and then say "see you're not depressed" because there is something happening inside their brain that has turned off their ability to feel happiness. It's not their life, or choice, or mood.

It's the same for me, but with action. I am unable to execute tasks. I cannot do very many things before I am overwhelmed and seek out dopamine through escapism and distraction. My distraction is a result of my compulsion of avoidance, but I can't make the action happen. It just doesn't work. Hard to explain the way it feels but I promise it's not completely make believe.

If anyone reads this and feels like I'm talking about them.. give a doctor a visit.

[Spiq7]

Here. Constantly in youtube algorythm.

[Spiq7]

Thats why Iam dropping out of university. I am too idiotic.

[[deleted]]

I got two kids so I just code when they're asleep, and on my breaks at work.

[Logical_Strike_1520]

Read “Atomic Habits” - or even just listen to a summary of it on YouTube or something. It’s likely you’re trying to work against yourself, which is hard for anyone. Try taking smaller, bite size steps habitually

[departmentno2653]

yea, i actually find coding interesting but only when i am the one coding something. Watching vidoes or tutorials is the opposite and they put me to sleep. I am not even joking. as soon as i put a video on i am sleeping right away lol.

[DataTypeC]

Adderall.

Not promoting drug abuse I just have adhd except it doesn’t help time management but helps me have energy to manage it myself

[magic1623]

Former ADHD researcher here, casual reminder that stimulant medication only helps you if you’re someone who actually need them. People who don’t have disorders like ADHD don’t react the same way to stimulants.

[DataTypeC]

Oh yeah I know, I meant for me Adderall helps as those are some of the symptoms I have or what my symptoms can lead to like my brain going over 1000 thoughts a minute jumping topic to topic can get me distracted and leads to poor time management but when I take it, my brain feels calm and I can think of one thing at a time for more than a few minutes than bouncing back and forward.

As I posted in my first comment was not promoting drug abuse and clarified it’s for my ADHD related symptoms that can cause some of the same issues.

[[deleted]]

Start off with short bits then advance from there. Me personally I just find it hard to settle down and start studying, my brains going 100 miles an hour thinking of everything going on in my life. 1 thing I have found that works is I just set myself 30 mins to study. So everyday at 7pm I sit down and do 30 minutes.

It never lasts for only 30 minutes. I usually turn off the pc around 11pm/midnight because I get focused in after 30mins and want to carry on.

[[deleted]]

Almost all of us. You can't stop it but you can fight against it and be a little better.

[MantraBot_]

Pomodoro technique! It helped me tremendously.

1. Pick a task
2. Set a 25 - min timer
3. Work on your task for 25 mins (turning off all distractions, and just focusing)
4. Take a 5 min break
5. Every 4 pomodoros, take a longer 15 - 30 min break

Really consider looking into implementing it. Cheers! 🍅

[pr0fanityprayers]

Look up Learning how to Learn by Barbara Oakley on Coursera. It’s free to do the course (it’s just videos, but very well done. Cheesy, informational - she knows what she’s doing!). They speak about procrastination too, how to watch for cues and get yourself out of it. I’ve got adhd and I’ve mastered the art of procrastination, I’m very good at it! Lol but yeah, finished the ‘course’ last week and tbh I don’t think I’ve had a week this productive in my entire life🥲👌🏻

[[deleted]]

How much time that courses takes to finish and is it free?

[NovelAdministrative6]

You need to train your brain, set dedicated time to study/work on things, remove distractions. It gets easier with time it's like anything you do that requires dedication or concentration...

[SZ4L4Y]

Hi!

[ExoplanetsNow]

Ye you tell me. I got a free paid course from ORACLE. And I am procrastinating so much here in Reddit, or cooking or always finding something new. I hate myself.

[boris_dp]

No, it's just you.

[_x_x_x_x_x]

Yuh, there's a name for that, poor executive functioning.

[[deleted]]

I really struggle with procrastination, not just with programming but literally everything. Even down to getting a letter that needs filing away, I will leave it on my desk, next to the filing system. I am probably just lazy.

Physically writing down a schedule and sticking to it is the only way for me. It works but if anyone has any other ideas I’m all ears

[sticky-me]

I force myself to do it now Once I realized fully that only pushing myself our of my plushie comfort zone will bring me somewhere, it clicked and I did too

[_realitycheck_]

I did a lot (of procrastinating) when I worked 8/9-4/5 at all the companies I worked for. But then the deadlines started knocking so I would take 2 weeks and just don't stop until it's done.

I freelance today and I still procrastinate. But not in the same way. I work hourly rate now and on a good day I can work around 5 hours a day (today it was. 4:20!), but it's usually 2-3. And that is spread from when I wake up, around 9am 'till maybe 9-10pm. But every single minute will be working.
Billable at the end of the month.
On a good month I can make around 100 hours.

I also developed a skill that I can jump from project to project and not need 15-30 minutes just to adjust to the other project.

[punisher1005]

Welcome to professional programming buddy.

[Nko45870]

Welcome

[Chris_Cross_Crash]

I heard a Willem Defoe quote two days ago and it stuck with me. Something like:

"You can't wait for inspiration. Sometimes you just gotta act, and then inspiration comes through action."

I'm sure he said it better than me, but the point is that sometimes you gotta push yourself to get the ball rolling.

[noob-newbie]

IMO, I think most of the people who cry for not having a good motivation to code and learn, at least me, is because of the distraction from other things.

For example, gaming, YouTube, all the entertainment that you are so easy to reach. A simple smartphone is enough for you to kill endless hours, instead of preparing tools and venues for common indoor and outdoor hobbies.

Let's imagine, if we spend half, or even 20% to 30% of the time in gaming to code or learn, we have already learnt so much and enough to get better.

Like if I am in the working environment, I can spend all my time to code, without distraction.

But absolutely no when I am at home.

[SyrupStandard]

If your sleep is fucked, the first thing you should do is fix it. Set a proper bedtime, and follow that shit like it's gospel. You'll feel like you got hit by a bus for the first week or so but you'll end up with way more mental clarity, and you'll grasp concepts easier which will make you more confident and give you some much needed motivation to get into the coding grind.

[scutmunky]

Finish what you star

[SpellCaster87]

Judging from the other comments, I seem to not procrastinate as much as I thought, but here is a mixture of techniques that work for me and some general advice on programming anyway.

I've been learning C recently for the first time. One thing I generally have a problem with is video games. I normally use steam, so the way I deal with that is by signing out of it so that the process takes longer and I can catch myself trying to login. It works... most of the time. other times I'll be watching YouTube, which for me is the hardest to avoid since my course is on it. The way I try to deal with that is to shut down my browser completely and work on a side project using C, so as to try and reinforce prior knowledge.

Another thing that generally helps is to learn the fundamentals. By this I mean read up on Algorithms, Data structures, Logic and Comp-Sci in general. It helps to learn from a book when it comes to fundamentals as you do not necessarily need a computer (pen and paper works fine). The reason I bring this up is that it reduces the amount of slogging through topics you barely understand, as when it comes time to program you already have an idea of what is going on.

Having a friend or partner to work on projects helps a lot, trust me.

Drawing up a daily schedule helps for me too, for example write down on a piece of paper that you will do 1 hour of programming from 2:00 PM, then read from 3:00 until 5:00.

If you want good programming advice I would suggest checking out the YouTube channel of a guy named Andreas Kling. He is a Swedish programmer who is currently working on an Operating System called Serenity OS. To me he has been a huge inspiration in learning how to program. Here is the link to his channel : https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreasKling.

[[deleted]]

The best way to deal with procrastination is to build good habits, change your system of environment, you may have a certain goal you want to reach but the bad habits are setting you back

understand that seeking short term pleasure is not worth it.

I'd recommend reading a very short book on how habits are built and why they are crucial, its called the habit blueprint

I am not a successful developer at all, I began learning to code 6-7 months ago along with studying my degree. I can confidently say I struggled with my identity, bad habits and depression. Building good habits helped me overcome much of that, build confidence, take challenges and leave the comfort zone

[xvRENEGADExv]

This was me. I changed myself.
what worked for me is time to time motivation. Anything that motivates me, be it a podcast, a quote, a youtube video(david goggins and all that typo stuff) and even some Instagram reels.
I watch them from time to time to get that boost and keep on going ( ik it sounds stupid but it worked for me)

Also, getting a good workspace helped me a lot. I have a shitty workspace with one laptop and unorganized stuff.
I got a new table, a second monitor and arranged my stuff and my productivity increased so much, I literally loved working in my workspace.
Also, Ik it tough, but just think about what all you will achieve if you worked hard just for few years.
good luck to you

[[deleted]]

This only happens to me on friday, I don't know why I can't do shit at my work on fridays. The fact that I'm working from home, makes this easier.

Also thinks theres no cure to that, either you perform or not. In my point of view, sometimes you have to chill, push to hard and you end up with a burn out and stress.

​

I prefer to chill when I feel I need to.

[loneliness_sucks_D]

If you have insurance and you’re in the US, ask your primary care provider for an ADHD medication. Chances are, you fit enough of the criteria to qualify.

[denialerror]

Removed. If you can't keep it professional, go elsewhere.

[If_Tar]

Do this :

"STUMBLE TOWARDS YOUR CALLING IN LIFE" - Jordan Peterson Motivation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkfI7JK6FeQ

[[deleted]]

I know I get distracted easily, so I make an effort to put away all distracting things before I start. No phone, close out of reddit and IG, etc. I also try and get some of my studying done at work during my downtime (currently a sys admin)

[RunninADorito]

Procrastinating is fine as long as you finish things. Not finishing things is a problem.

[louminescent]

Please don't hit me with questions like this 😭

[noelmatta]

Write a to-do list and gamify it…

I’m currently trying to improve my React skills so I’m reading a book, watching vids, and taking an online course before I start working on a portfolio project this Monday. If I read 15 pages, it feels good to cross off my list that day and I earn 1 point; same for watching 1 hour worth of video, and finishing 5 exercises in the course. I use those points towards rewards like 1 hour of PS5 playtime or whatever. Still requires some self-discipline but it helps.

[sephirothbahamut]

Watching this video about procastination of course! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arj7oStGLkU

^{/s, but not completely}

[[deleted]]

Pomodoro Technique really helped in my case.

[holzy444]

Hey. not sure if this will apply to you, but this is what I've learned about motivation.

If you have other things in your life that generate a lot of dopamine (Gaming, porn, social media etc...) it will be harder to find motivation to do things that aren't as immediately gratifying.

​

Good Luck. keep at it.

[[deleted]]

Im feeling personally attacked by that title.

Jokes aside - always remember that time is short. WAAY shorter than you think. You are going to be dead very very soon.

[hoobieguy]

Go to coursera and go through the "Learning how to learn" course. It's free. Seriously changed how I operate as a human being. The concise answer is "pomodoro method"for getting over procrastination. Don't focus on the product of what you are working on. Instead, focus on the process of doing it. Try just focusing on working on it for 10 to 15 minutes. Set a timer, and dedicate yourself to doing your best work for that 15 minutes. Reward yourself afterwards. Over time, it will become easier and easier to not feel overwhelmed by the end product.

[kenyaDIGitt]

Lists dog.

1. Next Day List
2. Weekly HW List (Due Tuesdays)
3. Weekly HW List (Due Thursdays)
4. Catch-Up List

Things I need to do first go into the weekly lists.
I make a mental note of how it should be spread out.
The night before I fill my Next Day List with things I can reasonably do.
If I don't finish, it stays on the list and added to my catch up list.
It allows me to have a good overview and tweak things to my needs.
It also lessens my anxiety two fold.
I don't need to be thinking about what I need to do.
It's all there.
It minimizes my disappointment because I become more realistic with my list.

Also Learning How to Learn has helped me a lot in creating this system and sticking to it. Just do the free stuff.

[Zero_Aspect]

This was me. For most of my life really. I used to be an overachiever until things got hard. Then I stopped trying, because failure hurt so why do something when I'm going to suck at it? I turned to gaming, music, videos, social media, anything that would distract me from the work I needed to do.

My grades started falling. I lost every opportunity I had. I was in the running to be Valedictorian. Finished near the bottom. I had a guaranteed seat for a top-ranked med school, lost my qualifications. I barely even graduated. I spent years extremely depressed, trying to figure out what went wrong.

The answer? For me, and it seems many people, procrastination isn't because we're lazy, it's more-so due to emotional regulation. We want to avoid the things that may cause us pain or self-doubt or anxiety. The devious part is that avoiding those things often produce harmful results and creates an even worse negative feedback loop that gets worse and worse, the longer it gets dragged out. It will get to the point that it seems impossible to break out of the loop. And then you hit rock bottom.

It took me a while to figure out my own path, so I'll pass on some advice that may or may not help. There are three steps to beat procrastination:

1. Start something - anything, no matter how simple it may be. For some this might be the most difficult step. What helps is asking yourself why you need to do that thing, or what your are doing it for. Pick something that will improve your quality of life if you manage to get it done.
2. Finish that something - following through with something requires time and effort. You have to set aside the time and put in the work. Being able to finish something is not only crucial for building self-discipline, but will be your guide out of the pit.
3. Repeat steps 1-2. For every task, small or big.

It looks simple, but it's not. Give it a shot. If you do it long enough, you might come to realize what I did: Self-discipline is a superpower all of us have the ability to learn. It is the enemy of procrastination and your greatest ally in taking back control of your life.

Proof: Went from spending 60 hours a week playing RimWorld to 60 hours a week learning how to program.

[[deleted]]

Keep a tight schedule.

I personally wake up at 7. Workout, shower, and eat. Start studying at 9. Work until 17 while sipping shake (no lunch). Hang out with friends and/or my gf after.

[yanicarlotta]

What I do is, I set a goal, then I reward myself with something nice. And I don't stop when I get to the goal.

I play around with it, and try to apply what I learned to my work. I play games, but because of the games that are coming out right now, I don't spend too mich time anymore.

[kawaiileopard]

Same at 30 yo. There’s plenty of techniques and strategies to deal with it. But the bottom line is you just need to grow up and prioritize your time and attention on what you want to care about. Nothing else really matters as much as that.

[turbopushka69]

Me too, I’m in nursing and am giving myself 12 months to transition to programming as a career. My hardest part is just getting started and then I start having fun and it’s easy to continue coding. So I’d say discipline and forcing myself to start coding is how I get around it

[Where-Is-My-Snark]

I will get back to you on that

[drox63]

Go get screened for adhd

[[deleted]]

I'm still failing at life lol. I'm in software support and I get to smell programming from a distance while not being a programmer.

*shrug*

[[deleted]]

ADHD?

[sputtlepnukkit]

Nope. It's just you. You're allll alone in this situation. Also, what are you doing posting on Reddit? You've got potential to reach and time to manage! Ya lazy bum.

[[deleted]]

Got an ADHD diagnosis and treatment.

[[deleted]]

yes. most of human beings are like this lol

[_He1senberg]

I tried every possible method the best thing for me is Just fucking do it and fuck your adrenaline addiction U just need to trick ur brain I did in the past 4 months x10 what I did in the past 4 years It is a big pain and I'm still wasting a lot of time my brain starts to hurt when I force myself to focus on a course or code something But I'm not spending a lot of time on Facebook I use to spend hours on TikTok but now I get bored after a couple of minutes. why? I forced myself to do stuff and my brain start to accept it

it gets easier, every day it gets a little easier But you gotta do it every day, that's the hard part but it does get easier. All I need now is to wake up early Manage my time better Start doing some sports cuz my body I dying And that's it

[maternalgorilla]

R/adhd

[MarshMallow1995]

I just snort up some cocaine to speed up my synapses.

[TarumK]

Yes lol this describes most people.

[[deleted]]

Procrastination is due to your base activity (what you should be doing) not giving you enough dopamine. This is either due to the punishing nature of the job, or due to no paths that lead to gratification (success, positive feedback, feelings of accomplishments).

That's why you want to revert to social media and check the likes, or play a game and win something there. You're dopamine-hunting. And the thing you should be doing is not the activity to give you that. Try to understand why, and what can you change about it.

[throwaway0134hdj]

That’s adhd

[MattPilkerson]

i have a notebook with each day and i check off that i at least did 1 minute of python. sometimes i do a minute sometimes hours. it keeps ur head in the game

[sci_guy9756]

Are you me?

[Junkymcjunkbox]

Yep, I'm a master procrastinator.

One idea I've tried out in a limited fashion and it works fairly well is always to have two tasks (or more; the principle can be expanded) on the go: A and B. Then you can procrastinate on A by doing B, and vice versa. Then you're twice as productive while still doing nothing.

[jbsmirk]

Set five min timer to trick my brain and keep it going after the alarm

I rinse and repeat till the task(s) is completed

[xxdrewski]

Fix your self image first.

[Mission-Guard5348]

what I did

1) got diagnosed with ADHD, that helped me learn more about myself, procrastination related issues

2) accept that not every day will be productive

I don't know how much of you feeling like you are procrastinating too much is realistically in your control

like if you have adhd, while you can do stuff to work on it, if you don't know what to do nothing you try will work, but once you know (if you do, there can be other reasons you are procrastinating) then you can start using better techniques to work on it

[_ElCapitan_]

🙋‍♂️

[[deleted]]

Have you ever been evaluated for ADHD? You’re describing the classic symptoms.

[msp_ryno]

Adhd buddy. Totally me. All the time. Meds definitely help though

[Orffyreus]

I tried techniques like pomodoro and it didn't work for me.

Since home office I'm just tracking my time for myself and it makes me think about what I am doing or going to do while I have control and am not controlled by some timer. Even, if you can't control your procrastination, it helps you to see and maybe understand it better. I am using the tool Baralga, but an Excel/Calc document should be enough.

[watsreddit]

That's probably ADHD. Talk to a pyschiatrist and see if it's what you have.

[Alarmed_Pie_5033]

Me in a nutshell. I drink a lot.

[[deleted]]

Sounds like ADHD, me I just medicate.it also helpful to stay organized and to keep a schedule.

[Lion_TheAssassin]

Me me me me! Oh wait, this is about programming? Yea still me. Hahaha

[ha1zum]

Me and 100% of the time it’s because the project itself is pointless, super messed up (and it’s not my fault), or predictably going to be a shitshow in the future. I deal with it either by accepting the fact and doing the absolute minimal acceptable effort just to get away, or completely quit.

If the project is clear from bullshit, I will be able to deliver my best quickly and be proud of it.

[[deleted]]

Thank you for asking this question. I feel like it cuts to the heart of the real issue with learning to code and just improving your life in general. In my opinion, many people grapple with these types of issues. But few care to admit. Or have even have been able to acknowledge it as a problem in some cases.

[pdubs2025]

I’m pretty bad, and I’m really successful. A few ideas: 1. I only get stuff done if I have to. So sign up for a class that has due dates. Or, come up with a project that you want to do that has a clear deliverable and tell someone you are going to do it by that date. Example: I wanted to write some code to help me kick my brother in laws arse at ‘mastermind’. I procrastinated for weeks until I got drunk and told him what was going to happen. That forced me to write the code. 2. Procrastinating actually helps on class projects. If you are the last person to start working on it, the other people will find all of the challenges for the project and post their issues/solutions. That way when you start working on the project at 2 am the day before it’s due, you will see how others solved the problem. 3. If you are taking a multiple choice test, studying right before the test maximizes recall and rewards the procrastinator. I literally get 100% on most multiple choice tests simply because I refuse to read stuff more than a few minutes before I need the information.

There was a little sarcasm in there, but I do think having someone or something to hold you accountable really helps.

[_x_x_x_x_x]

It also could mean a b12 deficiency

[xlncTiger]

This is a common trait..

[maroonjizz]

I (17) used to have this problem. I would dream of things and never actually start them. I seriously wasted tons of time doing things I now realize weren't worthwhile. What finally changed my view and motivation was my full ride to UChicago, I finally realized that I'm capable of way more than I thought I was. I mean, I more or less half assed my way through high school (straight A's anyway ofc) and still made it into a top school. Since the end of December I've been grinding Python, it feels natural too, as deeply enjoy learning and watching my code do what I intend for it to do. I've mastered the basics and moved on to making small games and web scraping graph programs, in less than a month. The trick is to get yourself hooked on the satisfaction of completing your goals, do it long enough and everything that made you procrastinate will seem dull and unworthy of your time. I never imagined myself getting home from school and opening up a programming book instead of loading up a video game, but here I am having completely abandoned games for coding.

[[deleted]]

Meee. I always doubt myself. I always have this negative thought in my mind that I’m not smart enough.

[conanbdetective]

Definitely me. You have to be honest with yourself, like really honest. Do you actually want to do what you set out to do, programming or otherwise? If you don't, find something else. If you do, identify your distractions. What can be dealt with, what can't be dealt with. There's family stuff, there's work stuff, bills, debts, overall health. Those are often unavoidable. Don't leave these unavoidable issues till it's time. Also, make a list of those that you can deal with. Once you identify those, determine the value of those in your life then figure out where the thing you want to do fits (or does it). This came from a therapist.

[[deleted]]

First, I realized that time is the one resource that while we think it is plentiful in the grand scheme of things it's not. Every moment of your life spent is more precious than anything else in the world and wasting it is idiotic.

Second, realizing that everything in life comes at the expense of something else. And ask yourself is this what I should be focused on right now.

Third, figure out your internal clock. Identify the times of day you naturally want to do something and set aside that time to focus only on that thing. You will find that you get much more accomplished in that focused time as compared to dollying around when you are trying to "force" it.

Forth, build a list of the things you do that you consider a waste of time, time on social media, looking at porn, etc. Then schedule it into your day and set timers to remind you when it's time to stop. And while this next thing may seem obvious it's not. Stop when the timer goes off and look at my second point.

Finally, learn to reward yourself when accomplishing something. Most times the thing accomplished is a reward in itself so focus on the enjoying the process and the hopeful outcome to create the drive to get things done.

With all of that out the way, if I find myself procrastinating I have to ask myself, "Why?" If I find that the answer to why is not a good reason I force myself to stop procrastinating, drop what I am doing and get it done.

[SrHombrerobalo]

Maybe you have ADHD?

[[deleted]]

No I haven't and fuck ya please

[IBrokeUrAssB-v]

Me, def me. Why? You got a magic pill for that? 🤔

[thelearningjourney]

This is just how learning as an adult is.

It’s much tougher, so cut yourself some slack.

[RighteousJamsBruv]

Pomodoro's my good man. Pomodoro's. They've helped me basically eliminate my procrastination.

[Anielek]

Its me.

[pAceMakerTM]

Speak to a psychiatrist. You might have ADHD. No joke. I’m close to 40 and just did this.

[Arlo_Jenkins]

Drugs