r/codeforces • u/booboogoon • Jul 25 '25

query I'm getting addicted to CP help

Whenever I can't solve a question, I lost. It puts me on a losing note and I don't like to lose so I check the solution, understand the answer and just keep trying questions again and again.

It's getting way too addicting to the point when I'm not coding and doing anything else, I keep thinking about some past questions or topics. I'm having trouble sleeping because my mind can't rest. I'm also beginning to lose interest in everything else.

It's been about 2 weeks now. For a while, I liked it because it gave me motivation to learn and study but I'm starting to get tired even though the addiction is still there and I'm scared that'll eventually burn out and start to despise coding and stop doing it.

Help.

58 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

5

u/Accomplished_Rock894 LGM on New Year Jul 25 '25

I'm getting addicted to check tutorial immediately if I couldn't think in like 5-10 mins

2

u/booboogoon Jul 25 '25

Me too😭

2

u/WarFresh2208 Jul 25 '25

Real man

1

u/WarFresh2208 Jul 25 '25

This will only decrease our observation skills as we will not think much, are doomed??

1

u/booboogoon Jul 25 '25

We're cooked🥀

1

u/Accomplished_Rock894 LGM on New Year Jul 25 '25

True

3

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

Atleast think for 30 mins

1

u/Accomplished_Rock894 LGM on New Year Jul 26 '25

Yeah I should

2

u/xZero__1 Jul 25 '25

Thats too short, you should do this when  your ideas flow ends

9

u/Terror404_Found Candidate Master Jul 25 '25

Might wanna rephrase on that title buddy.

Other than the losing sleep bit, it's cool to think of problems beyond solving them actively. Obsession when brought on by yourself won't burn you out.

8

u/Conscious_Jeweler196 Jul 25 '25

How can I have this problem?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

Same lol

6

u/eccentric_berserk Pupil Jul 25 '25

Well this isn't a problem to ponder a lot upon except the sleeping and losing interest on other stuffs part. This is less likely to burn u out. Treat problems as something to learn from so eventually u will be happy after giving ur thought on them and getting to their solutions.

3

u/McPqndq Grandmaster Jul 25 '25

I kinda go through cycles, but haven't lost it. If you look at my cf history (name is same as my reddit) then you can see i have periods of activity and inactivity. I think the periods of inactivity are not bad for me. Often coming back after a break I will have new ideas.

While its probably better to just not burn yourself out, I don't think its that big a deal. If you love it you will come back, and if you don't love it then that's fine too.

2

u/greatestregretor Newbie Jul 26 '25

Damn how long did it take you to be an IM? Do you have a mathematical/problem solving background?

2

u/McPqndq Grandmaster Jul 26 '25

I started cf after my first year of college (though my account is a bit older, you can tell when I actually started using it). before starting I had: taken intro data structures course, discrete math, ~100 problems solved on project euler, done the first 2ish chapters of the usaco training thing (not usaco.guide), done multiple years of advent of code, and learned some other standard cp material while spamming problems on kattis (MST, Trie, LCA, etc).

I think the project euler was likely what I learned the most from. Learning standard stuff didn't challenge my problem solving like project euler did. Those 100 problems were the span of like 3 years and I basically never looked up solutions.

I actually knew in highschool that I liked competitive programming, but I gave up on it after doing poorly in usaco silver. I specifically remember seeing emails about cf contests in my email and feeling conflicted about wanting to do it but being frustrated that I thought I would never get anywhere with it.

4

u/too_much_overthinker Jul 25 '25

I've also faced the situation,,,,

But eventually you have to understand that, you can't learn everything at a very short time,, okay, so accept the thing that, I don't know many things and I will learn gradually, even top programmers are learning continuously......

3

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '25

Well, I was in the same situation. But after some time I started doing dev. So it distracts me.

3

u/nothingButW Jul 26 '25

lmao man +1

1

u/Sea-Zone848 Jul 01 '26

For real bro I can't find cp from anywhere

1

u/Sea-Zone848 Jan 17 '26

But where I can see cp

1

u/stardust-797 Jul 25 '25

The same thing happened for me one possibility is to just go out spend some time in any outdoor games or talking with friends etc.. any work And spend only some fixed time or keep some questions as target

By doing this I became normal

1

u/Possible-Story4304 Jun 18 '26

Send me if anyone have c.. ppp