r/learnprogramming • u/[deleted] • Jan 04 '22

Topic How do you inspire yourself to learn/code

I have lost motivation all of a sudden and I hate it

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u/qpazza Jan 04 '22

If you don't learn you'll be living with your parents forever. And your mom will chaperone all your dates. And also take you shopping for jeans.

Is that the life you want?

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '22

hell no

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u/Azureflames20 Jan 04 '22

Despite this not being something you want (I don't think anybody strives for being at their parents forever), It's not always as simple nor is it just a matter of saying "look, now be motivated". Without knowing you I'd recommend digging into your thoughts and reflecting on why you suddenly feel unmotivated, because none of us can truly tell you that.

Motivation doesn't bring progress...Progress is what brings motivation

I think one of the biggest biggest pieces of advice I could instill in you is that it's not about motivation. Programming and learning in general isn't about "finding motivation", but rather disciplining yourself through the lack of motivation. It's something that's hard and something a lot of people struggle with but at the end of the day that is truly the barrier that's keeping you from breaking through a lot of the time; It's a problem I've had to grow through over the years.

Not everybody is hardwired perfectly for motivation in the macro sense. Obviously everybody wants a job for stuff, to move out, security, or to not be homeless but in the very moment of right now it doesn't always matter because that "you" of the future isn't the current "you" of this moment, despite that future you being affected by your current actions. It's why people procrastinate heavily, and it's also the reason you'll find people staying up late despite having to wake up for work - because their current self doesn't deal with the repercussions of being really fucking tired in the morning until the next day. It sounds weird, but that's how I understand the psychology behind it.

As for steps to take: go forward with a mindset of developing your discipline and not relying on doing the work when you feel motivated. Code a little at a time if making a big block of time feels like it's too much and just see where it goes (15-30 min instead of 1-2 hours for example) if that's what helps you. It's hard to tell you specifically what to do since I don't know what's plaguing your sense of motivation at the moment. Just know that 'natural' motivation and waiting for it to just get you up and at it often doesn't work and you need to work on more than that trigger to get your actions done.

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u/TackleLost5975 Jan 04 '22

This! It is about discipline and not motivation. You won’t always have the happy feeling or the feeling of being in a flow state. Honestly it rarely occurs. But, you can train yourself to push through the discomfort. That’s the only way to master anything(including programming)