I don't see that much talking about it, but everyone experiences this sooner or later. That moment when you feel bored, you don't feel like getting your hands on the keyboard. You know you have to do it, it's your main task for the day, but it's just too hard to get the work done.
That's normal. So I wanted to talk about it.
Throughout my learning journey, every now and then I experienced this feeling: some kind of boredom or laziness, a resistance to go sit at the desk and code. No project, not even a console.log, just plain mental block. You know how it feels? It is very disturbing, because it makes you question your goals. I would think that, if I don't feel like coding, maybe I am not really in love with it and in life you always have to do what you love, but that's not quite true, right?. And sometimes this wouldn't go away for a few days.
In my experience, I noticed a few causes:
- I was very overwhelmed when I first started learning to code, because the roadmap looked infinite and my brain couldn't just deal with it and stopped working and pretend he is just bored. I would feel lost for a day or two and then had to force myself into doing it with this trick: I tell myself I will do code, but just for 10 minutes. If I decide to stop after 10 minutes, that's a win anyway. And if I carry on longer, that's even better. And this would end up usually in a 1-3 hours long session.
- Sometimes I would just want to do something else, like playing video games or going for a walk or so. When I miss things, I want to do those things, so then maybe I don't care that much about coding in that very moment. Let's just have some fun, says the brain. It's healthy to allow yourself some distractions regularly.
- There were projects that I got bored of. You know that moment when something small, easy, but repetitive kill the fun completely. You just had enough of coding chores, but feel like you had enough of coding itself entirely. My solution is to temporarily step away from boring stuff and start something fresh.
- Not having enough challenge doesn't keep me as engaged as working on a more difficult project. If it doesn't get my attention, it spoils my overall mood. So I have to dream bigger and push myself doing something more real, even if I don't know where to start. That challenge is the fuel.
- Sometimes I just need some rest. If I am tired, I will only stare at my computer and even get a headache from having too much.
Now when I experience this feeling, I am just more aware. I ask a lot of questions and dig deep into the causes. And I remind myself that, just because I have a bad day, doesn't mean I don't love what I do.
So I am curious, what are your reflections on these days when you are not in the mood for coding? What do you think about it and what do you do to get back on track?
- Take the day off?
- Force yourself into just doing it?
- Feelig confused and guilty about it?
I would love to hear your thoughts, from a beginner or a seasoned dev perspective. Share what you think in the comments and let's learn from each other stories!
Top comments (24)
The article was great, I sat down at my laptop with exactly the same feeling, thinking that I shouldn't have a free time . Sometimes I have a perfectionism and I feel like I'm behind, others expect you to be perfect, English C1 and a professional programmer without using artificial intelligence, which is impossible. I am under severe sanctions in this country and I think there is no place to stay here and it is disappointing that I am 23 years old and I was only thinking about work and progress without excitement and fun. and this is my motivation when I'm tired of everything and coding 🤔🥺😔⭐
Thank you for your time! It's like... are there programmers who are not perfectionist? Maybe this is the norm, maybe this is how we ended up choosing this career path: as perfectionist beings we searched for things that could be endlessly improved. We just need to cope with these perfectionist traits, or we can actually learn to take advantage of them.
As about doing fun things, as programmers we tend to become severly sedentary, locked in home, and this may turn into a boring life. And this boring life could even end what we enjoyed the most in the first place, which is coding. So we just have to allow us some fun from time to time.
Stay strong!
It's interesting, most programmers are introverts. I prefer not to socialize with people too much, and that's probably the best job. I also think exercising or dancing every day can help you stay motivated.☺️😁
You bring up some incredibly valid points! I believe perfectionism is almost a double-edged sword for programmers, it drives us to create clean, efficient solutions and constantly improve our skills, but at the same time, it can lead to frustration and burnout when we set unrealistic standards for ourselves. Learning how to channel perfectionism into a healthy pursuit of growth, rather than an endless chase for flawlessness, is key.
I also agree 100% with what you said about the sedentary lifestyle. It’s so easy to get lost in code for hours and forget to live outside of the screen. Finding time for fun, hobbies, or even just stepping outside for a walk can do wonders for mental clarity and creativity. Coding should remain something we love, not something that drains us.
Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful reflection! Stay strong as well, your perspective is inspiring!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply! 🙏🥺
I couldn’t agree more turning perfectionism into a healthy drive is definitely a skill we all need to develop.
And yes, stepping away from the screen once in a while really helps clear the mind and refresh our creativity 🧠
Your words were super encouraging glad we’re on the same wavelength!
Let’s keep building and growing, one line of code (and one break) at a time! 💻❤️😍
Do not depend on IT completely, as a 23 year old you should start investing and grow your passive income from now.
Exactly 💯
I do this. Right now, you can't plan for the future accurately. You have to have two plans especially in my country 😂 haha thanks ❤️
My main problem isn't boredom. I have never been bored. Once I start, I'm in the zone. My main problem arises when I have no one to code with. No one to assign tasks with and no one to share the new hackathons to try with. And I hope I can get at least a tech girlie probably (In College btw). Then my joys will know no bounds.. anyone interested?
I know that flow state. When you start, you forget about the world and the second you blink it is midnight already. But sometimes it is hard to start... Good luck finding a coding mate!
Thanks.. won't mind you recommending someone to me😁
I am so sorry, but really, I can't think of anyone. But I think you got more conections than me!
I highly doubt that😁
Hi, Alexandru Ene! You can not always feel motivated or excited, especially if you have been coding for years. Boredom will come, and all we can do is to accept it and continue moving on with it.
You know, Alex, feeling is just temporary. All kinds of feelings are temporary, and that includes feeling bored. You can continue to write code without feeling excited temporarily. Then, someday, your excitement will come back naturally—and it will go away again.
I think current society wants people to always feel good and excited all the time. Not only that, but people on social media demand perfectionism, which @vidakhoshpey22 and @cristea_theodora_6200140b have mentioned. I think the cause of your situation now is the pressure from that. But you can free yourself from it.
Accept your current feelings. Continue your work. Expect the best from yourself. Keep going, Alex.
I hope this helps. Please do let me know your thoughts.
Yes, you're right, that was a great comment, sometimes I look at social media and I think to myself, why am I not so excited, why am I not like this, and really, that's society. Emotions are temporary. You figured that out before anyone else.😍🙏🏻💯
Yes, boredom is just something natural, it's not necessarily coding related, but it could be. And it is true that nowadays we have to face a terrible amount of pressure from outside. Your points are valid. Best news? These are only feelings and they are temporary, this should stick deep in our heads. The feelings come and go, but our goals matter more, because they stay. Thank you for sharing this with us! I will surely borrow your wisdom!
You are absolutely right, Hanno Zhuan!🥰 Motivation and enthusiasm cannot always be constant, and accepting periods of boredom or stagnation is part of the growth process. It is very true that feelings are temporary and that enthusiasm returns when you keep working, even when you don’t necessarily feel inspired.👌 I believe that social pressure and comparisons with others can amplify these states, but as you said, the key is to free yourself from that and follow your own rhythm. We’ve all gone through this overwhelming mix of thoughts at the beginning!
This is such a well-written and relatable article! 👏Thank you for bringing up an important topic that so many developers experience but rarely talk about. It’s absolutely true that we all face days when we just don’t feel like coding, and that’s perfectly fine. Sometimes the best thing we can do for our productivity and creativity is to simply step back and give ourselves permission to rest.
One thing that has helped me is breaking big tasks into smaller, more achievable goals – the feeling of small wins often brings back the motivation to keep going. It’s also helpful to work on projects that genuinely excite you, rather than forcing yourself into tasks that feel overwhelming.
Another piece of advice I’d add is to take regular breaks and explore hobbies outside of coding – activities like reading, walking, spend time with a loved one, or even something creative like drawing, music can recharge your mind and give you fresh ideas when you return to your code. And remember, it’s not about being productive 24/7; it’s about finding a healthy balance that lets you grow sustainably. I went through exactly what you are going through! 🙃
Your article is a great reminder that we’re not alone in this, and that taking care of our mental health is just as important as improving our coding skills. Thank you for sharing such an encouraging message with us! Good luck in whatever you do! This means perfection: staying true to yourself, embracing both the productive and unmotivated days, and constantly learning and growing without pressuring yourself to be flawless.👌
Thank you for your honest reflections and suggestions! It is always good to have someone remind us about what matters more.
This reminds me of the famous blog post by Joel Spolsky (founder of StackOverflow among other things) more than 20 years ago.
The developer community as a whole doesn't like to talk about this, because it makes us sound lazy. So when you feel this way, it can feel like you're the only person in the world who feels this way, while your coworkers are, apparently, "putting in 60 hour weeks and crushing it, hell yeah!" (they're not really, generally speaking, at least not regularly)
On my bad days, I try to find some easy wins that will let me at least produce something. I never give up completely unless I'm physically ill, but I'll try to make the day easier for myself when I need to.
I read that blog post by Joel Spolsky. Thank you for sharing it. It felt like I was reading my own thoughts. It was so relatable.
And you are so right about sounding lazy. Accepting that we might be just lazy takes away the power from us, it makes us weak. So just swallow down and do the job, show everybody, especially yourself, that you are strong enough.
I think finding easy wins is a bigger win. Rather than giving up completely because you cannot go full speed, you at least move forward with just another step. It's really a good strategy. Thanks for reminding that.
I've been doing Front-End development for 25 years, and I've really seen how much the field has changed. Lately, though, I've started to lose interest in IT altogether because it feels like Front-End is becoming obsolete and stagnant. There’s nothing groundbreaking happening; it all seems to revolve around JavaScript, and every new NPM package feels like just a minor tweak to what's already there, all marketed as fast, optimized, and high-performing. With AI being pushed in every company and becoming a requirement, coding has become even more tedious for me. These days, I’m not really involved in daily coding anymore; I focus more on finding solutions, improving processes, and setting standards. I’ve even begun looking into other options for starting my own business that’s outside of IT and doesn’t involve AI at all.
Congrats for being there for such a long time. As beginners, we have a lot to learn from devs like you. And kind of understand what development feels like after all these years. It's true, always having other options should be the rule. Thank you for pointing that out!
Nice!
Thank you!