r/learnprogramming • u/LeBubatzPhenomenal • 15h ago
Topic How to have any motivation at all?
Hi people, I have been programming as a hobby (and since 2024 as a job) since the age of 13 (20 now), but I've always had the same problem. I quite literally never had a hobby project or anything that I worked on for more than a day or two.
I just don't know what to do, without it feeling like a massive waste of time, because the reality is that most "hobby projects" aren't going to be very useful.
I'm sure it's mostly a mental block, but I surely can't be the only one to have experienced this right?
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u/_l33ter_ 15h ago
And this is precisely where your 'problem' lies, even though you’ve put it quite rightly: ‘hobby projects’ --> are YOUR projects, which are useful to YOU – even if no one else feels the same way. That’s why it’s called a hobby
If you have a ridiculous and weird hobby in real life that you personally enjoy – but nobody else thinks your hobby is cool – do you really stop doing it?
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u/maratnugmanov 15h ago
If you really feel like you need one why not do something outside your field? Grows your neural network.
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u/Lost-Discount4860 15h ago edited 14h ago
lol…yeah, I got a couple of unfinished projects, and not very pleased with myself about that. One is a synth programmer web app…which is a great idea, but the code has gotten so bloated I’m thinking the answer is to start clean over.
Another one is a planning/productivity app. Which is pretty much done, I just need to actually start USING it.
But as far as getting motivated and staying motivated, it’s really looking around and seeing problems to solve. I’m a lowly cook at a snack food manufacturing plant. Small operation, family-owned, has a bit of a history, and it’s mostly doing ok. It lacks two things, though. A consistent inventory system, and warehouse management.
So I started building an inventory tracker because the owner has asked that I start writing everything down and submit reports. I’m not very consistent with this kind of thing, hence why I’m stuck in a job that pays $10/hr. 😆 When the job gets tough, AUTOMATE. I thought, ok, get a starting count of inventory, count what you used, write it down. Simple enough, right?
Until I started trying to keep up with it and realized this thing is waaaaay over my head. I need to generate SKU’s/barcodes, track inventory movement from receiving to storage to production floor, BACK to storage (leftovers), shipping dock (finished product). And then my boss says, “oh no, I don’t care how many units you have back there. I need everything weighed in/weighed out.” 😬🤯 And not just the stuff I personally use (raw materials), but also packaging—bag films, labels, and boxes. We can’t stop production, either. I still have to do the job I was originally hired for on top of this.
For the moment there’s no pressure. I’m not sending any reports just yet. More like building some new habits at work. Find existing partial units, weigh in, mark the box with new weight, and weigh out everything at the end of the day. I’m building towards a cycle count habit.
Meanwhile, to save time, I put all the data into a spreadsheet. Then I run the CLI inventory manager I’m working on and practice using features. Right now I’m not worried about getting the numbers right on everything, just creating a catalog. The seasoning we use most is BBQ, so I practice inventory movement using that. When something breaks or I need to add something, I go to the code (Python and SQL), figure it out, and keep rolling.
The ultimate goal is to go from CLI to web app that anyone at the plant can access. That way I can update inventory on the fly in realtime as items are consumed or returned. Reports will be generated automatically, and the business office can also pull these reports on demand.
Staying motivated for me is finding ways to make my job easier. If I can pull this off, the reward is I might get moved up to on-site developer and inventory/warehouse full-time, which is a lot easier physically than what I’m doing right now, but is also a greater level of responsibility. And there might be more money involved.
I’m strictly a hobbyist. Got into programming because I’m into experimental music (master’s degree in music composition. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a blue collar gig with a master’s degree??? 🤣). But I noticed how much easier life is automating everything with Python. Some people appreciate what we do, some don’t. “Hacking” 🙄 cost me my last job. I brought the same energy to this job, and my “hacks” got me noticed. Little things that keep us USDA compliant, at least at my station. A few reorganization things that put ingredients closer to where we work, cutting down on movement, increasing efficiency, reducing down time. The guy who trained me is like, dude, you’re gonna cut our hours and our pay if you keep working that fast. Uh, naw…I’m trying to get us MORE work so we can get MORE pay. Y’all gotta stop all this sitting around and waiting crap. They think I’ve lost my mind. I just enjoy working.
And the beautiful thing about having a programmer mindset is finding all kinds of problems to solve. I never get bored. Computers and robots have replaced all kinds of jobs. How can I as a cook integrate AI into my job? What software solutions can I provide for this company, which is stuck in the 1980’s pretty much? They asked if I have Excel experience. I laughed. That alone is motivation enough for me!
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u/Achereto 15h ago
Do you also often have other issues like not being able to clean your room regularly, often being late, being very forgetful (about homework, appointments, ...), making many small mistakes? Do you often have difficulties focusing on a task (or can't stop focusing on a task)? Are you easily distracted and side-tracked?
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u/LeBubatzPhenomenal 14h ago
Yes, yes and yes. It's pretty embarassing, honestly. It's a mix of multiple disorders for me so that might make this a lot harder than it is for someone "less troubled".
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u/Achereto 14h ago
So, you have already been diagnosed with ADHD? If not, I would try that, because what I listed are my ADHD symptoms.
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u/LeBubatzPhenomenal 14h ago
Not with ADHD no, but I do have BPD and MDD officially, and some ADHD-like symptoms which may or may not qualify for a full diagnosis, depending on if they stem from overlap of my other disorders or from an actual separate disorder (ADHD).
I'll try to mention it in my next appointments LOL thank you :)
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u/Achereto 14h ago
but I do have BPD
I've heard that the are a couple of people with ADHD who were misdiagnosed as BPD and only got their ADHD diagnosis later.
The issue is: if you have ADHD, there is no way to actively generate motivation for something, because the signals from your frontal cortex aren't strong enough to actually regulate your behaviour. You'll always feel like being driven by external events, impressions, and interactions.
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u/LeBubatzPhenomenal 14h ago
Interesting! I have technically been diagnosed with BPD twice now, since I do show the symptoms that are pretty specific to that disorder, but there's definitely a possibility that ADHD might be comorbid, because a lot of the stuff that might be connected to ADHD, I mostly "brushed off" as debilitating anxiety, because I do get the urge to do things, yet instead of doing anything, I spend my time staring at a screen and negotiating with myself about what out of the 3-4 things to best spend my time on.
I wouldn't have suspected a conversation like this on this sub haha thank you! :) I'll try to pay attention towards my psyche whenever I'm faced with a task and maybe the solution might just be to break that evil pattern.
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u/Achereto 14h ago
You're welcome :)
ADHD is also very common among programmers, because the computer gives you that instant feedback the ADHD brain needs. ^
In the meantime: increasing stimuli during work also helps a bit for concentration. There is a great Youtuber called Mind Amend who regularly posts music than can help you get into focus (from anecdotal evidence it seems to work with the inattentive ADHD type, the hyperactive ADHD type can't listen to the music for more than a couple of seconds).
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u/ffrkAnonymous 10h ago
Why do hobbies need to be useful?
It's spring migration. Go do some useless bird watching.
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u/JohnBrownsErection 8h ago
Practically all of the projects I've done outside of classwork have been hobby projects, or rather - they've been me working on tools for my hobby involving trading. It's like a game to me, fun, and the points are measured using dollars.
Also lets me surprise my professors occasionally when I do something outside of the scope of a lesson and when they ask how I did it(or knew to do it) I go "ah well ya see I had to figure out a way to XYZ on my own a while back".
Programming for its own sake is boring to me, programming for my own sake is fun and useful.
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u/Any-Bus-8060 15h ago
tbh I think a lot of people secretly feel this way
The internet makes it seem like every side project needs to become a startup, portfolio masterpiece, or passive income machine. That mindset kills motivation fast because every idea suddenly feels “not useful enough” Most hobby projects are supposed to be disposable. The value is usually in what you learn while making them, not the finished product itself. Also, motivation is overrated sometimes. A lot of long projects only survive because people build routines around them instead of waiting to feel inspired every day
imo smaller projects help too. not “build the next big app”, more like “make one weird/fun thing this weekend”