> I know I have all the capability to deliver crazy performance. And hey, I still do from time to time, it's not like we're doomed. We have already proved that we have the mental capability to achieve great things
Yes, sure we are. But isn't it sad how much of our potential is wasted?
> Here's my suggestion for you: Be a manager. Set aside an amount of time each day to work as your manager. Ask yourself about your goals, figure out what you need to excel at those goals, and make sure that you get what you need. Is your work structured the right way? Is what you're doing now working? If you can't figure out what to do next as a manager, go learn. Read a book or online article about management to get ideas. But, mostly, just make sure you actually do it.
It's easy to find blah-blah blog posts and books written by self-proclaimed life advisors, usually with very low information density (which makes it impossible for me to read carefully). Can you recommend any particular material?
> Perfectionism is a nasty beast. Are you a perfectionist too?
Unfortunately, yes. And I'm definitely treating life as an optimization problem. However, most of the time I don't see the big picture. For example, I spend hours or days figuring out the "best" piece of hardware to buy (e.g., a new monitor), and then another day trying find the best offer. Usually I get frustrated the more options I find. Quite often, after many wasted hours, I end up buying nothing at all.
Other people would just "google" for "monitor test 2011", take #1 from the list, get it from their local dealer, and spend the rest of the day working on an interesting project or earning money (or both). What a happy life.
> I have found success when my hobbies and side projects intersect with each other. I finished a Flash animation when it was for a class project. I actually did learn a Haskell for Great Good when I made my senior research project "An Investigation of Lesser-Known Programming Languages." Then learning Haskell was not just a thing that might be cool but rather a school project that I had to finish.
Jup. The only programming projects I finished were school projects. That's when I have no problems getting incredibly productive, but a few minutes after the submission deadline, everything is back to normal and I waste my time sucking in random bits of information on the web.
There's no way to become a great programmer (builder/creator) if you only code (build/create) seriously a few times a year.
> If something like school motivates you, then use that to your advantage!
Yes, school is the only thing that really motivates me. But well, now I'm close to graduation, and I don't know yet what could replace it. That's scary.
> Do note that knowing a lot about a little does give you some unique advantages. If you ever do need to really learn something for a job or school project, it will be much easier than if you knew nothing about a subject. You are also more aware of what tools are available for various projects, and you can select the right tool for the right job.
That's true. I often notice that my tech knowledge is very exhaustive/broad compared to people who I consider experts in their particular field. They know one thing very well, I know a little about countless things.
However, I don't really know if that helps me as a programmer. Good programmers have to become experts in a at least a few technologies.
Maybe I should not force myself to become a programmer. Maybe I should pick a route where there is no need to become an expert. Suggestions?
> If you'd like to talk, send me an email. Info's in my profile if you are interested.
I definitely should do so. But somehow I'm already starting to lose all interest in fixing my problems. I'm already onto the next thing: Skimming through the Python twisted docs, just to see that I don't actually want to build anything. Sigh.
Apart from that, Twitters permission system is very coarse. There are only three access levels.