I Think I Have Coder's Block

I’m not a very good writer.

At least, I’m not very consistent, which might seem pretty apparent with my blog 😅

I started this blog to challenge myself and to learn in public, though I haven’t really kept up with my own expectations.

Writing isn’t my natural element - coding is. I’d much rather be building and experimenting with things through software development.

But, as I sit here and reflect the work I’ve done in the past week, both professionally and as a hobby, I realize that I made it through the week barely writing any code.

Fortunately, my day job doesn’t require me to be coding 100% of my time. This week was filled with document writing, helping onboard new team members, and meeting with teams to ensure projects continue to progress.

Usually, I’ll be able to fit a few cycles towards fixing bugs or developing new features, but I didn’t bother to get around to any of that this week. Even during off hours, I barely made progress on any of my side-projects.

I started to reflect on why this is.

At first, I thought it was attributed to burnout. And while I do think I’m feeling the symptoms of burnout, I don’t think it paints the whole picture.

I’ve felt burnout before - I once felt it hard - and this is not it. I’m not feeling the grogginess, mental fog, lack of motivation or slight depression that usually comes with it.

Rather, I think I just feel tired from another busy work week. I’ve also been feeling a bit uninspired with my side-projects, probably because I just haven’t allocated any bandwidth to focus on them.

I think I have coder’s block. Like what writer’s often have, but for coders.

And that’s okay. It’s unreasonable to expect myself to be a 10x coder 10x of the time. We’re only human.

One thing I learned about myself is that often I’ll have these waves of high energy and creativity, which I try to capitalize on and be as productive as I can. But those times are sometimes followed by bouts of low-energy days, like what happened to me this week. On days like these, I’ve learned it’s best for me to rest and recharge rather than force myself to produce subpar work.

I think I deserve a break. You deserve one too. Before it turns into a real burnout.

We Need Pie

So to get around my coder’s block today, I’ll instead focus on what I set out to do when I created this blog and create more content.

I’ve found that, with any mental block, it’s best to step away for some time to not think about whatever it is you’re having problems with. As Agent K from Men in Black would say, “We need pie”.

It may sound silly, but there’s actually some merit with Agent K’s rationale for wanting pie during this time of distress with Agent J. And no, it’s not just because pie is delicious.

Focused and Diffused Minds

Our brain generally operates in two different modes of thinking: focused mode and diffused mode. During this mode, the neurons in our brains travel tight paths to try to reach memories and experiences we are familiar with.

Focused Mode

Our brains enter focused mode when, well, we are trying to focus or concentrate on something (like when we are trying to solve a math problem, for example).

Diffused Mode

Your diffused mode of thinking switches on when you're out of focused mode.

In this mode, your brain is more relaxed, allowing thought neurons to travel more freely throughout different regions in your brain and may help open you up to new ideas that weren't immediately available from the more constrained mode of focused thinking.

I took the Learning How to Learn course on Coursera some time ago and this is the most important lesson that I’ve taken away from it (the presentation I made for the final project is still live!).

Understanding focused and diffused modes has greatly benefitted my work (as well as my career) as a software engineer.

When I get stuck on a complex coding problem, for example, I just take a break! I try to completely disassociate myself with the problem and let my subconscious enter diffused mode to do its thing in the background.

By the time I get back to my desk, with enough time blocked off my calendar to get back into focused mode, I feel like I’m ready to see the problem with a fresh new set of eyes.

So, if you’re stuck on a problem or just having coder’s block like me, step back and take a break.

Go have some pie 🥧