Comment by cfontes | Hacker News Reader

Comment by cfontes | Hacker News Reader

For me it's simple I just hate to work in companies that are not mine, so when I get home at night my brain keeps telling me my life is going to be a nightmare if I don't do my stuff.

I just can't sleep without commiting some code, or looking for a solution for a problem I am having in my side project, I need to at least search for it.

If I stay too much time ( Girlfriend, family, sports etc..) like 5hrs or + away from my things I start day dreaming about problems I have to solve in periods I am alone but cannot get to a computer, and I feel a urge to get home soon.

Anyway it's my curse... I gotta have side projects otherwise live is meaningless( at least at this time of my life)

It's me and sometimes people get pissed at me but I am like that love me or hate me :D.

P.S: a LIGHT ( not running a 15kms) exercise really helps, it's like your body is ready for the next 24hrs at 9pm.

It's interesting how we can have opposite reactions to the same situation; working in previous jobs I hated, getting home at night left me feeling drained of energy and needing to "decompress". I could never focus on my own work until I quit the day job.

Seconded. I'm the same way. There were times where I'd mentally shut down and couldn't even browse the internet because I couldn't think straight. Working on my own projects was a joke while working at that particular company.

_Soul of a New Machine_ quotes Tom West, who directed development of Data General's first 32-bit mini, as saying (roughly), The problem with stupid jobs is that they leave you too tired to do anything when you go home. (Adjective not vouched for.)

I feel the same way. The periods when my motivation and thus productivity at work are lowest, my brain's least productive after work. It's because I am consumed by the guilt of not having done my job during the day. On the contrary when I am productive at work, there's a spring in my step when I go home and my mind is ready to happily tackle new problems.

Have to agree. Working on anything that is not my own leaves me feeling like I have a void that can only be filled by taking some tangible step in the direction of my personal goals before going to sleep. Taking action consistently has created the habit.

I hear you about the curse thing. I'm starting to feel that way about side projects. I'm pretty happy at my station in life professionally for the first time ever but I still feel the need to write code in my spare time that might make money. It's a curse.

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