Hi Joshua,

I suffer greatly from this problem, although at the moment I shouldn't really, given that I'm unemployed with nothing to do and going out of mind mind from boredom. (On the plus side, I've recently caught up with my reading and got through The Castle, If This is a Man, The Truce and The Great Gatsby.)

Sometimes I find that my motivation just goes away - look at my Texas Hold'ems program for example: I've still not got around to rewriting it in a sensible fashion. On occasion, I certainly find it best to just go with my instinct and leave the code alone otherwise I find my attention wandering and I either make boneheaded mistakes or get nothing done. The worst thing I have done is spot an elegant and hence highly correct way of doing something but not done it because it would take too long in the short term. Take a break occasionally.

I reckon that the best way to remotivate yourself is not to code yourself to death: If you're finding it tough, take a break. If your attention is waning, read a book for half an hour or go make yourself a coffee. Remind yourself that coding is not only like mental jogging (sweaty, tiring and dull), it can also be like mental pillowfighting (messy, great fun and exhilarating.)

Update: Link fixed. D'oh.

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