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Getting through the development slump

28 April 2007
Written by: Chris Austin Posted under Programming

Almost every developer I have ever known has their ups and downs, myself especially. One thing I have noticed with many really good software developers that I have met is that they have a method to get through their slumps.

From what I’ve gathered by asking and attempting to practice myself is that it isn’t something magical or some kind of secret obtained through years of work. It is, on the surface, pretty simple. You just work through it and find ways to enjoy your work.

For example, I have a project that I am working on that I don’t find very interesting. And, it is difficult sometimes to keep myself focused and on task. But, if I don’t I’ll lose the contract and ruin my reputation. So, I just work through the mundane parts and take as much joy as I can in writing solid code.

How do you get yourself working may be different from person to person. For me, it is often just opening up the IDE or editor and reading my “TODOs”.

For the few readers I do have, I’d be curious how you get through your slumps, assuming you experience them.


One Response to ' Getting through the development slump '

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  1. Brian said,

    on May 1st, 2007 at 6:02 am

    Here are some things I do to get through slumps:

    Take a break and…
    1) Code something else for awhile
    2) Peruse blogs online/surf
    3) Run through a code project demo, play around with some new technology.

    If a break doesn’t get me motivated then when all else fails, challenge myself to power through it non-stop until I’m done!

    -B

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