I feel much the same way. But let me start off by saying that I think being able to get into "flow" or "fluid coding" is actually a rarity, something I need to

I feel much the same way. But let me start off by saying that I think being able to get into "flow" or "fluid coding" is actually a rarity, something I need to plan for. It means things like working from home for a few days in a row to really get into things, and I can make huge progress (velocity at least double for those days). The office environment just isn't a place for good flow. Too many distractions, emails, slack, meetings, people, commuting, etc. This isn't to say that I don't get some work done at work, but it's certainly not efficient. Sadly most people I have worked with don't care that I'm not being efficient, they care that I'm working on whatever they want me to work on (which may or may not be the right thing). My suggestions on this are to try to automate your tools, like writing scripts, and writing notes about your development procedure, even if they are only for you. I have a alias for a file that has all sorts of commandlines that can run anywhere and really helps me remember what it is I needed to run. Many times, these notes have eventually gotten pushed to something like confluence, and are useful for other people, so they love them. They aren't copious, or descriptive, but the bare minimum to help me remember what I need to do. Context switching can also make you associate your work environment with being distracted. Then even when you aren't being interrupted every 15 minutes you worry you might be, which becomes a problem of itself. Despite what every growth hacker / struggle porn story tells you, you don't need to have side projects or after work projects to be successful. They are supposed to grow out of interesting things you care and have passion for, not be another job on the side. Don't worry about that at all. Spend that time to de-stress and enjoy life.