8 ms·
Anecdote: I got my first programming job while in the middle of a SpaceChem run (previously, I was just a hobby coder). I quit the game in a few days after star
by xyzal 6y ago
Anecdote: I got my first programming job while in the middle of a SpaceChem run (previously, I was just a hobby coder). I quit the game in a few days after starting that job, as I found it required the same "brain juices" I had already depleted at the office.
- jkhdigital 6y agoYes, my greatest lament about life is that “brain juice” appears to be a limited resource
- barkingcat 6y agomaybe replenish "brain juice" by drinking it from another brain?
- thih9 6y agoIf you're into that kind of metaphors, you may like the game 'Carrion'; warning, lots of pixel blood. It launched not long ago and does a great job in creating an 80s horror atmosphere. At the same time it's a relatively easy metroidvania platformer, so I find it a genuinely good activity to recover "brain juice" after coding.
- pm90 6y agoThank you for recommending this. I just bought the game and I’m most certainly going to be spending a few weekends on this : )
- hutzlibu 6y agoBut I believe, there are different types of "brain juice". I run out of the one required for nasty bug finding, very soon, but when that one is gone (and after a short break to clear the mind) I can go on creating new code/architecture for hours.
- jkhdigital 6y agoI didn’t really see these nuances until I was diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed stimulant medication. It basically gives me a large tank of “rainbow juice” that works for any task and lasts 4-6 hours. Going back to the parent comment, one remarkable effect of this is that I rarely desire to play video games like I used to. It seemed like I always had enough juice for video games but rarely for other life obligations, but with the rainbow juice I am just as motivated to do all that other stuff as I am to play video games.
- felbane 6y agoI see comments like this and seriously start to wonder if I'm an almost 40 year old man with undiagnosed ADHD. If only my insurance covered mental health...
- Aaronstotle 6y agoSeeing this comment makes me think that I should consider talking to a doctor about ADHD. I can't even focus on playing a video game for more than 30 minutes most of the time.
- hutzlibu 6y agoI would not feel comfortable needing a drug to be productive. I do struggle a lot at times with focus, but I rather try to balance it with good and healthy livestyle. Lots of sleep. Exercise, meditation .. But I have a toddler boy, who can mess with sleep and rhythm a lot, so having the possibility of a "rainbow juice" is definitely tempting. Have you noticed bad side effects? Do you allways take ritalin(?) for work? Or just on special occacions?
- dentemple 6y agoSometimes referred to as Spoon Theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_theory
- joquarky 6y agoWe've been calling it mana among my group.
- dwighttk 6y agoWhat is it?
- kortex 6y agoI'd tell you all about it, but I'm currently all out of it ;) Look into Ego Depletion. There's academic disagreement over just how "consumable" willpower is. My assessment of SOTA is: - ego/willpower is finite/depletable - Most people have more or less the same amount of it as the average. People with "more willpower" typically are more efficient with it - non-neurotypicals and those that "don't fit in society" (ADHD, ASD, bipolar, trans, nonbinary, anxiety, OCD) often spend much willpower on "passing" - it's linked to everything from blood sugar levels, insulin levels, brain blood flow, dopamine levels, D1/D2 activation ratios, and probably gut microbiome
- DC-3 6y agoIt helps to balance out the stress on different faculties. If you write code for 14 hours a day you're gonna burnout but if you balance a variety of activities it is possible to be very productive while not feeling exhausted.
- CyberDildonics 6y agoEmotional, mental and physical energy are all limited resources.