Only upon reading your comment a second time did I realize you said “no kids”. What you wrote after sounds exactly what life can feel like for an ambitious hac

Only upon reading your comment a second time did I realize you said “no kids”. What you wrote after sounds exactly what life can feel like for an ambitious hacker (side projects!) confronted with the massive quantity of household work that young children bring about. Passenger is a word I use a lot - my mind hasn’t changed from before kids, but at times it feels like I’m just on the sidelines watching everyone else do stuff, while I change diapers and wash dishes. I’m not anyone to be giving out psychological advice - but given my high “overhead of life” I’ve found it a convenient time to focus on physical health. I just need 30 minutes a day for exercise, and then it’s just a matter of eating healthy. Kids may take my time but they can’t force junk food down my throat! My time will free up down the road - and I think your “muse” will also return with time. Which is why I figure now is a great time to instead focus on health (low opportunity cost wrt side projects). You may as well start with that, and if we believe a lot of what’s written these days, it’s entirely possible that improved diet and exercise might clear and focus your mind too (that would be house money if so). But at least when your drive returns, hopefully the new healthy habits you’ve gained will stick. Last thought - if you can’t think of anything else interesting to work on, I’d recommend blogging about a subject matter you find interesting. Just my 2 cents.