Pushing When You Feel You Simply Can’t
Possibly the most useful thing I learned while getting my Ph.D. was totally unrelated to the work. It was simply this: Often the difference between 'decent' and 'great' is a matter of endurance. The movie Galaxy Quest said it more compactly: Never give up. Never surrender.
Today is one of those days.
Several hours ago I realized that I had no motivation for the work I'm doing. I just didn't care. But it's at these times I remember the final year of my Ph.D. where I was simply wishing for the degree or death - I didn't much care some days. But as I got within the last months I saw that there really was a difference between those that kept giving it everything they had even when they didn't believe they had it.
You see, it really is just an impression... a feeling of desperation. Not that I was any really less capable of writing code this morning. Or that code on one project was inherently harder to write than another. Nope, it's all in the emotions of the situation. Take them out of it - even for a little and you'll be surprised that you can really keep going when you think you really can't.
So I kept pushing today. Take a walk to get a drink ever now and then, and get back at it. Never give it a break. Don't stop even when you want to. After a bit you start to see real progress. This may not make things that much better, but it's going to be reassuring tomorrow when you might feel the same, and it'll be nice to know that you did it today. If you did it then, you can do it again.
After a while things will turn around. They always do. If you can keep pushing through the hardest of times you'll feel better about the good times. Just don't give up.