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Understanding And Overcoming Coder's Block

Lorenzo Pasqualis on November 27, 2017

This post was first published on CoderHood as Understanding And Overcoming Coder’s Block. CoderHood is a blog dedicated to the human dimension of s...
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Kwabena Bio Berko

Great post. Very helpful. The second point you talked about happens to me a lot. Doing something else and staying away from the computer for some few minutes usually gives me a whole new perspective of the problem I was trying to solve.

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Lorenzo Pasqualis

Thank you! Very glad that this was helpful.

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Alexandru Bucur

I think the problem is that coding in general is a creative process and good developers are perfectionists. Maybe we should draw inspiration from how artists handle blocks be it painters, musicians or anything else

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Oleg Krasavin

I used to get stuck on some tasks very often and didn't know what to do with that within fairly long time. By now I found some ways of overcoming such states and your article give me some new useful tips. Thanks!

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Stojan Anastasov

I have experienced #1 and #4 on a smaller scale. Not really as a block from writing code but more as an excuse for procrastinating and spending more time slacking than coding.

Great article, thanks for the tips for fixing the problem.

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Peter

Hi Lorenzo,

you're right, our ability to write code depends on "right and left brain activity" / creative energy. I learned a lot from TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) regarding the cause of such "blockage". It depends most time on a problem with the "liver energy". Our sedentary way of life is problem number one. This cause in us a blockage of liver energy and the creative energy depends on that on a long term.

One solution: move!

Sport or taking a walk helps a lot.

Another possible cause: We may think, without being conscious of it, that the entire project makes no sense. If this is true or not, our subconscious part will not release creative energy in an abundant manner.

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HawiCaesar

Love this. Lorenzo you are very resourceful!

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Lorenzo Pasqualis

Thank you! :)

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Matt Curcio

The info in this article is great and so much common sense.

As I read it (I don't know how many times I said to myself)

I knew that, hmmmm, but how often do I stick with it?

;))

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Helder Burato Berto

Amazing post! 👏

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Alex Escalante

I have faced real blocks when writing fiction, poetry, or music (I am an artist and a software engineer), but never when programming!