Hi Malcolm,

I reach this point about once every 6-9 months. You go into a coma and wonder how you could have committed to do so much code in so little time (because you weren't toasty when you made the commitment).

IMHO, if coding isn't "fun" then it becomes really hard to do. If there isn't that anticipation that you can create something really cool, then it gets really difficult to sit there in front of the screen and be useful.

Almost to a man (or woman), the developers I have talked to consider what they do 1/2 engineering and 1/2 aesthetic. When you start to lose the aesthetic it becomes drudgery and hard to focus on.

I take regular breaks from programming during the day. I work mainly out of a home office so I will get up once or twice a day and fool around in the garden for a half hour at a time. This works when I am moderately fried.

When I am really toasty, I find fun things to do with the tools. Give yourself a goal, a "wouldn't it be neat if..." sort of thing. And then try to make that goal. I have lots of files here: most of them came from periods where I was too burnt out on coding to do client work. FRX2Word is an example. I had a horrific March where I was working 80 hrs a week to hit two deadlines in two projects. In April, I was just too damn burnt to consider doing real work so I started thinking "wouldn't it be neat if....I could export reports" and then worked just as hard for a few weeks on the tool but enjoyed myself immensely.

I was then able to re-enter the business world :-)