←back to thread

What Happened to Lee

(wired.com)
1298 points jgrahamc | 1 comments | 15 Apr 20 14:31 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
rubicon33 ◴[15 Apr 20 20:42 UTC] No.22882787[source]▶
Terrifying.

As a software engineer, shit like this scares me. I've felt like I'm on a steady, slow, decline for the last ~4 years.

Is it just burnout? Do I need a new hobby?

I used to love programming... Spent 12 hours a day jamming on it. Now, I struggle to keep my mind on a line of code for more than 5 minutes.

At what point is it just burnout, or at what point is it something more? That's what's terrifying to me. I imagine that was a challenge for those close to Lee.

We just know so little about the human body. Our ability to easily query the state of the body, to assess which functional components are working, and which need help, is dismal.

I just hope that Lee, in whatever state he is in, isn't suffering.

replies(12): >>22883074 #>>22883202 #>>22883310 #>>22883365 #>>22883456 #>>22883655 #>>22884164 #>>22885622 #>>22886005 #>>22886691 #>>22898656 #>>22903640 #
1. thaumaturgy ◴[15 Apr 20 23:00 UTC] No.22884164[source]▶
I bet there are some aspects to this that lots of people could self-identify with.

I have a bad habit of remembering a past that never was. I think, man, the code used to just flow so easily, and now it requires effort. But I'm just remembering the highlights; if I try a little harder, I can start to remember other days when it wasn't so easy. I forget my missed deadlines and remember my last-minute saves. Revisiting old code now and again helps to shake the illusion loose.

Arranging life to spend a little bit less time on things that feel like work and making a little more time for things that excite you is a good medicine for this feeling and probably something everyone should do anyway.