Burnout
Work has been tough the last couple of months. I find it hard focusing. Sometimes I stare at my screen, write a line of code, then get distracted again and read some RSS feeds, email, chat to someone on MSN or work on my budget (information overload?).
First I thought I needed to get more organized. And I did. I cleaned my desk, limited my email and RSS reading. Forced myself to work only to 5. It got me focused, but only for about a week.
Then I took on some hobbies (anything not programming related). That included things like 3d-modelling and photography. Having a hobby is great, but not so great when you'd rather surf the net looking at 3d-modelling websites instead of doing your work.
Something might be wrong with my health, I thought. Got my blood pressure and blood sugar checked out. All good. Got more sleep at night, drank more water and less coffee. I even started a rigorous gym program. Getting some exercise has helped a lot, but I'm still not there.
I think the problem is really straight-forward. So simple in fact that I'm amazed I haven't figured it out before. This is probably my first bout of BURNOUT. Yes, I did take some leave over the December holidays, but that was very exhausting (non-stop entertainment and not much relaxing).
I'm not sure how to cope with burnout. A long holiday? (I've only got 2 days leave to spend) Try another hobby? Move onto another project? Try another line of work entirely?