I’m writing this on a grimy, bleak winter afternoon. It’s late, and it’s been a grueling Monday after a very relaxing weekend with my family.
It wasn’t a bad day for any particular reason—it was just long, heavy, and tedious. From the moment I sat down, I felt my motivation lagging, and a glance at my to-do list didn’t help. A long line of tasks, none of them particularly interesting. Just another Monday morning filled with status calls and leftover tasks I didn’t get to on Friday.
I know, shocking, right?
If you came here expecting a motivational boost about how great it is to be a dev, you might be in the wrong place. This space isn’t about flexing my achievements—it’s a diary of sorts, an honest reflection. And today? Today, I really struggled to get going.
Nothing dramatic happened. I just woke up feeling drained. The cold, wet morning made staying wrapped in my duvet feel like the only rational choice. But I dragged myself out of bed, got my daughter ready for school, made myself an extra-strong black coffee, and sat at my desk. It didn’t help.
Instead of diving into work, I procrastinated like a seasoned professional. Checked my inbox way too many times without taking action. Reread my Jira tickets, hoping for some divine revelation. Made another coffee. Doodled while drinking it. Anything to delay the inevitable.
The truth is, my mental energy doesn’t always align with what I need in the moment. Even though I love my job and have the flexibility to minimize these low-energy slumps, sometimes I just can’t get started. And in those moments, I start questioning everything. Do I even like this job? Should I have become a writer? A professional athlete? Anything else?
It’s a ridiculous train of thought. As if choosing another career would mean I’d wake up every morning fully motivated and ready to go. As if some alternate reality version of me never has off days. Total nonsense.
What I’ve learned over time is simple: some days just suck. And that’s okay.
Not every day will be productive. You won’t always clear your to-do list. Your mood won’t always be proactive and focused. And that’s just life.
The only thing that helps—at least for me—is action. Even when I don’t feel like it, the only real solution is to do something. Even a tiny task. Reply to an email. Fix a small bug. Update a ticket. Anything.
For me, a small action acts as a spark. It kickstarts the engine. At first, it’s slow—painfully so—but eventually, the gears start turning. I regain momentum. My mind shifts back into problem-solving mode, and suddenly, things that felt impossible in the morning start getting done effortlessly. My list shrinks, my thoughts become clearer, and space opens up for deeper, more creative thinking.
And then, just like that, I feel better. So much better that I end up writing an (arguably unnecessary) post about how I struggled through a Monday but managed to push through. Simply by taking action.
And with that, I’m ready for another day.