Ask HN: How do you stay motivated to work in long term?

Clinical depression can be an important factor here. Try consulting with your doctor or a counselor. Ask for an anti-depressant prescription. I know from personal experience that can help.

Good luck!

For you, or anybody that feels like this, schedule a phone call with me!

I don't have all the answers, but I love chatting with strangers about setting goals and learning skills :)

https://calendly.com/taylor-town/30min

Since you asked, here are some things that help me stay motivated at work:

- Asking myself what sucks about work, and what's interesting, at least weekly, sometimes daily (baseline attention to emotions == baseline life security system)

- Venting as needed (nice job ;-))

- Finding new ways to push back or push for the changes I need, when conditions are unreasonable; ramping up the directness & specificity in these conversations as needed

- Planning, implementing, and seeing results of process / procedural changes at work

- Arranging to try slightly different ways of working with the same people; evaluating results

- Finding numerous small & enjoyable things to do, and specifically including them as scheduled line items after work's line items

BTW, I have a friend who wrote somewhat like you do, so I was reminded of his story.

He didn't enjoy being a manager or even a normal employee, but he was good at tech & coding.

Eventually he discovered that he made a good teacher and enjoyed teaching. He was able to migrate to a career in teaching tech skills to small groups of younger students.

There was enough demand that he was even able to hire and mentor other teachers in various ways.

One of those people he hired was me, and I am always grateful for that experience.

I guess you never know what opportunities might come by.

Good luck to you--btw I see that you asked this on the anniversary of Rick Astley's birth, thus a likely sign that the winds of fortune Never Gonna Give You Up :-)

1. Set clear and achievable goals for yourself and track your progress.

2. Find meaning and purpose in your work by connecting it to your personal values and interests.

3. Continuously learn and develop new skills to keep things fresh and interesting.

4. Cultivate positive relationships with colleagues, superiors, and customers.

5. Practice good self-care, such as exercise, sleep, and relaxation.

6. Recognize and celebrate your accomplishments, both big and small.

7. Seek feedback and engage in regular performance evaluations to get a sense of how you're doing and what areas you can improve.

Remember, motivation is a personal and dynamic experience, so it's important to experiment and find what works best for you.