Ask HN: How do you stay focused when working on hard problems?

5 points

8 years ago

When working on hard problems, which might encompass unknown number of sub-problems, I often find myself procrastinating. Harder the problem, severer the procrastination. A psychology professor says that a person typically fails to begin a project when there is "confusion about what the first steps of the task are" [1].

When working on hard problem, you're bound to hit tasks of which you won't know first steps. You're likely to often find yourself in deep marshes with no way out. How do you stay motivated in situations like these? How do you not give in to procrastination?

[1](https://medium.com/@dr_eprice/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01)

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