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Comment by nxsynonym | Hacker News Reader

As someone who has major "on" and "off" period swings of productivity due to depression, this list is pretty on the mark.

One thing I would add, which I've seen around here and other places, is the "no zero days" rule. Do at least one thing everyday to work towards your goal. Not only does this help instill discipline, it helps you prevent the snowball effect of having a bad day.

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I absolutely need zero days rougly ever 8-10 days of full-time brain work. Nothing recuperates my fried circuits better than the occasional single day with absolutely no agenda and not even the tiniest of goals, the rare day of anything goes, nothing must. Motivation drive and interest comes back so swiftly and with such vengeance on the next morning, I doubt there's anything that remotely compares.

Guess that's what this whole "weekend" notion was all about in the first place! =)

Well, the comment about no zero days was in the context of trying to remain productive while depressed, not how to avoid burnout during periods of intense productivity. Do you agree context matters?

It's often ambiguous whether you're depressed, burned out, or both.

I agree about the "no zero days" rule. The thing is to establish a habit and it will become natural. It's almost like you'll close off to outside input when you follow your habits.

Even if it's not directly related to depression I highly recommend "The Power of Habit".

Establishing habits I in advance know is good for me helped my when I go through my unproductive and depressed periods. Focus on establishing one habit and doing it every day. When you've gone 21 days straight start with a new habit.

"No zero days" is a general lifestyle principle I am so sold on that I believe it should promoted to everyone to the degree where signal fatigue becomes a concern.

No zero days is such good advice. Even a small, but concrete, goal to accomplish every day makes a huge difference. It requires self-compassion to set appropriate goals that match what we're capable of in the middle of a low period though.

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