Ask HN: How to Stay Consistent

Just watching a video on a programming subject doesn't really help, even if it's an excellent video. You have to write code, experiment, make mistakes, fix them, etc, to really learn. And don't just "learn a bit about XYZ" but have goals. With django, for instance, a goal is maybe to create a working website to do something of interest to you. Once the first attempt is working improve it; there are always UX changes that can be made. That holds for most, if not all, things you want to learn. Once you complete a programming project save the complete details for later. If you don't use a skill regularly the skill deteriorates, of course. If you can't remember how to do X in django you look at your previous projects to get clues. I keep my programming projects in gitlab.com. Focussing on one or two things to learn would probably help too.

Being behind 1.5 years after 2 years of a degree doesn't sound too promising. Either drop out now or try to recover that loss. It is possible to recover, but you have to be really motivated, and you won't have much time for anything else.

This is my personal opinion, but staying consisten for me works by making small steps. I am working on several project. One of which is actually making me money. But, yet, I am not stuck with them all the time. I make plans - I plan the small steps for the day on each of my projects and my learning, leaving time also for myself and family, and I execute. Plan + Small steps works wanders. I have time for my kid, for my wife, for the gym. These are important!

Regarding the economics study. I would suggest you to quit and do something at least you like. You will never return the time and money you spent, but you can at least stop wasting them in the future. But this is just mu opinion! Depends a lot on your life situation. In my life, I went from Electroncis engineering studies, through microcontroller programming and general programming, to entrepreneurship and finance. It wasn't aways fun and joy, but taking it small, helped. I studied/did what I needed, regardless how much fun it was.