Mind Melt - Help me!
Have you ever been tasked with a job that you know you can do but find it hard actually getting it done?
I need to finish off a job that requires a bit of basic PHP & MySQL integration to input data, validate and then store it so that the data can be output on other pages. I’ve also got to build a file upload section to facilitate the update of PDFs & Excel files on the server.
Now I’ve done this quite a few times before with no problem whatsoever and its always worked perfectly – when I’ve been doing something for myself. Now that I’m tasked with doing the same sort of stuff for a client my mind has decided it’s going to forget all knowledge of previous experience. And that is what is frustrating me.
Ideally I want to sign off on this project before the end of the week, and having got all the static pages designed and coded I thought “hey, no problem!”… until last week.
Having struggled with a few basic data validation issues, I thought things were moving along nicely… until yesterday (Sunday). As I found myself getting more and more frustrated I decided to start the PHP/MySQL part again so that I could start again with a fresh slate. I decided I’d give it a try this morning and went to bed.
Waking up this morning I felt confident that I’d be able to finish by this evening at the latest… how wrong could I be!
My question: What do you do when your mind goes blank and you find you can’t perform the most basic of tasks?
Posted on March 15th, 2004 at 5:52 pm and filed under General.
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Andy Mac March 15th, 2004 at 6:43 pm (Permalink)
Try and do something completely different. If I’m in that sort of situation, and I’m afraid that it happens with alarming regularity, then I usually get away from the computer and try and concentrate on something else.
I play drums so that’s always a good way of letting go, simply because you have to apply your thinking in a completely different way. When I come back to the problem in hand, I’m usually raring to go.
What sort of problems are you having anyway Chris?
Chris March 15th, 2004 at 7:39 pm (Permalink)
Hi Andy,
I’m dealing with a lot of conditional statements to validate the data input into several forms (3 pages altogether)…
Its the conditionals that are driving me mad. I can’t seem to think logically enough to be able to write them down either on paper or in code.
I’m going to go for a walk and a smoke and see if I can take my mind off it for a few hours. I’ll take another bash later tonight or tomorrow.
Thanks mate.
I’d love to know what everyone else does in this scenario.
Ryan Parman March 15th, 2004 at 10:01 pm (Permalink)
This usually happens to me when I’ve been thinking too hard about something. I try to go do something else for a while. If I’m at home, I put on cartoons of some sort, and try to stop thinking about it altogether for a while. It sounds like stress/burnout. You just need to take a break for a bit. That usually helps me.
Chris March 15th, 2004 at 10:37 pm (Permalink)
Thanks Ryan, I think I’ll go watch a DVD now.
I’ve just got back from a walk and a drink with the girlfriend and to be honest I don’t want to go back to it tonight.
I think I’ll leave it for now and get back to it tomorrow.
Thanks guys.
Chris March 16th, 2004 at 1:14 am (Permalink)
Seems I’m not the only one having PHP problems at the moment. Tom Coates is too, however it sounds like his problem is sorted now.