Programming

I'd suggest you go back to the roots, and find a language that allows for the usage of uppercase letters.

Game mods and Advent Of Code did it for me.

I did a small RimWorld mod and a parser for NoManSky internal format.

Creating both of them was a blast. I had fun doing programming stuff again.

Advent Of Code allowed me to try different languages in a small bursts of the different problems. Somehow I really like this format.

I like to just tackle little things using technologies I haven't used before. Write a small application in a new language to do something simple, and keep the project small in scale. You get the satisfaction of building something and of learning a new skill, with no pressure, and you get to know whether you like the language or framework. It doesn't matter if it doesn't do anything groundbreaking or clever, and doing this just keeps your wheels turning while carving out a little bit of creative computing space for yourself, not your employer.

Also consider open-source software you use daily (because that will motivate you) and check out their repos to see if you feel like starting to get involved.

Or bite off something completely different in tech, like robotics or electronic musical instruments.

And if you're just tired of tech, that's fine and you may just need a contrasting activity you can do at home. Then at least your work doesn't become your life.

Switch your stack. Try mobile or embedded development. Or dive into system programming. Something that is interesting for you but what you did not try before.

Use opensource software. Once you start discovering bugs that you can fix, it might start being fun again?

I find embedded stuff fun.

Here's a single line of code, and it has distinct outcomes you can see, without 48 layers of abstractions and guardrails.

If you want to have some fun again, maybe program a little with artsy-fartsy shaders.

Make a little blog that showcases them and write a little animation everyday - or twice a week.

I've seen also "shadplay" which lets you easily write and run shaders using rust. There was also this other tool where people could live-code shaders, but I forgot the name

what kind of projects or whatever can i do to have fun again without feeling stressed.

• Write programs that scratch your own itch.
• write bots for communities you care about.
• write userscripts/browserextentions
• do programming/hacking challenges

(for stuff that is always online, like a bot, or a webservice, I recommend getting a dedicated computer, like a raspberry pi or a small vps)

also some general recommendation

• keep you goals small and tangible. If a thing takes more than one sitting to complete, it will add to your stress when you add the remainder to your todo list.
• do the simplest thing, that could possibly work.
• when doing new stuff, use chatgpt to come up with a plan/boilerplate/demo/2nd opinion.

from personal experience: before I went to college, I had lots of fun doing programming challenges. During college I lost all interest in programming. At my first real job, I regained my love for programming, when I started programming things, that actual people need to improve their daily work. Since then I enjoy programming for work, as well as in my free time.

I've made something that's both fun and challenging: https://cyb.farm

It's a tech adventure featuring many challenges about computer science stuff (crypto, stegano, protocols, development, ...). It starts on the 31^st^ of October, and will probably can keep you busy for a few weeks ^^

Honestly, I don't think more of the same is going to help you feel less burned out. Obviously your couple of sentences doesn't give me a lot of insight into your life, but you do not seem to enjoy your job, and that is going to color your whole perception on anything related to it. I think I'd honestly recommend you start looking for work you actually enjoy, but if that isn't possible I recommend unplugging as much as possible for awhile. That's the only way I've ever had the spark come back for me. Starting side projects always lose their luster after a session or two and just started to feel like another source of stress for me.

What is your programming language? Build something for yourself, you'll feel good. May be some todo list script, may be some youtube new video notification script, you get the idea. The fun in programming is making the machine do what you want, and it helps if you actually want it.

I've been doing AdventOfCode puzzles lately. Also hacking is pretty fun and teaches a lot about programs and tools out there. Do it ethically though, on platforms like HackTheBox or HackThisSite.

First off, chill for a bit.

Once you've had a bit of a break, pursue your own objectives

I walked (ran!) away from the employer / employee dynamic and started a consulting company.

It's NOT easy. To achieve more than modest sustainability you need ambition and aggressive sales (or a REALLY good network, in the right part of the world).

Depends on what made you lose enjoyment and what gave you enjoyment before.

Don't program (as much). Point yourself towards DevOps, SRE, and/or Platform Engineering. You'll be designing complex systems and will have your hands in dozens of different tech stacks.

Sometimes I think a straight dev job would be interesting but I legitimately love the SRE space.