On fire and slumps

When I left New York for California a week ago I was emerging from one of the most productive development spurts I'd ever had. I didn't know it then but I was about to enter a slump. Since leaving and returning I haven't gotten very much work done at all. I've tried all kinds of tricks to get myself back in gear, but none have worked.

That's Dave Winer.

You frequently hear about a basketball player being red-hot, or a baseball player going into a slump.  How about programmers?

Weird in a way.  After all, it's your brain, just focus it.  Seems pretty simple.

Lately, I've been in a strong productive swing, and feeling great about it.  Part of it is being on a good project.  But I definitely feel it's more than that.  Things just seem to happen.  I sit down to the work and
start drumming out stuff, without even feeling like I'm working.  To some degree, I can't take credit for that.

In the past, I've had some long stretches where every move is a chore.  I had to constantly remind myself to stay focused, purposefully remove all distractions.  Even then, I had to battle the temptations to cut corners (not always successfully).

I didn't realize it, but apparently I was in a slump.

And for the times when things go well, SportsCenter would call that being "en fuego".