I think this is good advice, and you&#x27;re hitting on one aspect of my aforementioned &#x27;productive mania&#x27;.  When I started programming, I almost immediately went into building projects I was interested in, would use personally, and friends would use.  That probably hard a big impact on why I was SO driven, SO productive, and SO energetic.<p>I try and work on projects like that nowadays, but I can&#x27;t hit that extreme level of productivity and excitement.  It seems that another aspect of that mind state, was that the &#x27;newness&#x27; of programming coupled with the success I was having at it BUILDING something, brought heightened mental activity.<p>I just wish I could tap into that nowadays.  Unfortunately, it seems like the brain comes alive most, in a novel environment.