I think the key here is persistence. Recently, it took me over four days to solve a certain 3D animation problem. It was frustrating when it wasn't working, but because I threw all of my spare time at it, it eventually got done, which is very satisfying.
I don't know how to want to be persistent. I just am. Getting started each day is usually the hardest part. If I give in to the temptation of playing a game, it's almost a guarantee that I won't be getting anything done for a few hours, if at all.
It helps a lot to be very interested in the problem domain. If you're avoiding a task, try re-framing it to make it fun. For example (I'll use a gamedev example since that's my field), instead of writing a way to play a 3D animation, write a way to blend between a bunch of different animations simultaneously, then play the result. Sure, it's more challenging, but it's also more fun. That kind of "re-framing" is very valuable.
I think the key here is persistence. Recently, it took me over four days to solve a certain 3D animation problem. It was frustrating when it wasn't working, but because I threw all of my spare time at it, it eventually got done, which is very satisfying.
I don't know how to want to be persistent. I just am. Getting started each day is usually the hardest part. If I give in to the temptation of playing a game, it's almost a guarantee that I won't be getting anything done for a few hours, if at all.
It helps a lot to be very interested in the problem domain. If you're avoiding a task, try re-framing it to make it fun. For example (I'll use a gamedev example since that's my field), instead of writing a way to play a 3D animation, write a way to blend between a bunch of different animations simultaneously, then play the result. Sure, it's more challenging, but it's also more fun. That kind of "re-framing" is very valuable.