Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?

Scope of “Worthwhile” and Self-Pressure

• Many argue the premise is flawed: “worthwhile” is subjective and adding that filter too early kills ideas.
• Several say you don’t need to code outside work; your job can just be a means to live and fund other passions.
• Hustle-culture expectations (turning job into identity/hobby) are criticized; competence at work is enough.

Programming as Personal Craft vs Public Impact

• Some enjoy writing small, purely personal tools (scripts, home proxies, custom apps) with no audience or business goal.
• Suggested approach: solve tiny annoyances (“I wish it was easier to…”) rather than chasing big/novel problems.
• Others recommend contributing to open source, documentation, tutorials, or developer tooling instead of starting from scratch.

Look Beyond Software for Meaning and Ideas

• Strong theme: get hobbies unrelated to programming—sports, music, woodworking, gardening, tabletop games, travel, creative writing, art.
• Physical or hands-on activities (building furniture, electronics, Arduino, embedded systems) are described as surprisingly satisfying.
• Non-tech pursuits often later generate authentic software ideas (e.g., dungeon planners, music tools, home automation).

Serving Others and Community Engagement

• Recurrent advice: help people directly—volunteer, support local organizations, schools, scouts, political groups, housing efforts.
• Many suggest asking people around you what they struggle with and using tech to assist them.
• Climate tech and other real-world problem domains are highlighted as rich in meaningful, software-adjacent work.

Creativity, Boredom, and Mental Health

• Multiple comments say ideas come from rich inputs: reading widely, new experiences, movement (walks, hikes), and “doing nothing” without screens.
• Boredom is framed as a gateway to creativity if distractions are reduced.
• One thread suggests considering mild depression when feeling purposeless; others push back against casual “diagnosis” but agree reflection and care are important.

Practical Idea-Generation Tactics

• Keep a notebook of observations and reactions to build a “memory bank” for future projects.
• Start with small experiments and iterate; don’t wait for a perfect idea.
• Techniques mentioned: remove a step from common workflows, be your own impatient customer, partner with more “idea-heavy” people, or use “steal my ideas” lists and structured career-guidance resources.