[wturner]

I have a pretty sure fire way to solve this problem.

Step 1. Call your local Manpower or Kelly temp work office.

Step 2. Ask to do the most unskilled rote industrial labor intensive job they have.

Step 3.

Do this for a full 40 hour week.

If after the entire ordeal you're not inspired to quit the temp agency and go work on your project you should probably quit both.

Problem solved.

Postscript: All the people telling you to go on "vacation" after you just said you haven't done anything for the last month are in a haze imho.

[rosenjon]

How is that going to solve the problem? The procrastination comes from a fear of failure. Your suggestion is to go take a mindless, shitty job, thereby suggesting this is what's going to happen to him if he fails? First, that's probably not the likely outcome of failure, and second, it's not going to help the fear of failure.

Call it a "vacation", or a "break", or whatever you want. But you have to step away sometimes in order to clarify your thinking. Startups are a marathon, not a sprint. Despite all the lean startup craziness, nothing truly gets built in a day, a week or a month. If he has literally made no progress in a month, then something needs to change. Personally, I think the most effective thing is a change of environment. His office has become a toxic place to go during the day and procrastinate. He needs to get away from it and do something else for a bit, and then come back to it with fresh eyes.

Here are some further suggestions for what he can do to regain some balance. http://zenhabits.net/the-10-essential-rules-for-slowing-down...

[wturner]

The point was that it lends contrast. If you are forced to live without a hot shower for awhile it makes you appreciate it when you have one.

[User8712]

Well, maybe not a vacation, but stepping out of the office for a few days might be a good idea. I know once in a while I'll get overwhelmed on my project, and I'll start spending days thinking about it day and night, while staring at the mountain of work that needs to be finished. After a few days, I've accomplished absolutely nothing, but I feel burnt out, and mentally exhausted. Going into the office every day and trying to focus on your project isn't a vacation. Take a couple of days off. Don't go into the office, and don't think about work. Go focus on one of your hobbies, go bike riding, take a short road trip, do some work on your house and paint a room, etc.

When I find myself escaping to HN/Reddit and trying to pass the time, I know I need to go offline, and clear my mind.

[kachhalimbu]

I agree with this. If you haven't been doing anything in past few weeks, go do something, anything. More mundane the better but it would help you a great deal if you do someone a favor. When I'm burn out I just do the chores around house. I will deep clean my house, my car or just organize my stuff. Send letters, photos to my family. May be not the most productive tasks but it tells my subconscious mind that I'm doing things and this just carries over into the real work. Suddenly I'm back in swing of doing the things that matter.