I know of exactly two things that do this to me: writing—especially fiction or formal essay writing—and programming. Many mental tasks I don’t perceive as effortful; usually if I already know the algorithm to do them it’s not usually not strenuous, although it can still be unpleasant in other ways. For some reason, though, writing anything that’s more involved than a blog comment or doing programming both feel like they’re costing me mental energy.
I know of exactly two things that do this to me: writing—especially fiction or formal essay writing—and programming. Many mental tasks I don’t perceive as effortful; usually if I already know the algorithm to do them it’s not usually not strenuous, although it can still be unpleasant in other ways. For some reason, though, writing anything that’s more involved than a blog comment or doing programming both feel like they’re costing me mental energy.