I think that's a pre-requisite yes, but there's more to it for sure. I have a project I'm working on right now, and I get decent motivation and energy since it's a goal of mine, and it will make my future better... But I still struggle some days to even get started. And I have nowhere near the energy, creativity, and endurance, that I had when I started programming.

It would seem then that the "manic" and "hyper" part of the productivity, may be contingent on the novelty of the pursuit, as well as a handful of other factors?