I been working on a personal project for almost a year now. Its nothing too complicated, just an online text editor. However recently can't even focus on the project. I really need to get this project working, I want to drop out of school and I plan on using this project to get a full time job(use it as a portfolio). How did you gain back your focus?
Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
1–10 of 12 posts
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
#2Several things that have worked for me.
1) Exercise, a lot. Put it first, so that you'll actually do it.
2) Eat right. These things, exercise and food, can have a far greater impact on your work than you might realize.
3) Discipline. Show up and put the time in. Force yourself.
4) Pomodoro technique. Commit to yourself that you'll put in 2 solid 45 minute periods per day. Work your way up from there. You need to do it even when you don't feel like it.
5) Get friends who encourage you to be your best. If you don't have friends like that, contact me unoti2@gmail.com
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
#3What you need is discipline.
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
#4I did Ticketmaster's CheckDisk as my first operating system project at age 20. I modified installed language module code. I made the bulk of their report generator. I converted reports from ASM to Pascal. I made a file compression archiving package for the VAX and PC. When I changed school to electrical engineering for my masters, I changed departments at Ticketmaster. I made 68000 ASM image processing and mechanical design for a stack fed barcode reader. I made hardware and firmware for an 8051 300 VA Line conditioner. I made the firmware for a 68000 ASM Octart-based RS232 barcode reader networking device.
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
#5I think the problem is that your passion is for dropping out of school rather than the project at hand. When I look at coders (or anyone) who has a passion for something they'll do said task even if they're going for hours without sleep or even forget to eat.
Also if the project isn't that complicated how good of a demo can it be to get you this undefined full time job? Honestly finishing school may help you more in the long run (unless what you're doing at school has nothing to do with your career).
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
#6Many times. Usually I become disheartened at how difficult the project really is to complete. Then I ask myself if the project is really important to me. If I answer yes I try to break it down to the next 3 steps, and just commit to doing those three. Sometimes you need to learn something to make progress. After a few question - recommit - work cycles more will have been done on the project. Then you wind up refactoring!
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
#7I am also having my personal project alongside my full time job. Yes it is difficult to keep your focus on side project. I use to gain focus during the time i travel back to home from office ( plan all stuff during that period )
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
#8Several things that have worked for me. 1) Exercise, a lot. Put it first, so that you'll actually do it. 2) Eat right. These things, exercise and food, can have a far greater impact on your work than you might realize. 3) Discipline. Show up and put the time in. Force yourself. 4) Pomodoro technique. Commit to yourself that you'll put in 2 solid 45 minute periods per day. Work your way up from there. You need to do i…
Great advises!
I would add:
- one more: do it fist time in the morning, i know it is hard, but after 30mins of coding you will feel good about your self end progress.
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
#9Strip the project down to the basics and get a working prototype online. Don't try to develop a fully featured project by waiting until step 10 is finished before launching. Instead, spend a weekend on step 1 and launch the site, then develop step 2, step 3, etc.
This way you and others can use the project as it develops. It's a lot more fun when you can play with a working prototype of your project at any given time, and you have users enjoying the service and requesting features. It's great motivation. Also, if you notice at step 3 or 4 that no one cares about your project, you can toss it in the garbage, move onto the next idea, and be glad you didn't wait until step 10 to launch and waste all that time.
When you bite off too much, the finish line is so far in the distance that you lose all motivation.
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever lost focus on your personal project?
#10What you need is discipline.
I agree I do need discipline, but is easier said then done. I been reading on how to build discipline.