Ask HN: How do you stick to projects? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#51

Post by trms » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 5:31 AM UTC

sweetheart wrote: post #34

My trick tip is to not sweat it when I want to put something down for awhile. No guilt, just relaxation, or working on something else for a bit. Inevitably I get a hankering for working on the project that I paused, and I pick it back up. Not sure how to encourage the return of that hankering feeling, unfortunately, but I think the "no guilt" habit has been life-changing.

Guilt definitely plays a part. Whenever I'm not 'working' on the next great thing, I do feel like I should. I should just take it easy for a while and really re-evaluate what I want to do and what I don't. Thank you!

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#52

Post by trms » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 5:34 AM UTC

s0rr0wskill wrote: post #47

It might be a matter of deciding how far you want to go with something. If you want to try something just to see if you like it then it doesn't matter if you drop it any time. However, if you choose to commit to something then you must follow through and that requires discipline.

Thank you. It does appear that motivation gets you going in the short term, but it's discipline that gets you going in the long term. I need to seriously cultivate an appreciation and a skill for discipline, so that I can keep going even when the initial rush wears out.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#53

Post by trms » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 5:36 AM UTC

syntheweave wrote: post #45

Maintaining coherency of the project's core ideas is my key. I was introduced to this through a philosophy of truth course. If the ideas avoid contradiction and are of genuinely new ground, pursuing the project is a matter of executing until either the project fulfills the concept or some unexpected barrier was discovered. In doing this you have to set testable benchmarks for what makes it "done" and "successful". Li…

I had never thought of it that way. Project coherency looks like a great metric/mission to keep in mind as I go about a project. Am I doing this to learn, or am I dong this to do X? Thank you.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#54

Post by trms » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 5:38 AM UTC

BeatQuestGames wrote: post #35

I try to have smaller projects that I can finish over a weekend in between my larger ones. For example my Bluetooth Midi Pi project took about a few days to finish, was posted here and was well received. My upcoming game, Project Haze has been in some development for about 18 months or so. I'll often take long breaks with it, my goals are vastly different since it's a commercial project. Instead of pushing it to GitH…

Starting small seems to be really helpful as far as I've been able to see in the comments. I will keep that to heart, and I'll commit to making a super small project this very weekend. Thank you, and best of luck for your upcoming game!

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#55

Post by trms » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 5:45 AM UTC

empressplay wrote: post #38

My wife and I work on software projects. They become fairly advanced because she codes and I PM / test. Every time she implements a new feature or fixes a bug, I'm happy because the bus is moving forward, and she's happy because she's made me happy. I also update her on happy user stories, and make it obvious they make me happy because once again, it makes her happy. Anyway, that's just one way. I'm sure there's othe…

Thank you for sharing your experience. I do live with my partner as well, but we never 'seriously' tried something like this, where we keep each other accountable. This looks like it might help. Whenever I start something new, I should make it so that others know it so that I'm accontable. Thank you!

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#56

Post by trms » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 5:48 AM UTC

saruken wrote: post #33

trms wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Glad to know I'm not the only one on this boat. Hopefully we'll touch land soon.

I think you may have answered your own question, at least in part: > I always seem to find an excuse as to why it's not worth continuing, *right before actually accomplishing anything* [emphasis mine] Certainly "diminishing returns" and "the skill of consistency" are real issues, but is it also possible there's something psychological going on here, like a fear of success? This is something I've struggled with for al…

Thank you saruken, your comment really hits close to home. I'm glad to know that, at least, I'm not the only one living this problem.

I especially liked the part about trusting your old self, I think you managed to vocalize something I've been thinking for a while but that I could never form into words. I need to trust my old self, and trust that they chose that project for a reason. Now that I look back at it, whenever I find an excuse to stop the project, it's because I grow mistrustful of my old self.

Thank you again and best of luck to you as well!

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#57

Post by trms » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 5:51 AM UTC

Crazyontap wrote: post #36

I've been through this and in my case it turned out to be clinical ADHD. Unfortunately my diagnosis came at the very late age (40+) because whole life I thought it is just me being lazy and unfocused and seeking medical help / medication is the wrong answer to such problems - only to discover now that some of our brains are actually wired differently and it's not that we are being weak or unfocused but it's actually…

I have now gotten both books and I will read them. I appreciate the recommendations.

I definitely agree getting an evaluation can't hurt, and the sooner the better. It could save me years of blaming myself for just the way my brain is wired. Thank you for sharing your experiences with me.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#58

Post by wreath » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 6:30 AM UTC

Think of them as prototypes that lead you to new findings (hobbies, more interesting projects, relationships, a job). They serve their purpose and hopefully you walk out a more educated person as if you just listened to a Zappa solo.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#59

Post by trms » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 8:04 AM UTC

wreath wrote: post #58

Think of them as prototypes that lead you to new findings (hobbies, more interesting projects, relationships, a job). They serve their purpose and hopefully you walk out a more educated person as if you just listened to a Zappa solo.

Thank you. :)

Re: Ask HN: How do you stick to projects?

#60

Post by nicohaenggi » Wed, Dec 22, 2021, 10:00 AM UTC

Crazyontap wrote: post #36

I've been through this and in my case it turned out to be clinical ADHD. Unfortunately my diagnosis came at the very late age (40+) because whole life I thought it is just me being lazy and unfocused and seeking medical help / medication is the wrong answer to such problems - only to discover now that some of our brains are actually wired differently and it's not that we are being weak or unfocused but it's actually…

Second this.

Also, earlier this year, a newer version of Driven to Distraction was published, ADHD 2.0, written by the very same authors and featuring a lot promising new strategies backed by recent research. Definitely a recommended read.