Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#121

Post by baptistelebail » Thu, May 24, 2018, 9:39 AM UTC

ai_ia wrote: post #108

mikekchar wrote: post #22

When your project is finished, the dream is dead and the reality is born. The death of a dream is like the death of a friend. It's probably been with you for a long time -- longer even than the length of the project. A dream is the manifestation of what's possible. When it is over, the possible diminishes very quickly and you are left with what actually is. Will people respond well to your project -- in the dream sta…

Being in the same stage as the OP, I highly second this comment. I have been working on something for last 19 months. It is nearly complete, but still finding it difficult to wrap up somehow. Your comment has given me some insight and some closure. Thanks a lot !

Exactly the same here. Almost two years, it's near completion and more than what I imagined at first, but that last mile, damn it's hard. I constantly find another thing to add or focus on to avoid that final step.

I hope you'll find the strengh to do so :)

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#122

Post by rkangel » Thu, May 24, 2018, 9:46 AM UTC

kodablah wrote: post #13

Because the first 90% was enjoyable and the second 90% is no fun. The places a mind can wander when provided a blank canvas are infinitely more vast than an already painted one.

There's a more practical side too: earlier in the project a day's work can produce a large increment in functionality. Later in the project you get less and less obvious result for your effort. Those smaller and smaller increments are important for your product to be polished and reliable, but they don't feel as satisfying to the implementer.

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#123

Post by vshan » Thu, May 24, 2018, 10:00 AM UTC

“It's not that students don't "get" Kafka's humor but that we've taught them to see humor as something you get -- the same way we've taught them that a self is something you just have. No wonder they cannot appreciate the really central Kafka joke -- that the horrific struggle to establish a human self results in a self whose humanity is inseparable from that horrific struggle. That our endless and impossible journey toward home is in fact our home. It's hard to put into words up at the blackboard, believe me. You can tell them that maybe it's good they don't "get" Kafka. You can ask them to imagine his art as a kind of door. To envision us readers coming up and pounding on this door, pounding and pounding, not just wanting admission but needing it, we don't know what it is but we can feel it, this total desperation to enter, pounding and pushing and kicking, etc. That, finally, the door opens...and it opens outward: we've been inside what we wanted all along. Das ist komisch.” ― David Foster Wallace, Consider the Lobster and Other Essays

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#124

Post by kchr » Thu, May 24, 2018, 10:03 AM UTC

mikekchar wrote: post #22

When your project is finished, the dream is dead and the reality is born. The death of a dream is like the death of a friend. It's probably been with you for a long time -- longer even than the length of the project. A dream is the manifestation of what's possible. When it is over, the possible diminishes very quickly and you are left with what actually is. Will people respond well to your project -- in the dream sta…

This. I think the issue of "separation anxiety" can be applied here... Same thing with handing over pet projects to someone else, and losing control over it.

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#125

Post by Angostura » Thu, May 24, 2018, 10:14 AM UTC

One aspect that I don't has been mentioned is the old joke I and my colleagues have about 'its the last 10% that takes 90%' of the time.

You get to the end; you've done all the big-vision important stuff. The application works, you just need to tidy it up a little. You're at the annoying snagging, which provides little personal satisfaction, but has to be done.

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#126

Post by dspillett » Thu, May 24, 2018, 10:27 AM UTC

fiddlerwoaroof wrote: post #52

bigiain wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

24th of May 2018 might not be the best time to choose to launch anything while intentionally having ditched thinking about your T&Cs and Privacy Policy...

I'd just block Europe instead...

I'm happy to be blocked from products that aren't compliant. There will usually be other alternatives. This is better than unknowingly using something that could cause me problems later.

I don't even take it as an aggressive negative, unless it is explicitly expressed as such. You can just be honest and say "I can't accept your custom at this time because X, and we have other priorities that would make addressing X to everyone's satisfaction a problem for the foreseeable future".

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#127

Post by p0nce » Thu, May 24, 2018, 10:39 AM UTC

At first software launches felt like that.

Getting a software out in public is very stressful the first times you do it, essentially this is fear of _social rejection_ I guess and it can be harder for introverts. But customers and people are much, much nicer than one can expect! Especially if you love your product chances are people will love it too. You'll get used to be "vulnerable" in this way, meaning anyone with an internet connection can criticize your "baby" unfairly (but most of the time fairly!).

Sales, bugs and getting criticism are actually really fun once you get to enjoy them!

My advice is to give you some time to be energetic before launch, so as not to begin it tired.

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#128

Post by phonebucket » Thu, May 24, 2018, 10:46 AM UTC

arionhardison wrote: post #107

rajacombinator wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice/interesting comment although “death of a friend” seems a bit harsh. (Although in some cases it may be worse than the death of a friend!) Not sure if this is what OP is experiencing or just some 90/10 etc rule about the last parts being the hardest parts. Starting a greenfield project you can make massive progress quickly. Polishing it is slow.

That is not harsh art all. If you have ever really poured everything you have into something for hours and hours a day and months on end only to be rejectd over and over again. "Death of a friend" is totally accurate IMO. Day and night you spend your time nurturing and growing this thing in hopes of it becoming more... When/If your project fails - TBH - its more like the death of a child.

"When/If your project fails - TBH - its more like the death of a child."

Thankfully, I have neither suffered from the loss of a child nor a failed major project.

However I would expect someone making a statement like this to have suffered from both, in which case you have my sincerest condolences.

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#129

Post by mrhappyunhappy » Thu, May 24, 2018, 10:57 AM UTC

riantogo wrote: post #54

mikekchar wrote: post #22

When your project is finished, the dream is dead and the reality is born. The death of a dream is like the death of a friend. It's probably been with you for a long time -- longer even than the length of the project. A dream is the manifestation of what's possible. When it is over, the possible diminishes very quickly and you are left with what actually is. Will people respond well to your project -- in the dream sta…

This is exactly it. Tens of my personal projects have died in this stage. It was always much easier to move on to the next dream. There is always the next big problem that could use a solution. Why not build when it is what we do best? Rinse, repeat. I took a break from side projects for several years but recently got back to it and couple weeks back finished building. It is the same story all over again. Same feelin…

I’ve felt this so many times and kinda feeling it right now as I’m nearing launch of a side project. I think at least for me a big part of the feeling is fear - fear of the project falling flat on its face even though I validated the idea before I even started and got a lot of interest and positive feedback. As they say, money talks. If nobody is buying my stuff then all that praise and interest was bullshit - just people trying not to hurt your feelings. This is the stage where I’m about to find the truth - I either built something in demand or it was all for nothing. Also, now that I think about it, even if the project is a mild success, there comes a whole set of other boring things I’ll have to worry about like support and constant growth. There is a lack of excitement when all I’ll be doing is making modifications to something that was fun to build at first.

Re: Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating?

#130

Post by mrhappyunhappy » Thu, May 24, 2018, 11:00 AM UTC

baptistelebail wrote: post #121

ai_ia wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being in the same stage as the OP, I highly second this comment. I have been working on something for last 19 months. It is nearly complete, but still finding it difficult to wrap up somehow. Your comment has given me some insight and some closure. Thanks a lot !

Exactly the same here. Almost two years, it's near completion and more than what I imagined at first, but that last mile, damn it's hard. I constantly find another thing to add or focus on to avoid that final step. I hope you'll find the strengh to do so :)

I think it was an indyhackers story I’ve read where someone said “just get it out there ASAP”. Don’t let imperfections keep you from learning the hard truth about your baby.