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Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#31

Post by tjkrusinski »

One day, you will be dead. Each year that passes after your death, fewer and fewer people will remember who you were, what you did or what your face looked like. Eventually, you'll be completely forgotten. Who cares if that side project you put out sucked or not. Might as well put it out there and see what people think. There's a good chance too that the project won't even be remembered even by the time you die.

The best way to get experience is to do things, so given that no one is going to remember, might as well try to do it. Your successes won't be remembered along with your failures.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#32

Post by _____s »

Unless you absolutely need to integrate with the payment provider, release it and work on the payment integration after that.

I've been in the same position. For me, if I'm working on a substantial project solo, one great source of motivation is when people are using it, giving me feedback, etc. So when you have actual usage, some momentum, it's (generally) easier to keep going. The more time goes by without actually releasing something, the easier it is to lose momentum.

Also, if you really don't like a provider, it's generally not worth your time to use them. You will end up spending some time maintaining in the future too and you will resent it, so probably better to find something that's good to work with.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#33

Post by buboard »

WillPostForFood wrote: post #27

Get married, buy a house, have kids. Then you know you have to finish your work because you are responsible for others.

That's a good motivator up to a point. With some luck you might be able to more or less secure your family's future. Some people may have grander ambitions.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#34

Post by saluki »

Release it NOW with a 30 day trial. Once someone signs up you have 30 days to complete the billing integration.

Hopefully you're using Stripe (if you can) check it out if you haven't.

Also keep it simple in the beginning just handle the recurring payments, you can do cancellations, refunds manually in the beginning.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#35

Post by badatshipping »

Tell yourself you’ll spend five minutes working on it. This tricks your brain into thinking it’s not a big pain commitment. Once you’ve spent five minutes immersed in it you’ll be more willing to keep working.

Another trick is to break down the task into as many subtasks as you can, and when you’re feeling obstinate about working, just get one small subtask done. It also helps you visualize the finiteness of the total pain you have to endure.

There’s basically no way to be intrinsically motivated about tedious, pointless-feeling work, but you can connect it causally to the overall success of your project, which presumably you do care about.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#36

Post by sonnyblarney »

You don't need 'motivation' to put one foot after the next.

It's 99% 'perspiration', remember?

If you care about the outcome (whatever it is) then that should be enough 'motivation' to do the 99%. You're a professional, right?

If you want a 'purely motivational' project then do something that's simply that: games, writing/playing music, reading etc., where 'it doesn't matter'.

Instead of trying to 'find motivation', literally just sit down and start working out a little plan. Having a plan and a path forward might provide some clarity to the outcome, so you can 'see the light at the end'. I'll bet that you don't have trouble 'working on it' once you actually start 'working on it'.

It's like working out at the gym: once you are there, the workout is not so hard. It's just getting there that's sometimes tricky.

So just put one foot after the next with a little plan in mind and you'll be there in no time.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#37

Post by johndubchak »

natpalmer1776 wrote: post #28
WillPostForFood wrote: post #27

Get married, buy a house, have kids. Then you know you have to finish your work because you are responsible for others.

I'm 22 with a spouse and newborn son. I have to say that this has done more for my emotional and professional development than anything else could have at this point in my life. Knowing my son will indirectly inherit my own habits has me focusing a lot on my productivity and accountability.

Enjoy your son, he will grow so fast. Spend moments you have with him totally focused on him, not on how to teach him to be productive, at least not in his early years. Teach him to explore, be curious and to love life. Productivity will come.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#38

Post by rrggrr »

Arnold Levine. My mentor. Died about ten years ago. Here's how he taught me to stay motivated, and I'm going to tell it the way he would want it told, it won't be PC.

Me: "I can do this anymore, I'm sick of it."

Him: "Really?".

Me: "Yeah, its mind numbing. I'm turning to jelly."

Him: (cold stare like he was about to murder me. 60 years of rage, booze, cigarettes, diabetes and disappointment bearing down on my through eyes that became dead in a flash).

Him: "If I put a fucking gun to your head and told you I'm gonna blow your brains all over this office could you keep going?

Me: (nervous laugh).

Him: (louder and angrier). "You think this is joke? You think I'm fucking kidding?"

Me: No. You're serious.

Him: That's right. Now shut the fuck up and keep working.

No, this wasn't abuse. It wasn't bullying. There was no insensitivity. I wasn't sure he wouldn't get violent in some way if I back talked. He was teaching me a lesson about strength and humility as I wrestled with my frustration and self-importance. There are a dozen stories like this from working with him, not one the same. I miss him. I loved the guy.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#39

Post by riebschlager »

tjkrusinski wrote: post #31

One day, you will be dead. Each year that passes after your death, fewer and fewer people will remember who you were, what you did or what your face looked like. Eventually, you'll be completely forgotten. Who cares if that side project you put out sucked or not. Might as well put it out there and see what people think. There's a good chance too that the project won't even be remembered even by the time you die. The…

I usually like to save my existential crises for later in the week, but thanks for helping me dive right into it on a Monday morning.

Re: Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to keep working on a project?

#40

Post by sonnyblarney »

badatshipping wrote: post #35

Tell yourself you’ll spend five minutes working on it. This tricks your brain into thinking it’s not a big pain commitment. Once you’ve spent five minutes immersed in it you’ll be more willing to keep working. Another trick is to break down the task into as many subtasks as you can, and when you’re feeling obstinate about working, just get one small subtask done. It also helps you visualize the finiteness of the tota…

This is the 'it's too cold outside' runner's trick for motivation.

If it's very cold outside, you tell yourself 'if it's too cold after 10 minutes I'll come back in'. But you never come back in. It's a matter of getting started, nothing else.

We are funny creatures.

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