Ask HN: I cannot stop pursuing ideas and it’s ruining my life

Some ideas can be so strong, so compelling, that you want to neglect everything to realize them even if you know that doing so will further isolate you socially and provide no financial upside. I feel there are only so many years living this lifestyle until I have passed the point of no return.

Have any of you dealt with similar themes? How do you moderate yourself?

I think at a certain point you can only really act on <10 ideas and see them through in your entire lifetime. I would probably only give credence to ones that you think you'll realistically spend 10 years on. Even if you don't end up doing so, it's a pretty strong filter to get rid of junk.

If you're looking for a word to describe this frame of mind, you seem to be describing hyperfocus. People with ADHD deal with it pretty much constantly, but there are many other conditions with this exact symptom. OCD, which only superficially looks like the polar opposite of ADHD, is a major one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocus

Yes, the wiki says OCD is not hyperfocus. But down to the grit, ADHD and OCD are differing responses to focusing on the order of far too many things, at the expense of everything else. Just wanted to add that in here because although they sound exclusive when worded a certain way, they aren't.

idea_heroin... love the name.

I'll try and approach this objectively (since I also start tonnes of projects with no financial upside).

Consider that there are millions of ideas out there and most will never ever be realised. You CANNOT DO THEM ALL... so you will need to prioritise what ideas are worth working on. The criteria you choose is up to you; financial gain, social gain... just thinking about this is a good way to moderate yourself.

There are a finite number of keystrokes left in your hands before you die. - [1] Scott Hanselman

[1] https://www.hanselman.com/blog/DoTheyDeserveTheGiftOfYourKey...

hallo