I have had similar issue as you, my go to solution was to write everything down in notes and break the features into super small tasks I can complete when I have time.
Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
151–160 of 174 posts
Re: Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
#152I know my interest will fadeout after few weeks, so in the honeymoon phase itself i will try hard to ship the MVP as much as possible, even taking couple of leaves at work.
Use the code from past incomplete projects and minimise the repeated work for each projects.
Keep the MVP as minimal as possible, target solving only one problem for your potential customers.
Push at-least one git commit a day and keep the github graph green until launch.
Re: Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
#153I'm the same, what I did some time ago was to team up with people who decided to build real business around one of ideas and put real money to back it. Now I wish I could just give up ;)
Re: Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
#154Long ago, I found that when I discussed personal projects with other people, they would argue with me to the point where I no longer had any remaining energy to complete projects. Consequently, I only discuss projects when I am done with them - whether completed or was going to abandon it anyway.
Too much energy is lost having "Why did you do it this way? You should do it that way!" The proper response to such questions is "do it yourself" or "do your project your way and then show me when it is done".
Re: Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
#155Haha, I know that feeling!
What helped me:
1. Don't start immediately. Let your idea sink in for a few days. If you're still excited a few days after the initial spark, it's worth working on that idea.
2. Build in public (or with friends). As soon as you've got some people sailing with you, it's harder to get carried away by "the next big thing".
3. Make sure you always know what's the next non-technical milestone. Lay out the steps you need to take to get there but don't over-plan (analysis paralysis really is a thing)
Re: Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone with ADHD, the author’s issues sound very much like ADHD. I have yet to hear of someone who has a “lack of discipline” to this degree who does not have ADHD. I used quotes because the concept of discipline is also very relative. I have yet to hear of anyone being told by a medical professional that they don’t have ADHD but instead simply lack self-discipline. Yet probably many people become depressed or fe…
>I have yet to hear of anyone being told by a medical professional that they don’t have ADHD but instead simply lack self-discipline. So you're saying that everyone who feels like this who goes to a medical professional, 100% of the people, will get told they have ADHD?
Well obviously not, since ADHD is not the only mental health disorder that could cause the symptoms being discussed here.
Re: Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
#157You have an inflated sense of your own ability. You think you are Notch or the guy who did Plenty of Fish and think you can do everything yourself. You're not that good. You need other people to help you. Get other people involved and you'll get further.
Re: Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
#158I’m a finisher. I set the goal to finish something very hard.
What I mean by that is finish it and automate it so much that I don’t have to see it ever again.
Re: Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
#159I've noticed that most devs, anyway, are either front-loaded or back-loaded.
"Front-loaded" means that the part of a project they really enjoy is the beginning part, design work, etc. Once those problems are largely worked out, the project becomes less interesting to them. A common refrain from this personality is "the rest is just implementation details".
"Back-loaded" is the opposite of that. They hate the initial work of a project and prefer to do the implementation details, after the road is mapped out.
Both sorts of devs are critical. Could it be that you're a front-loaded sort? If so, maybe the thing to do is to bring in someone who's back-loaded and work on the projects together?
Re: Ask HN: I am overflowing with ideas but never finish anything
#160Those saying ADHD could be wrong, could be right. Many things look like ADHD and ADHD looks like many things - the differentiating factor being ADHD is throughout your entire life. So be curious, if you feel the need, but if you seek diagnosis find someone thorough.
My suggestions though, and slowly introduce theses one at a time, are start with exercise, sleep, nutrition, and mental health.
While doing that practice organization skills. I don’t mean come up with some complex system or tool. The way I do this is I have a notebook (simple app) for ideas / wiki with no special system. And I have a Kanban-like now / later board for tracking work on ideas etc.
This has helped me immensely. If you do some of these great. If you don’t, introduce them slowly and focus on consistency over intensity. I take 30-min a day to work towards some goals / ideas I have, and I have made a ton of progress over a few months.
Also, even if you suspect you do not have ADHD, many of the organizational tools / skills / systems that are recommended for folks in treatment are also useful for non-ADHD folks.
If you want to learn more information from a source I trust, check out HealthyGamerGG. https://youtu.be/0hePvDEOZYs