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On finishing projects

alexreichert.com

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Re: On finishing projects

#51

Post by roshankhan28 »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #49

I consider myself very productive. But I don't care about finished projects. The key is that some get finished. I naturally let projects languish as soon as they lose interest for me. If I lose interest I feel that it's not worth expending effort against the current to finish it. That's perhaps why I'm terrible in a corporate setting but great as an independent. I hate routine.

i feel like we only lose interest in a project when we get extra perfectionist. i tried this thing a week back where i had to finish doing my task at work (Marketing). instead of making it perfect i just tried to do. just finish it. if it marked all the checks then it was good to go.

Re: On finishing projects

#53

Post by vouaobrasil »

NicoJuicy wrote: post #50
vouaobrasil wrote: post #49

I consider myself very productive. But I don't care about finished projects. The key is that some get finished. I naturally let projects languish as soon as they lose interest for me. If I lose interest I feel that it's not worth expending effort against the current to finish it. That's perhaps why I'm terrible in a corporate setting but great as an independent. I hate routine.

The hard thing is staying focused on finishing things. New projects are always nice and "productive", because it's fine. It's meeting the end goal that is harder.

Personally, I find that meeting the end goal is easy if the project suits my personality and tastes. So my point was to discard the projects if I eventually discover that some part of the work doesn't satisfy that criteria.

Re: On finishing projects

#54

Post by vouaobrasil »

roshankhan28 wrote: post #51
vouaobrasil wrote: post #49

I consider myself very productive. But I don't care about finished projects. The key is that some get finished. I naturally let projects languish as soon as they lose interest for me. If I lose interest I feel that it's not worth expending effort against the current to finish it. That's perhaps why I'm terrible in a corporate setting but great as an independent. I hate routine.

i feel like we only lose interest in a project when we get extra perfectionist. i tried this thing a week back where i had to finish doing my task at work (Marketing). instead of making it perfect i just tried to do. just finish it. if it marked all the checks then it was good to go.

Nah, I lose interest for many reasons, more than perfectionism -- and I am very far from a perfectionist. Rather, I lose interest because:

1. Not the right format (essay versus video versus book)

2. My overall philosophy on the topic has changed and I need to restart with something new

Re: On finishing projects

#55

Post by brainzap »

I wonder how many people are missing out because there is no friend or SO that really push and supports.

In the comment section we probably have a lot of “me” stories, but should we not think “we”?

Re: On finishing projects

#56

Post by andrewstuart »

mannylopez wrote: post #42
andrewstuart wrote: post #18

There was a post on HN recently about building software for yourself - forget the possible audience of millions. If you focus on yourself as the end user then the whole thing becomes easier. I couldn't find it after a brief search. Maybe someone else remembers it.

Maybe “An App Can Be a Home-Cooked Meal”? https://www.robinsloan.com/notes/home-cooked-app/

That's it!

Re: On finishing projects

#57

Post by sph »

vborovikov wrote: post #52

I keep reminding myself when working on my projects - don't wait until you feel like doing something and - half-ass it

"A thing worth doing is worth doing badly" [rather than not at all, and expecting to do it perfectly is a sure way to never get started]

This is a fantastic rule-of-thumb no one ever talks about. We focus too much on learning, honing our skills, becoming experts, and we never find the time to start.

Re: On finishing projects

#58

Post by thehappyfellow »

munificent wrote: post #24

Reposting an old Reddit comment of mine that I think agrees with much of this article: I'm in my 40s and for most of my life I had an unending series of unfinished projects that I felt guilty about. Today, I am able to finish some stuff, including some pretty large, hard projects. Better, I don't feel guilty about the stuff I don't finish. The trick for me is to be deliberate and mindful about why I'm embarking on a…

So you’re saying in order to finish projects I just need to learn how to be honest and clear with myself? Seems like a reduction to a harder problem :)

Joking aside, I came to believe that various form of procrastination are a response to pursuing wrong or unclear goals - even when I don’t state them clearly, my brain still somehow knows that I’m not aligned with what my goals should be. Good job, brain!

Re: On finishing projects

#59

Post by halfcat »

cloverich wrote: post #5

I resonate strongly with this. I found something pretty simple thats been helping me lately though. I uhh, i just force myself to keep working on it until its done. Grind it out. Work on it especially when i dont want to. Ditch those little relaxing moments for it. Wake up early to find time for it. Its torture. And also therapeutic. I see the incompleteness of my original idea, or plan. I see that the things i decla…

> ”i just force myself to keep working on it until its done.”

I’ll admit I’m jealous of this. Most days at 5pm I’m just hitting a groove, but kids need to eat, need family time, etc. I’d love to grind from 8am-11pm but rarely have that luxury.

Re: On finishing projects

#60

Post by a-french-anon »

halfcat wrote: post #59
cloverich wrote: post #5

I resonate strongly with this. I found something pretty simple thats been helping me lately though. I uhh, i just force myself to keep working on it until its done. Grind it out. Work on it especially when i dont want to. Ditch those little relaxing moments for it. Wake up early to find time for it. Its torture. And also therapeutic. I see the incompleteness of my original idea, or plan. I see that the things i decla…

> ”i just force myself to keep working on it until its done.” I’ll admit I’m jealous of this. Most days at 5pm I’m just hitting a groove, but kids need to eat, need family time, etc. I’d love to grind from 8am-11pm but rarely have that luxury.

I don't want to be too abrasive, but family people unironically complaining (almost humble-bragging in some cases) about their lack of time to others who may or may not have had the same opportunities on that front (e.g. no marriage prospect, possibly loveless life) can be very tiring.

tl;dr TRIGGERED

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