Ask HN: How can I quit talking myself out of my own ideas?
Most of my ideas I am initially excited about. If I'm lucky then I may even be genuinely positive that the idea is "going to work". But, just like clockwork, I eventually begin to doubt the idea and usually end up dropping it. This usually occurs the day or so after the inception of the idea.
Usually, my reasoning for dropping an idea is that it seems so useless and minor in the grand scheme of things. I try to picture people using the product and it actually making their life better in some way. This is obviously not an easy thing to do.
I think that over the years I've trained myself to be my own worst critic. I'll let myself get engulfed in an idea right away, but then I always take a step back and criticize the unpolished idea to the point where I convince myself that it's useless.
What are some things that help you all remain optimistic and excited about an idea?
57 comments
[ 5.4 ms ] story [ 100 ms ] thread1. If an idea sounds promising, I try to forget about it for a while (say a month) and if it's still a good idea after the wait, then I go for it.
Usually this means that I really have that problem and it needs fixing. So I build it.
If not, I've only lost a few brain cells. No harm done.
2. I launch, and if it works and gets people excited, then I'm really onto something.
If not, shut it down.
Note that these checkpoints allow you to back track or drop the idea. No need to keep flogging a dead horse.
To avoid the wait, try and answer the question "How are you going to change the world" on paper. Try and make it at least a page. If everything you come up with sounds like a sham, it's probably not that good of an idea.
And try to get other people excited too.
the most important thing is to always have ideas flowing. Don't become stagnate. Invest in your creative fecundity.Imagination will atrophy if not continuously used.
I think the key problem statement in your post is "I will usually invest several hours into each idea". You really need to put in several hundred hours before you can tell if something is worth it or not. The "excited" phase is really just a tiny fleeting moment in a project's lifespan.
In reality, projects are rarely clear flops or wild successes. People love describing them that way because it makes a great story, but it's a myth.
Next step is I start making mockups. Lots of em. I don't write one line of code until I have a mockup that I am excited about. Many times I have started mocking up an idea only to determine during the mockup process that it would be a BITCH to code, or the idea won't execute like I thought, etc..
I found with myself that I can over-think things. Remember that action comes first, motivation second.
Instead of all this imagining of how users might show up and how they might use your app, and how you might be able to scale or grow -- stop doing all that.
Think less. Do more.
It's better to do one thing that's completely wrong -- and finish it -- than it is to have a hundred great ideas that never go anywhere. Don't be a spectator in your own life. (Which reminds me I need to get back to work!)
1. Build a prototype
2. Launch it
3. Get feedback from users
4. Make changes*
*which may mean you need to move onto another idea and build a new prototype
Embrace "failure".
When you start questioning the idea, focus on the use case you're writing it for and cut out all the excess features that don't contribute to it. This will help you get closer to completion.
Remember that you're just one user and cannot possibly be representative of the population. Go test it to see what the market thinks!
For me, this final idea is usually the difference between "this project is going to be awesome" and "this project is going to be awesome and I know exactly how I'm going to get people to use it."
I am always surprised what sells, so you don't really know if an idea is good until you get it out in the market. Your intuition is good to go by but your intuition may also be completely wrong about what might work as well as what might not. Only the customer/market gives you the real answer.
Also don't just do an idea because you think it will work, do one that solves a problem that you are interested in. This will retain your interest and fuel some belief.
It looks like you are bailing at the 'crisis of meaning' http://i.imgur.com/DEOmi.jpg . Sometimes this is correct, other times a friend or community can help you through it. The quicker you can get to market to test the better, all other input is just opinion.
The ideas that keep coming back to you and have to be repeatedly beaten away are the ones that might be worth taking a chance on. Pay closer to attention to the ones that keep coming back.
That said, in your case it might be worth taking one of your ideas through to completion just to have the experience of doing that.
On the other hand, I think it's also important to actually keep MAKING things, even if the ideas aren't yet amazing. It'll give you the knowledge and the self-confidence to tackle the really good ideas more decisively when the time comes.
Choosing small projects that can be finished before you get too bored or distracted can be a good way to do it.
At first they're all exciting. A week later, only a few will still be exciting. Choose one of those, and then go nuts on it. (Continuing to write down the new ideas that keep coming will also help you stay focused on the one you do choose).
Were they great projects? No. Are they going to make thousands of peoples lives better? Probably not. Did I learn a lot and improve a variety of skills, making me better prepared for bigger projects? Absolutely
This is essentially the lean startup methodology applied to your ideas, and in a presumably smaller scope. If you're talking yourself out of your ideas because they're bad, that's ok.
I get excited about the ideas that I keep coming back to and keep building off of. If you can stay optimistic about an idea for over a month, then you may be on to something.