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Ask HN: Constantly shuffling between toy projects.

8 points by kadabra9 ↗ HN
Ok, I know this isn't so much of a question as it is an observation, but wanted to see if anyone else has experienced the same thing and how they dealt with it.

I find myself constantly starting a project, getting good traction, spending a week or two in a furious coding rage getting it off the ground, then suddenly.... I either find a way to convince myself that the current project is dumb, or that there is some other, more useful toy project that I should be working on.So, I break out the pen and paper, get away from the laptop and start scribbling notes, features, mockups, which is essentially thinly veiled procrastination from other projects I've been working on. Then I'll get started on this new "project of the week", bang out a few features, and generally kick ass until I convince myself I "need" to start this "other" new project because I want to try out that new Rails gem, jQuery effect, try out SASS, etc.</p><p>While I think working on a bunch of toy projects has helped me broaden my skillset, I'm left with the nagging feeling that I'm not really closing anything out, and just using these new pet projects almost as a distraction.

I know, clearly the best solution to this problem is "Get off HN and do something", I just wanted to see if anyone else has had similar experiences in their career, and if they had any resources/methods for addressing this sort of "Project of the Week" syndrome.

9 comments

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foannfeai
The reason you posted here is that you have a problem and are looking for a solution. You know that this is aimless development, however working out at the gym is aimless too. Both help you exercise, but neither are doing good except for getting better at starting development projects and burning calories, respectively. Instead of going to the gym, you could work at Habitat for Humanity or similar and build houses or do other volunteer work that requires physical effort. The development equivalent is working on open source projects that need help.
tjr
That's an interesting observation about physical exercise. The most excess weight I've lost, and the best physical exercise I've gotten, has been when I was doing something that simply required physical exertion, rather than exercising for the sake of exercising.

Thank you; I suspect if I ponder this for a bit, it will have a positive impact on my future exercise plans and goals.

tjr
One realization I've had is that, for all of the projects that I started and never finished, or even never started, I would much rather have that project finished and done and part of my project portfolio, even if it really was a dumb idea, than to have given up on it.

If I can really truly believe that and act on it, then it makes since to follow through and finish projects, regardless of if after a week I think it's a dumb idea. Now, of course, some ideas may really be dumb. You have to have some mechanism for filtering out garbage. I propose filtering at the beginning: make at least an informal design of the project, and if, after that, it still seems reasonable, then commit to yourself to finish it. And finish it before starting another personal project.

stonemetal
I am definitely in that boat at the moment. I think the main problem is none of those side projects has a "customer" so there is no cost in killing them off. If someone was going to use it, it would be harder to kill. Even if it was free \ open source.
DanBC
Here's a useful URL for procrastinators. Weirdly they've made it so long that people needing help probably won't get around to reading it.

(http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writin...)

One suggestion is to build in a finish condition before you start. That at least allows you to not feel guilty frustrated / angry when you reach that point. Then post-mortem the project to see what you learnt and what can be applied.

Another suggestion is to find a small easy bit of OSS to fix and brush up.

DanBC
I also meant to say that I have ideas for a dozen toy projects that I have little hope of coding (and none of paying to be coded) but which I would use. So let me know if you want a list.
dstein
It's important to get what you've built into the hands of someone else. You cannot rely on your own experience with what you've built as a basis for decision making.
helen842000
I have a severe case of this too. I always get caught up in the thrill of a new idea.

I've been getting better at finishing things since I wrote all of my 'in progress' projects down and noted what stage they were at and what I need to do to move them on.

I found that my projects got shelved once they needed outside help to continue. So in effect I had taken them to the limit of my own skills, which was more finished than I originally thought.

Now I've got a list of where I'm at with them all and what extra resource they need to progress.

So for example one project will be finished when I've got a spare $300 to put towards it.

Another will be put into production if I find a manufacturer that meets a certain price and spec.

Others are just beyond my technical level currently so I might release them as open source projects that people might make use of.

Knowing what 'finished' looks like and what is needed next will remind you to keep contributing to the projects you've started.

cschmitt
I have been known to do this as well, but I have also found that I am more creative when I have more than one thing going on. Generally I find that a solution in one application will lead me to rethink a problem in the other.

That being said I also go through times when I want to work on both or use one to procrastinate from working on another one.

So you are not alone. I have found the best system that works for me is setting small goals and deadlines. That gives me the flexibility to move from project to project while also feeling like I am accomplishing something.