
A note to myself - clubhi
I wrote this a few weeks ago and I keep it open on my desktop at all times.<p>---<p>That would be cool. But you know what else would be cool? Actually finishing an idea that you started. How many times do you start to work on something and never finish it? EVERY time. You've been doing this your whole life. Somehow along the way you have learned many things and even became a master in a few different areas. But that is not what you want. You want to create. It's not really creating when you never finish.
======
nlh
An old friend sufferes from a very similar problem, and it's basically been
following him around his whole life (sadly, I don't think he's gotten past it
even in his mid-30s).

He gets _very_ excited about something. A new technology, a new idea, a new
trade, whatever. He goes head-first into it. He becomes an expert (he's one of
the smartest people I've ever met). He may even launch a company around it.

And then something doesn't work exactly as he thought it would. Maybe the
trade isn't an profitable as he'd hoped. Maybe the customers didn't come
banging down his door on day 1. Maybe the press didn't write about his new
idea quite as glowingly as he'd hoped.

And then he just starts to deflate. And can't get out of his own way. The
idea, the energy, the emotion, the passion - it just drains out of him like
air from a burst balloon. He really, truly (I hope), wants to be successful,
but once the balloon tears, he never gets that initial passion back, and
ultimately he gives up and moves on to the next thing. I've seen it happen 4
or 5 times over the past 10 years, and it's truly disappointing because he has
such totally unrealized potential.

The lesson to be learned is one that we all hear quite regularly as
entrepreneurs -- it takes more than passion and drive and brains (and luck) to
win, it takes more than anything a LOT of perseverance and ability to slog
through those tears in the balloon.

~~~
jakubp
Re: the last paragraph ("The lesson to be..."). Is it really the lesson you
can learn? Doesn't this friend of yours know this? Didn't he actively try to
persevere, to see how he works and what makes him stop and what could possibly
keep him going?

To me it sounds more like description of a problem (i.e. just restating it).
"A person starts many things but drops them before finishing. In other words,
that person lacks perseverance."

A lesson to me would be something like... a) when you feel your passion for
something going up, do X, b) when you have just started doing something new,
do Y to ensure you don't drop it tomorrow, etc.

Have you perhaps seen these kinds of 'solutions' or approaches? (not just
restating the essence of the problem, but actually attempting to solve it from
the standpoint of the person _with_ the problem :) I think more than a couple
people could benefit from this :)

------
adrianhoward
The single biggest mental hack I have for getting around this is this.

Just write it down.

As soon as I write it down and stick it on a list of product ideas it's out of
my head and I can focus again. As a bonus you've got a nice list 'o' stuff
that you can go poke through whenever you get some spare tuits.

At the moment I have (pause to look at trello) 57 items on the company
"Product Ideas" backlog. Two have come off and are being actively developed.
The rest - I rarely think about.

~~~
platz
I feel like once I write something down in a list it will dissappear into the
'backlog' forever.

~~~
mindcrime
I can see why you would think that, but then again, what's the other
alternative? You either have time/resources to do it now, or you don't. As far
as I can tell, you really have three choice: you can do it, forget it, or
write it down. If you write it down, at least there's a fighting chance you'll
revisit the idea when you do have time/resources.

Also, empirical observation shows me that, in my own case at least, things
that are put on lists _do_ sometimes get done eventually. I'm always
obsessively making lists and writing down notes about possible new features
for Quoddy, and over time I find that I do keep working further and further
down the list... to the point that now I'm starting on stuff that was
originally labelled "Speculative / TODO: Sometime Before The Heat Death Of The
Universe".

------
moxie
I like that this note about discipline has itself become a distraction. To be
true to the note would have meant finishing an idea in progress, rather than
browsing to HN and posting.

~~~
tvon
Well, unless OP thought it was useful enough to share.

~~~
johndcook
He said it was a few weeks ago. Maybe he finished his work before posting this
to HN.

------
tarr11
You might be too hard on yourself.

It is ok to start many things. Do not think you have to finish something just
because you started it. That is a very heavy burden and will discourage you
from starting new things.

Sometimes, it is valuable to reflect on things you have accomplished, and
avoid judging yourself when things don't work out as planned.

~~~
shurane
It still helps to get into the mindset of starting and finishing. Some things
are meant to be weekend projects that are abandoned shortly after. Other
things are meant to be products, with a few dollops of polish.

------
gdubs
I had a really hard time finishing projects when I was younger. One day my
college advisor said, "If you never finish your own projects, you'll work for
someone else for the rest of your life." Of course, working for someone else
isn't always a negative, but you get the gist...

------
bengotow
I have some incredibly talented friends who operate this way. The trick? Team
up with some MBAs. Do the hard stuff, design a contract that gives you trickle
revenue, and pass it off to them when it gets boring. It's completely fine to
be this kind of person if it makes you happy, and with the right structure you
can be wildly profitable "just doing the hard 50%".

------
patio11
I could have written this up to the week I launched Bingo Card Creator, after
years of frustration regarding never taking anything to completion. The best
cure for not shipping is shipping.

------
ngoel36
<http://www.workflowy.com>

Life-changing.

~~~
prezjordan
Is this a parody? Not to be cynical, but I'm curious how a nested to-do list
can have such an impact that it prompts people to say "this made me cry."

~~~
artursapek
For some reason there's an endless supply of people who eventually have the
thought, "I should make a to-do-list app."

~~~
tarr11
Guilty! I think it's an entrepreneurial rite of passage or something.

~~~
c1sc0
Building a to-do app is to entrepreneurs what writing a text editor is to devs

------
staunch

      s/finish/launch/
    

You don't ever really finish anything, you just put it out in the world. I'd
be happy if 10% of the things I create were publicly launched.

------
terrykohla
That's what discipline is all about. Creating a plan, having goals with
milestones, checklists, schedule, etc. It's hard work and sometimes tedious,
but mostly rewarding, leaving you with a sense of accomplishment and pride. It
increases your level of confidence in what you can accomplish, it makes you
better at overcoming problems.

Having ideas is a natural impulse, following through requires discipline and
hard work.

Someone said "genius is as common as dust".

Nassim Taleb said something like "it's not about having ideas, it's about
learning how to manage your ideas". I might be slightly off.

Anyhow, good initiative.

------
cmccomas
Finishing isn't always everything. I've learned A LOT more from projects I
started and never finished. Those things I've learned helped me in the
projects I actually did finish.

These days working in higher ed I complete a lot of projects at my day job,
but I start a lot that I never finish on my own time. To me, personally, it is
more rewarding when I learn something new, come up with something that I think
is cool, whether the project gets finished or not.

------
beat
Finished is better than perfect, every time.

I say this constantly to creative people who struggle with your problem. I've
solved it myself by making "finished" a hard goal and habit, and leaving a
trail of completed projects behind me.

Here's the thing... smart, creative people generate ideas at an appalling
rate. Each new idea is a temptation. The trick is to sort through them, learn
to ignore ideas that don't REALLY grab you. Go back and work on the existing
ideas, the ones that have already grabbed you. Keep working on them even when
they're frustrating or boring or seem impossible.

Next trick... have an exit strategy. Have a clearly defined "done" point. You
won't finish if you don't know what "finished" means.

Next trick... deadlines. Set deadlines for interim goals, and interim goals
small enough to feel reachable. Learn from Agile development techniques. You
can do Agile even as a one-person shop.

------
mcmire
My problem is that all of my ideas are too big. It seems that every new idea I
think of -- well, if I kept going with it and finished it to the extent that
it matches my idea, it would take a year or two. I don't have two years to
waste on an idea that may or may not help me. Maybe that's sad but it's real
life™.

------
manasgarg
The only problem with unfinished projects is that they leave you incomplete.
When a project is complete, you get a sense of completion in your mind.
Otherwise, it becomes a dangling thread of thoughts in the mind. It keeps
taking space and mental cycles (even if it is in the subconcious). And that
leaves little room for exploring new ideas and executing them. The mental
space starts looking cluttered.

At the same time, there is this problem of when to call a project finished (or
completed). As such, everything in this world is ever changing and ever
evolving. And that means calling a project complete becomes more of a mental
thing than a well defined state of the project itself. For example, if I start
working on a movie now, I may feel complete by making the movie, or by making
sure that it is seen by as many people as possible, or by creating a sequel
that's even better than the first movie etc etc. In fact, in this example, the
project goes through multiple well defined stages but there are projects where
there are no well defined stages. Things like blog, business don't have well
defined stages. There is nothing discreet in their progress. There are jumps
but it is still a continum which goes on and on and on.

When I look back, I feel biking is one project I finished. I wanted to own a
bike and travel around since college days. I bought one when I got into a job.
I travelled to many places. And then during one trip, I felt complete from
inside. I felt that I had done as much biking as I wanted to do. I could have
done more; in fact, I did travel to more places after that. But there was no
urge to hit the highway on bike anymore. Same thing happened with photography.
I wanted to do photography. I bought a camera, shot many pictures and then
eventually, I stopped clicking photographs because I started enjoying the
moments better without a camera.

So, while it is important to complete projects, completion itself is a state
of mind. Which makes it difficult to complete a project with the "intention to
complete it". Because completion is not "about the project", it's about how
"you relate to the project".

------
Aardwolf
_Closes HN and continues coding_

------
jchulani
Sadly, I know a lot of hackers that suffer from not finishing. If there is one
thing I've learned from working many years as a PM, even average ideas can
become big with a team that executes well and know how to finish. It's what
separates great entrepreneurs.

~~~
thomaseng
'PM' usually denotes 'Prime Minister'. I suspect this is not your actual
occupation. Furthermore, great entrepreneurs should be separated.

~~~
georgemcbay
If you work in tech in the USA, 'PM' usually denotes 'Project Manager'.

~~~
thomaseng
Well, thats a demotion, isn't it?

------
george_ciobanu
What if short, intense bursts of high-quality work is just a different way to
create? Like consultants, people can come in for days/weeks/months(years?),
give their best, move the product further and then move on to the next thing.
Is that possible?

------
hakunin
Something that worked for me: in January I decided that 2013 will be the year
of finishing things. I made a list of everything unfinished, and at this point
I'm down 3, with 3rd thing just finished 2 days ago. Feels great.

------
m12r
Finishing things impossible. When do you know it's finished? When it's dead?
It's not bad to start something and table it. The amount of time "that thing"
comes back to you is probably the best filter for you get it moving. If it
does not come back to you, it probably means it's not important to you, or not
important to anyone else. Just use pattern recognition to spend the right
amount of time on the right idea.

------
dreeves
I'd love to convince you to beemind projects that you want to force yourself
to see to fruition. <http://beeminder.com> (I'm a co-founder)

If I'm lucky others will chime in to back me up that it's astoundingly
effective for exactly the psychology you describe. We can unambiguously say
that Beeminder itself wouldn't have survived without beeminding it. :)

~~~
danparsonson
Looks like an interesting project; suggestion: reshoot your intro video
without making Bethany laugh while she's explaining how the site works - I
found it very distracting and thus hard to take her seriously. If she's just a
giggler by nature then maybe find someone else to do the presentation :-)

~~~
dreeves
Ha, I think you're right, and thanks for that feedback! We just hate doing
videos and a/b tests say that that beats the pants off the alternative of a
nice, professional static image. So we're going with what we got for now.

And, yes, that's me making her laugh. I was trying hard to get her to conceal
how much she hates making videos! :)

But let's save this stuff for our next "Show HN". For this thread I'm really
eager to hear thoughts on whether self-tracking and commitment devices are a
good approach to the OP's problem.

------
Avalaxy
What works for me is telling other people about my project so there is some
sort of social pressure to finish it. Also: spend some money on it. For
example, hire a designer to create some nice logos for your app. As soon as
you've spent some money on it, you'll have another trigger to finish the
project, because it would be a waste of money if you don't.

~~~
slohr
Spot on! I kept an idea to myself for a couple years and finally committed to
it by telling people about it. And not just sharing but actually saying this
is my next "job." Then I rented a desk and hired a designer and "the pressure"
has made me happier than any other professional time in my life. I'm not
finished but I have momentum...

------
jvilalta
Sounds familiar :-) but sometimes quitting is the right thing to do. Found
this interesting on this topic: [http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/09/30/new-
freakonomics-radi...](http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/09/30/new-freakonomics-
radio-podcast-the-upside-of-quitting/)

~~~
platz
Reminds me The Dip by Seth Godin.

------
anoncow
Always wanted to build something. Tried my hand at a few projects. Worked at
it for 3 years, odd jobs kept the money flowing. Recently took up a corporate
job. Signed the company contract which takes away my right to work on anything
else(profitable or non profitable).

Still want to build. Bidding my time.

~~~
_lex
Ask for an out. Explain that it's how you keep your skills up to date, and
that it lets you be a more productive and effective employee. In the past I've
had this clause in my contracts and had them take it out. They did.

~~~
BHSPitMonkey
Seems like it could be a long shot in large organizations. The managers close
enough to you to be on your side don't have enough clout to override HR
responding with "we don't make changes to employee contracts", and the ones
who do aren't in touch with the craft enough to understand why you'd want such
an exception.

~~~
mcherm
I have successfully gotten a clause like this changed or adjusted in a large
corporation twice. Both times I signed first, then raised an issue in an email
which was intended to be forwarded to the lawyers. My email included specific,
detailed objections ("as written, this means that the company owns the bedtime
stories I make up for my children") and proposed alternate language ("We
could, for instance, replace the clause 'all intellectual property' with 'all
intellectual property related to the company's business or produced using
company resources'.").

In one case, an international company with a couple-thousand employees in the
US, the company lawyers never got back to me, but the next year the contract
was changed and it included a variation of my original proposed language. In
the other case, a US company with tens of thousands of employees, the company
lawyers got back to me immediately with a statement about how they intended
the existing language to be interpreted (and this addressed my concerns).

I can't promise you will get the same results, but I thought it was worth
sharing my anecdotes.

------
lancedouglas
IMHO, sometimes we end working on things before the original concept of
finished is achieved because those hacks are subconsciously self-serving and
derive more personal-value in understanding everything about finishing than
what we consciously believe the value of finishing is.

------
runjake
I can't be the only one who had The Fresh Beat Band pop into their head after
reading the first couple sentences, can I?

Seriously, though. I have something similar taped to my monitor. A quote from
@rands (I believe) that goes:

 _"You'll get more done when you stop thinking someone else is in charge."_

------
james4k
Whenever I've tried leaving an insightful note for myself like this, over time
it seems to completely lose its meaning. Definitely never as profound as when
you read it the first couple times.

Perhaps that would make a great app. Periodic anecdotes from yourself. /me
checks the app store

~~~
clubhi
Great idea. Stop whatever you are doing and work on that!

------
lifeisstillgood
Mentorships, apprenticeships, life coaches, business coaches

All therapy in different disguises.

Inner demons are almost always bad for us. I am finding that my business
problems mostly reflect personal issues I have not solved - oddly it makes
approaching therapy much easier

------
mion
Nice. I find that keeping a little ledger on top of your desk and writing down
every idea that pops in your head is also a very good habit. And you often
realize "some great idea you had wasn't that great at all" (pg).

------
level09
Happens to me all the time, new ideas seem more appealing, perhaps easier to
implement, and more profitable. so why not move on ?

I would modify this note to be "Actually finish an MVP then move on"

------
calhoun137
Finishing stuff is nice, it took me awhile but i finally got there. The new
problem i have is: now that i finished a project, how do i get people to know
about/use it?

~~~
mooze
You show it to people who might want to use it!

------
deangiberson
Sometimes not continuing is the correct way to finish a project. Only keep
working on the gems. Fail early, fail fast, fail cheap.

------
ValentineC
This is a bit philosophical: how would you know that you're finished, and that
it's time to move on?

~~~
eDISCO
You know it's finished when you are dead. (A bit rough interpretation of
Sartre?)

------
xcubic
I loved this. Will be adding it to my desktop too. Fits like a glove actually.

------
npguy
Just Finish Everything. Golden advice.

Http://statspotting.com/just-finish-everything/

------
jborden13
Ideas are a dime a dozen. Execution is the only thing that matters.

~~~
purplelobster
Ideas that seem good on the surface are a dime a dozen. More refined and more
specific ideas aren't. However, execution is needed to iron out and refine
even great ideas, it's an interplay.

------
carterschonwald
i've been working on the same cool idea for the past year. the cool bit is,
its a cool idea that once i'm finished will make it easier to play with the
other cool ideas i have :)

------
waltz
what is finishing something but a mere delusion.

------
mosey101
Amen!

------
L0j1k
From the website's testimonials: "Prediction: @WorkFlowy and @Quora will each
revolutionise significant parts of education in the next 5 years."

LOLOLOL.

~~~
L0j1k
Because it's clearly going to... I tell you downvoters what: ONE year from
today, let's look back on this thread and talk about where WF and Quora are
going, if they're even still alive. I'll be here.

