

Rapid prototyping as burnout antidote - bjplink
http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/blog/2010/08/rapid-prototyping-as-burnout-antidote.html

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thibaut_barrere
I noticed a somewhat similar effect which I named "ProcrastinaBoost" (patent
pending, obviously).

When working on a long/difficult project A, I keep one smaller but equally
interesting (ROI-wise) project B on the side, and ensure I procrastinate in a
time-boxed fashion on the useful project B only (vs. more classical
procrastination).

The time-boxing ensure this stays at the hobby level, and regularly project B
becomes difficult too to kick you back into project A.

It also gives me some times to relax and think about the issues on the other
project.

To be used with careful time tracking of course :)

This removes a bit of the burn-out feeling, while still working on something
that moves us along.

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gjm11
Prior art: <http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/> .

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thibaut_barrere
Amazing, thanks! That's really one of the things I like most about HN (useful,
insightful comments).

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riffer
Yes, this really works.

Sort of the way some teams seem to keep a set of blog posts on the shelf,
ready to go, we have a list of small tangential projects.

These are all three-days-to-a-week type things where we are already pretty
familiar with 80-90% such that we can move through it quickly, but also get
exposure to something new that we've been meaning to pick up. That combination
of quick tangible progress plus learning really clears out any negativity.

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_pius
This is _very_ true. The only problem with this approach is that you can end
up with a lots of "little fish" projects instead of making headway on your
"Moby Dick" one.

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philh
If the goal is to cure burnout, that's only a problem if you feel compelled to
continue work on the little fish projects. I find that if I get a new project,
it tends to push an old one from my mind, so there's not much more mental
clutter than before.

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_pius
I guess, but I was thinking more of the case where you end up in a cycle of
constantly taking new ideas and making minimum viable products out of them
_without_ developing them (or your big idea) further.

Of course, that's a much better "problem" to have than to be mentally
constipated for long periods of time without bringing anything to fruition ...

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ez77
I hope I'm not flagged as a spammer over this, since I tend to make this point
every chance I get. Namely, how exactly do you go about rapid prototyping? I
figure in all likelihood it's a bit of an art and requires a lot of experience
and knowledge. I realize I may not be there yet. Still, are there any highly
recommended references?

Books are OK, but in particular videos would help the most. Seeing how
experienced programmers kick off a project could (I think) shed much light.
PeepCode looks serious, but it focuses too much on one particular technology.

Thanks, and sorry to keep bugging with this...

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rman666
This is the first time I've seen your question, so it isn't spam to me :-)

To me, rapid prototyping is any technique that will allow you to build
'something' that will give you a feel for what working with a deployable
version might be like. Such prototypes can be paper-based, built in
PowerPoint, built in an easy-to-prototype language (i.e, Lisp), etc. The key
is to quickly see what the 'final' version _might_ be like so you can think
more clearly, talk about it, demonstrate it, get feedback, etc.

Or, am I answering the wrong question? (See, even my answer is a prototype ...
it allows me to get feedback).

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Retric
People also often model what you want to do in the Excel / Access / Mathmatica
world first.

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jakevoytko
This isn't startup specific! I work on projects with long development cycles,
and rapid prototyping outside of work is very therapeutic. You can amplify the
healing power with the right tools: in my case, Python and Git. There's
nothing more satisfying than creating something in a few days, or extending an
existing project to do more. Be sure to let someone know you did something!
Thankfully my girlfriend listens to me babble about my minor wins, even when
they sound ridiculous or incomprehensible.

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milesf
There's no such thing as burnout. It's really heartache in disguise.

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chmike
I'm not sure I understood what you mean. What I know is that burnout, as it is
commonly described, is perfectly real.

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ww520
It absolutely works for me. It's called "strategic procrastination." It let me
channel my creative energy to a different use when working in a long and
difficult project. Retaining control over creative freedom is very important
for motivation and avoiding burnout. The nice thing about being your own boss
is that you can change the schedule anytime you want. :)

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_chap
yes.

