Ask HN: How to avoid overthinking when working on projects

3 points by valachio 3 years ago | 4 comments

I have this problem where I tend to overthink when I'm working on a side project.

In actuality I would prefer to build something crappy than to build nothing at all. At least that way I have something cool to show to people.

But I find it tough to stop my mind from thinking stuff like "this thing you're working on isn't going to work, it's probably not going to be useful at all. let's just stop working on it"

As a result I find it really hard to work on side projects and I end up wasting that time on consuming useless things like social media and video games.

How do I stop myself from overthinking when building side projects and just do it and finish it?

sysadm1n 3 years ago |

Perfection is the enemy of good. I do this too, thinking my project won't be perfect, so I abstain from doing anything because it won't be perfect and give up.

In terms of motivation, I found that motivation is unreliable and comes and goes. Consistency and little steps at a time work for me, especially if the project is a large one. If you want to move mountains, you start by picking up small stones. Good luck!

beardyw 3 years ago |

I take a look at something I abandoned previously. Taking time out usually helps me refocus so looping around a few projects stops any of them getting stale. Problem is the idiot who wrote this old code ....

solarmist 3 years ago |

Talk to people about it. Get out of your own head.

That is usually the solution for me. And I’ve (I’m pretty reclusive by nature) never had trouble finding someone to talk to about business or technical problems.

solarmist 3 years ago | |

After a few conversations you start to get a feeling for what parts of the project other people care about.