I've experienced this often. Some comments: - Before a release, I have to hold off major features (like you path system) and it goes slow and boring. But immed

I've experienced this often. Some comments: - Before a release, I have to hold off major features (like you path system) and it goes slow and boring. But immediately after release, I can suddenly begin the exciting new stuff again. It's a freedom to look forward to. - When swimming, I would get tired near the end of the lane, but by visualizing the end being even further away, I got more energy. - My todo list grows faster than I clear it. So aggressively remove pre-release items as much as possible. You're never going to do them all anyway. - You really need people to be using it or you'll be designing things wrong, perhaps even the major organizing principles will be hard for users to understand. You don't want to end up with a Gmsh or a Blender! - User requests are a powerful motivator. You're doing work for a confirmed real purpose and know they're going to appreciate it.