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My GitHub profile is a wasteland of dead side projects and my Gandi account is full of .io domains that I never quite got round to using. I very much identify w

My GitHub profile is a wasteland of dead side projects and my Gandi account is full of .io domains that I never quite got round to using. I very much identify with this post and I don't know why it happens. When I'm at work I have no problem knuckling down and finishing a piece of software. However, in my free time, I'll come up with an idea, buy a domain, design a logo, create a repo, spin up a Digital Ocean instance, pick a stack, tune Vim, weigh over monetization options, consider open sourcing, the list goes on and on. Finally, I get started and it goes great, the code is really elegant, I put a new programming technique/trick to use, and then I think of something more interesting to do. The cycle goes on. I enjoy writing music almost as much as programming, so developing games goes a whole level deeper. I'll get hyped up doing the game art, then start writing the soundtrack and by the time I get to writing code for the game, I'll lose focus. The only times I have ever beat the internal system, is when I've been forced to focus on MVP. Hackathons, proof of concepts and toys. Once I have something working and demonstrable, I can often motivate myself to go back to it. I don't have any other advice, but just know that you're not the only one who suffers from shiny stuff syndrome.

junto 12y ago
I often don't get that far. I just come up with all the potential problems with my idea; usually related to monetization or existing competition and then I bin the idea.
pavlov 12y ago
Finally, I get started and it goes great, the code is really elegant, I put a new programming technique/trick to use ... That suggests your primary driver was to get to try something new. Once you've satisfied that urge, you move on to the next bite-sized learning experience that will give the same initial rush. If you want to get into shipping mode, maybe you should try to explicitly force yourself out of "elegant experimentation" mode by doing things the "boring" way, whatever that may be for you.
- codecurve 12y ago
  That's very rarely the case, I think it's more to do with the fact that I'm still learning. I've become more and more comfortable with FP over the last year and I enjoy being able to utilise the new things I pick up, but I don't think I've ever worked on a project purely to try something new. I tend to experiment at work too and our products always ship.
- rudolf0 12y ago
  In most cases a competitor is not doing exactly what you want to do. If your idea involves some sort of a gimmick or very specific point of attraction and that is already being used by a competitor, then sure, maybe you should pick a different idea. But otherwise there is likely much room for competitive advantage.
ashark 12y ago
About 50% of my projects die in the following way: 1) I've got an idea for a useful library that might finally make my GitHub not look so lame! 2) Search github: (idea) language:(language) 3) Oh, there's the exact thing I was going to build. Never mind. Another 49% die this way: 1) It'd be so cool to have X! 2) (thinks about time to actually develop X versus real value it would give me and likelihood of anyone paying me for it to make up the difference) 3) Oh man, screw that, it's not even worth 1/100 that amount of effort. I'm terrible at generating projects for "itch scratching" reasons because I cost/benefit them to death first, or I think of them 6 months after someone else already had the idea :-/ [EDIT] cleanup
- ToastyMallows 12y ago
  > "...I think of them 6 months after someone else already had the idea :-/" So true. That's why one of my first steps is to Google my idea. If I can't find a viable competitor, then I move on to the design phase.
  - sejje 12y ago
    Ever think you're doing it wrong? An established competitor guarantees there's a market. You'll just have to do it better than they do.
    - ryandrake 12y ago
      Bingo. If there's nobody else already out there selling what you're thinking about doing, there's probably a reason. And the reason is probably not "nobody thought of this yet".
    - zo1 12y ago
      And odds are, if there is just one player in the market they're not very good. Simply by virtue of being the only one; the odds of that being the case simply because they are amazing and perfect is so miniscule. It's most likely that no one has bothered, or had the effort to out-do them.
- 12y ago
crucini 12y ago
Sounds like me. What I've found helpful is to reduce the scope of the project. Focus on base hits rather than home runs. Not quite the same as "MVP" if MVP implies permission to release something crappy and incomplete. I shoot for something small, polished and excellent. The finishing stretch is hard. One has to learn to enjoy this process; documenting, adding unit tests (if needed), jumping through hoops like CPAN or the app store. I think finishing is a habit we can build.

junto 12y ago

I often don't get that far. I just come up with all the potential problems with my idea; usually related to monetization or existing competition and then I bin the idea.

pavlov 12y ago

Finally, I get started and it goes great, the code is really elegant, I put a new programming technique/trick to use ... That suggests your primary driver was to get to try something new. Once you've satisfied that urge, you move on to the next bite-sized learning experience that will give the same initial rush. If you want to get into shipping mode, maybe you should try to explicitly force yourself out of "elegant experimentation" mode by doing things the "boring" way, whatever that may be for you.

codecurve 12y ago
That's very rarely the case, I think it's more to do with the fact that I'm still learning. I've become more and more comfortable with FP over the last year and I enjoy being able to utilise the new things I pick up, but I don't think I've ever worked on a project purely to try something new. I tend to experiment at work too and our products always ship.
rudolf0 12y ago
In most cases a competitor is not doing exactly what you want to do. If your idea involves some sort of a gimmick or very specific point of attraction and that is already being used by a competitor, then sure, maybe you should pick a different idea. But otherwise there is likely much room for competitive advantage.

ashark 12y ago

About 50% of my projects die in the following way: 1) I've got an idea for a useful library that might finally make my GitHub not look so lame! 2) Search github: (idea) language:(language) 3) Oh, there's the exact thing I was going to build. Never mind. Another 49% die this way: 1) It'd be so cool to have X! 2) (thinks about time to actually develop X versus real value it would give me and likelihood of anyone paying me for it to make up the difference) 3) Oh man, screw that, it's not even worth 1/100 that amount of effort. I'm terrible at generating projects for "itch scratching" reasons because I cost/benefit them to death first, or I think of them 6 months after someone else already had the idea :-/ [EDIT] cleanup

ToastyMallows 12y ago
> "...I think of them 6 months after someone else already had the idea :-/" So true. That's why one of my first steps is to Google my idea. If I can't find a viable competitor, then I move on to the design phase.
- sejje 12y ago
  Ever think you're doing it wrong? An established competitor guarantees there's a market. You'll just have to do it better than they do.
  - ryandrake 12y ago
    Bingo. If there's nobody else already out there selling what you're thinking about doing, there's probably a reason. And the reason is probably not "nobody thought of this yet".
  - zo1 12y ago
    And odds are, if there is just one player in the market they're not very good. Simply by virtue of being the only one; the odds of that being the case simply because they are amazing and perfect is so miniscule. It's most likely that no one has bothered, or had the effort to out-do them.
12y ago

crucini 12y ago

Sounds like me. What I've found helpful is to reduce the scope of the project. Focus on base hits rather than home runs. Not quite the same as "MVP" if MVP implies permission to release something crappy and incomplete. I shoot for something small, polished and excellent. The finishing stretch is hard. One has to learn to enjoy this process; documenting, adding unit tests (if needed), jumping through hoops like CPAN or the app store. I think finishing is a habit we can build.