I call it creative ejaculationism. They all start swimming, but only one or two will get to the finish line. You can learn a lot from the ones who won’t make it, to help the one that will.
The framing that I learn from all the work projects that lose out to the fire of the day really helps me stress less over all the unfinished work. I am better able to do the initial evaluation efficiently and stop working at an earlier stage on things with cost/benefits ratios that don't justify, and more likely to successfully identify fixes when projects that do justify coalesce.
Would still be nice to fix all the things I know are broken, but I am mostly at peace with the system as it is.
Honestly, I don't think projects have to be finalized. Sometimes you just want to build or try something. I have aborted dozens of projects, from web interfaces to games and frameworks. Sometimes, you just want to build something, finish that and then realize the remaining part of the project is not interesting.
You learn something with everything you start. I don't think finishing it is an obligation.
Projects can be treated like games too. You had some fun, learned a bunch, challenged yourself, and when there's only uninteresting stuff left; why bother?
I keep burning myself out with projects that sound great on paper, but take weeks to complete. Hosting my own Lemmy instance was one of those things. Was it fun? Kinda. Would I do it again? Hell no
Ah yeah, SMTP is usually a bitch. I only had an instance for myself back when I used lemmy and never bothered with actually setting up the email part lmao.
I mean, kinda? I am on a piefed instance, which kinda means I don't actively use lemmy, but I am communicating with lemmy instances, so ... idk? If I had to choose, I'd say no.
I just started using obsidian. It's perfect for starting new projects because even when you don't finish, you don't have to completely restart.
Good notes are great, but only if you can find them. For half a year, my notes were just the date. It became an issue when I needed to remember a project I worked on in March but didn't finish. Having links and screenshots and visually seeing relations between ideas has made it much easier to pause and come back later.
Its also got a bunch of excellent free community plugins that add more functionality, like drawings and data visualization. My personal favorite is called Iron Vault, it lets you run the really rather brilliant Ironsworn solo ttrpg system entirely in your notes with rolls and machanics being all taken care of inline
Slopcoding has made this so bad. But in the before time I was so burned out by work I couldn't get myself to program at home so they all stayed in my head
36 Comments
kingofras@lemmy.world · 50 pts · 27d
I call it creative ejaculationism. They all start swimming, but only one or two will get to the finish line. You can learn a lot from the ones who won’t make it, to help the one that will.
diaphragmwp@discuss.tchncs.de · 13 pts · 27d
Don't accidentally use the term without definition in a group that doesn't know it yet lol
Lyrl@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 27d
The framing that I learn from all the work projects that lose out to the fire of the day really helps me stress less over all the unfinished work. I am better able to do the initial evaluation efficiently and stop working at an earlier stage on things with cost/benefits ratios that don't justify, and more likely to successfully identify fixes when projects that do justify coalesce.
Would still be nice to fix all the things I know are broken, but I am mostly at peace with the system as it is.
rockSlayer@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 24 pts · 27d
Not pictured: unfinished, abandoned projects
Starf4rged@reddthat.com · 9 pts · 27d
Those are the skeletons sitting in the chairs down on the seafloor.
Supercrunchy@programming.dev · 21 pts · 27d
(alt: picture of Facebook's mod report form, with "I'm in this photo and I don't like it" selected)
kingofras@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 27d
Look, we’re all someone else’s unfinished project in a way
DakRalter@thelemmy.club · 19 pts · 27d
I'm actually on track to finally rework and finish off a twenty year old creative project by the end of the month! 🎉🎉🎉
One (almost) down, eight to go!
realitaetsverlust@piefed.zip · 12 pts · 27d
Honestly, I don't think projects have to be finalized. Sometimes you just want to build or try something. I have aborted dozens of projects, from web interfaces to games and frameworks. Sometimes, you just want to build something, finish that and then realize the remaining part of the project is not interesting.
You learn something with everything you start. I don't think finishing it is an obligation.
Luccus@feddit.org · 3 pts · 27d
Just wanted to say the exact same thing.
Projects can be treated like games too. You had some fun, learned a bunch, challenged yourself, and when there's only uninteresting stuff left; why bother?
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 27d
You may ask what I was building with all of these unfinished projects.
The thing I was building was myself.
HugeNerd@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 27d
Or "thrifted objects and fantasy of the associated project" and "new shiny thing I found".
squirrel@cake.kobel.fyi · 6 pts · 27d
!adhd@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Raccoon_Rick@altgag.net · 6 pts · 27d
I keep burning myself out with projects that sound great on paper, but take weeks to complete. Hosting my own Lemmy instance was one of those things. Was it fun? Kinda. Would I do it again? Hell no
realitaetsverlust@piefed.zip · 1 pts · 27d
It took you weeks to host your own lemmy instance?
Raccoon_Rick@altgag.net · 2 pts · 27d
No, hosting was the easy part. Setting up a proper firewall, SMTP and building a custom docker image however…
realitaetsverlust@piefed.zip · 2 pts · 27d
Ah yeah, SMTP is usually a bitch. I only had an instance for myself back when I used lemmy and never bothered with actually setting up the email part lmao.
heartSagan5@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 27d
Aren’t you using Lemmy now?
realitaetsverlust@piefed.zip · 1 pts · 27d
I mean, kinda? I am on a piefed instance, which kinda means I don't actively use lemmy, but I am communicating with lemmy instances, so ... idk? If I had to choose, I'd say no.
innermachine@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 27d
Ur doing the Lord's work helping build the lemmyverse
aeiou@piefed.social · 5 pts · 27d
At this point I've given up doing things. Every new project is just a clutter-generating waste.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 27d
I've started joting ideas down on a markdown file in the Projects directory instead. Now to clean up my 500 browser tabs.
Gaja0@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 27d
I just started using obsidian. It's perfect for starting new projects because even when you don't finish, you don't have to completely restart.
Good notes are great, but only if you can find them. For half a year, my notes were just the date. It became an issue when I needed to remember a project I worked on in March but didn't finish. Having links and screenshots and visually seeing relations between ideas has made it much easier to pause and come back later.
AFallingAnvil@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 27d
Its also got a bunch of excellent free community plugins that add more functionality, like drawings and data visualization. My personal favorite is called Iron Vault, it lets you run the really rather brilliant Ironsworn solo ttrpg system entirely in your notes with rolls and machanics being all taken care of inline
aeiou@piefed.social · 2 pts · 27d
I tried notes for a while, just became more clutter.
Once even tried making a spreadsheet of unfinished projects, which also got added to itself
chocrates@piefed.world · 5 pts · 27d
Slopcoding has made this so bad. But in the before time I was so burned out by work I couldn't get myself to program at home so they all stayed in my head
heartSagan5@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 27d
Mm, this seems ADHD.
HugeNerd@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 27d
Or OCD.
Gork@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 27d
Baking trays and a baking rack can help organize all of your smaller physical projects.
Zwiebel@feddit.org · 6 pts · 27d
That's a great new project
agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 27d
Hmm, anyone have any good ideas for storing the parts of an unfinished baking rack?
stark@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 27d
Basically my game dev folder. I hit the Perforce free tier workspaces limit multiple times already.
BluJay320@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 27d
Me opening my notepad to start a new song for the millionth time
Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 26d
Don't forget the nepo baby coworker who is sitting on his phone off to the side doing fuck-all
lastlybutfirstly@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 27d
This is a symptom of bipolar disorder.
AFallingAnvil@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 27d
And ADHD, and just being busy