Help: How do you approach a very challenging project or step to avoid procrastination or dropping project?
Hi guys,
I’m really curious to know how other Hackers approach really difficult processes or projects and solve them.
I’ve suddenly got to a point in my project that’s proven to be more than a little challenging. It’s become a learning on the job thing which I absolutely love but I’m a little afraid I’ll get to a point where I might drop the project in it’s entirety. Or at least procrastinate for a few months before returning and failing again... I know 🤡
I really want to avoid this and maybe change how I approach hard problems- indefinitely- for a more productive outcome.
Look forward to hearing how y’all manage challenges :)
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If you think about dropping your project or start procrastinating, you might have a "why"-problem. The same happened to me with several of my projects, and I stopped them. Then the other day, a friend of mine asked me why I'm doing my project in the first place. I started thinking about my "why" and realized that I wanted to help others transform their lives and what it means to me. Suddenly I had several very good reasons to follow through and get resourceful about solving even the hardest problems.
So the hint I would give you would be to clarify why you are doing your project. The more precise you are about your "why," the easier it gets to follow through and succeed.
This is excellent advice! Even whilst reading this I had a whole lot of "whys" pop up which got me wanting to get back into it. Will always remember to ask myself "why", thank you!
Can you break your project down into smaller, iterate-able goals? If you're pre-launch then I would encourage you to check out these videos on the topic of launching quickly: https://imgur.com/a/htgqlKG
I can do that but I sometimes lose focus because they're so small it feels like I won't get there and then when I chunk them up again it becomes manageable but the difficulty starts creeping in. I really need to focus on the really small parts for sure.
Thank you so much these are really helpful! Didn't know that if it takes a month to build it isn't an MVP, wow been doing it wrong.
Sometimes I run into a complexity wall and have to set a project aside.
But procrastination, or perhaps putting some distance between the project and leaving it for a bit, can be an asset. My brain goes on thinking about it in the background, which may lead to insight or promising paths to a solution.
This is very true but getting back into it proves quite difficult for me sometimes especially when the procrastination turns into fear. I've been using the two day rule more often to get back into it so I might give myself some time off. Thank you for the input :)