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16 Comments

How do you stay motivated?

I'm trying to develop a custom integration for Zapier this weekend... and going insane trying to figure out the coding (I'm a JavaScript noob) 😵

How do folks stay motivated in the beginning of new projects where progress is happening at a snail's pace? 🐌

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    Honestly, sometimes I don't know. It's mostly the hope of building something genuinely useful and valuable enough that it will attract enough people who can financially support the continued development of it. Bonus points if it is something I am passionate about (such as self-education or self-improvement).

    This challenge of motivation morphs as time goes on. There will no doubt be many other moments you struggle to keep at it. For example, how do you stay motivated after you have released something but it didn't really click? You need to pivot and keep experimenting but it can be incredibly demoralising. How do you motivate yourself if you do continue and try and try again but still nothing clicks? You have to somehow convince yourself to never give up until you figure it out.

    With some luck you will hopefully never experience that and instead experience decent early successes. I think for many it is a constant uphill struggle that seems to never end.

    You also have the added challenge of learning JS itself. Make sure to give yourself a break. Build small things, get feedback early and often and expand as necessary.

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      Cheers for the detailed response BitGonzo - it's appreciated. 🙌

      You're totally right - the struggle is real.

      I currently work in wildlife research/conservation. It's also a tough field, interestingly with lots of parallels to indie hacking, and a lot of your comments resonate.

      Yea, JS is a challenge for sure... but I do love a good hill to climb 😂🌄

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    UPDATE: I did it 🎉

    Ended up using Postman to GET information from the Twitter API and then POST it to Zapier for further ✨.

    Shout out to the Postman videos on YouTube... perfect example of how to get users with educational content 🙌📬

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    For me is simple – do I and my family live the life the way I target for? Do it, if we don't. :)

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      Ha, simple and effective! I like it 🙌

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    In your case, maybe see it as a learning experience. Any JavaScript you'll write in the future will be faster than now. Plus, you'll save a lot of time once the integration is done :)

    Interestingly, I usually have the opposite problem - getting very excited about something the first weeks, then finding little energy afterwards.

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      Yea, it's definitely a learning experience 😂

      It reminds me a lot of my early days learning R.

      That's interesting. How come your energy drains further into projects?

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        Good question, my current theory is that I can't find enough energy to focus on multiple things (like, doing side projects after a stressful week at work). Or I just haven't found the right thing yet.

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          I get that - focus is a huge problem when there are so many other things going on!

          Cheers for the insights! And keep us updated for when you do find the right thing 👌

  5. 1

    In my case, I have never needed to make an effort to stay motivated. Not at least on my own adventures!
    If I do something, it is because deep inside I trust and love the idea. It’s what is happening with Kalisten (https://kalisten.app) where worst case scenario, I will have for myself the platform I always envisioned.
    When it comes to building, try by splitting into small steps/features that give yourself valuable feedback.

    1. 1

      Kalisten looks cool - thanks for sharing!

      Do you ever have moments where there's a tech (or other) barrier with the app that you just can't crack? If so, do you have a framework for smashing through?

      1. 1

        Mmm, I dont’t think there is anything you cannot crack - unless you do really innovative work.
        Sure, there are more complex and harder tasks than others, but they are just a matter of time. I usually put away the computer and use pencil and paper to think without distractions about the problem.

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          That's very true! Thanks for your thoughts 🙌

  6. 1

    Good question.

    For me it's about seeing something grow over time. I have an idea in my head about what it is I want to achieve and then I chip away at it.

    It also helps if the objective is worth while and adds value for others.

    1. 1

      Great insight ! Definitely resonates. 🙌

      I've been learning other tools, like ML and hardware dev, for some conservation projects, and it's definitely a boost when I see how far the ideas have come.

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