Help! I can never finish a project
10 11 Jul 2015 07:30 by u/FuckBuddy
As long as I've been programming, anything I start by myself I can never finish. I get bored and start on yet another new project. Does anyone out there have advice on finishing projects? It's pretty frustrating never seeing the finished project.
18 comments
6 u/Idomeneus 11 Jul 2015 07:36
Self discipline is key. Work bit by bit and see the small achievements, more often than not, people are easily bored due to lack of progress on s project.
2 u/FuckBuddy [OP] 11 Jul 2015 07:38
Thanks for the advice! I think that's my problem, I try to do everything at once in as little time as possible.
2 u/Idomeneus 11 Jul 2015 07:41
Spreading too thin to cover more is bad, concentrate on objectives and use intensity to complete them. No one has ever overcome a challenge by trying to be everywhere at once. You can achieve it, it is possible.
0 u/iamrage 15 Jul 2015 12:50
I used to have the exact same problem years ago, but using Agile development helped me finish numerous projects within a very short period of time as well.
Small victories always give you a boost of confidence and a sense of achievement :)
3 u/dryitmat 11 Jul 2015 08:09
Don't lose sight of what you want to create. That goes for anything. Every time somebody starts an ambitious project, they always forgot how much hard work goes into making it possible, to achieve the ultimate goal. Every day when you wake up, remind yourself why you are working on what your working on. Have something created, that you can share. Remember, a programmer with 4 years of experience and nothing to show for it isn't as experienced as a programmer with 2 years and multiple projects to show for it.
You really need to plan and organize a project before you start coding. Focus on one step at a time. Plan out your project. Create a flow chart showing how to create the program you want to create. Create objectives, each a step towards final project. Finish one objective a day. This part is a little more up to you, but I find if I try to finish more than one objective a day I get burned out and the project fades out. Pace yourself.
Oh, and if you talk about your projects to friends or family, don't do so until you have something solid to show them. Otherwise, you'll get a false-sense of completion and reward. Let your finished project be your reward.
TL;DR Finish your shit or your wasting your time. Be organized.
Source; Self-Taught programmer that never finished a project until I organized and planned it out. 4 years of fucking around, no projects truly finished, 2 years of actual experience with projects to show for it.
0 u/FuckBuddy [OP] 11 Jul 2015 08:15
Awesome, I'll definitely take this into account when I start a new project. Great advice, thanks! ;)
1 u/CoffeeOverIce 11 Jul 2015 08:22
This really hits home for me. I'm really interested in learning Java for android development, but when I start to work on a project I think about everything that needs to get done and spread myself out. How do you organize your projects before hand? I'm thinking about storing ideas in a binder or notebook to have as physical notes and review as I go along.
I've heard it everywhere that it should be 45 minutes of thinking and planning and only 15 minutes of coding. At the moment its hard to see that far ahead using that strategy. I think about how I want to do something then spend the next half hour figuring out how to implement it.
0 u/dryitmat 11 Jul 2015 09:02
The way you plan should work for you. Make the plan work for YOU not the other way around. The plan should be easy for you to understand. If you're not working in a group, you're the only person that needs to understand what the fuck everything means in your master plan.
If I code off my chromebook I like to get a notebook and write out what I want to do. Just the idea and general direction of the project. Than, I'll get about 5-10 pieces of printer paper and create a massive flow chart. This way I can cross off objectives as I complete them, or add new ones if I run into a problem. Make sure you use pencil if you go this route. After I finish this, I'll tape or staple all the pages together and fold it up, ready to unfold on a table. This is because if I code on the chromebook, I'm coding on the go. I'll unfurl that shit onto a table at a coffee shop and get stared at.
If I'm coding at home, it's generally a big project. Most of the time I'll have two monitors setup. Regardless, I'll write out what I want to do in a notebook. Than, I'll use software to make a absolutely massive flowchart. I like draw and gliffy. Makes it easy since they are both web based.
Again, it's one objective at a time. What's great about flowcharts, is that it allows you to understand how to implement something to work with something else down the line. In my experience, it really chains together your project. For me, it's best to plan out the whole project before I even write a single line of code. If I do run into a problem, and need to change the plan, than I won't write a new single line of code until I have a new plan figured out. Once I started doing this, it really boosted my success in completing projects. It really helps to take a look back at the whole picture every day, because otherwise I'll get stuck on some tiny part of the project that really doesn't matter. Keep it objective orientated.
Do remember, you have to find what planning approach works for you, but I do recommend that you try out the method I use. Sometimes it seems pointless or boring to plan out the whole project, almost every aspect of it, but it's really worth it. I hate it when people say, "We'll figure that out down the line." or "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.". It really disrupts workflow and can cause a big problem when you do finally come to that point in a project.
TL;DR When you work on a project, you need to know what the program is actually meant to do. Plan it out like a general and you'll win the war. Flowcharts are your friend.
0 u/Spectra 11 Jul 2015 18:32
... Keep the objective orientated towards the object oriented :D
2 u/Vladar 11 Jul 2015 08:14
Recently I posted related article to /v/gamedev. May be it will be somewhat helpful to you.
0 u/Atha 11 Jul 2015 09:03
UI design and coding are so boring to me that whenever I get to that part, I simply procrastinate until I forget about the project, then later on I forget how everything functions and simply quit..
Any tips on how to make it more fun? Edit: or atleast less boring..
0 u/PM_ME_YOUR_HUGE_TITS 11 Jul 2015 09:54
I am glad you asked this. I too have the same issue. Good luck!
0 u/runvnc 11 Jul 2015 14:00
I have the same problem. One idea I have been trying is just much smaller projects, maybe as little as a one-day effort. Or at least, something I can put out there as an initial version in one day, then later I can improve it if I am motivated.
One way to do this is by working on modules or components before trying to tackle the whole project. If I can get a module out on npm then at least a few people can benefit from it, and that can just be a few days or hours of effort. Maybe come back the next day and make a few improvements.
React and web components are also a good way to do this.
0 u/StillNewbie 11 Jul 2015 21:19
Actually, everything might be alright with you. I suggest you check skill/challange chart, it is well known assesment tool in management. Probably you will find yourself fitting in some group. You will find plenty of info on this topic.
Here is one source: http://enjoymentland.com/2009/08/08/challenge-versus-skill/
0 u/Vikingfruit 11 Jul 2015 22:07
You can't program with no motivation, so think of a problem you have (the worse the problem the better) and make the solution!
0 u/LargoUsagi 12 Jul 2015 04:21
Create a piece of software that YOU want to use, not some one else but you. That way its solving for something you want solved in the way you wanted it to be done. Don't start something that you don't really want otherwise you will never finish it.
0 u/theoldguy 13 Jul 2015 22:41
Shipping software is an unnatural act