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BrainBlocked? Starting & Finishing projects

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  • N Offline
    N Offline
    newton saber
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Have you ever thought about creating some piece of software but then you "design" it and "code" it in your mind and then think, "eh, why even put fingers to keyboard?" It's an odd thing, kind of a Programmer's Block. I think of the brain as the First Tool of Code Creation and if I can get it to work properly then I can do a lot. I try to keep things simple: 1. decide what I want 2. make a plan 3. take action 4. adjust where necessary. Sometimes you need some different ways to think about why your brain is trying to stop you. I stumbled upon this book (BrainBlocks: Overcoming the hidden barries of success -amazon[^] ) recently and it has given me some new angles on why I get stuck. I like it because it breaks different blocks down into specific challenges and how to overcome them: 1. self-doubt 2. procrastination 3. impatience 4. multitasking 5. rigidity* 6. perfectionism 7. negativity *Edit: had 8 blocks listed because I had typed rigidity block twice. There are only 7 blocks described. Have any of you read the book? Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project? Just curious. Also, this is a great quote from the book:

    Action is the essential ingredient to success.

    The book is focused on getting you to move, create, do it!!

    M K M M D 7 Replies Last reply
    0
    • N newton saber

      Have you ever thought about creating some piece of software but then you "design" it and "code" it in your mind and then think, "eh, why even put fingers to keyboard?" It's an odd thing, kind of a Programmer's Block. I think of the brain as the First Tool of Code Creation and if I can get it to work properly then I can do a lot. I try to keep things simple: 1. decide what I want 2. make a plan 3. take action 4. adjust where necessary. Sometimes you need some different ways to think about why your brain is trying to stop you. I stumbled upon this book (BrainBlocks: Overcoming the hidden barries of success -amazon[^] ) recently and it has given me some new angles on why I get stuck. I like it because it breaks different blocks down into specific challenges and how to overcome them: 1. self-doubt 2. procrastination 3. impatience 4. multitasking 5. rigidity* 6. perfectionism 7. negativity *Edit: had 8 blocks listed because I had typed rigidity block twice. There are only 7 blocks described. Have any of you read the book? Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project? Just curious. Also, this is a great quote from the book:

      Action is the essential ingredient to success.

      The book is focused on getting you to move, create, do it!!

      M Offline
      M Offline
      Marc Clifton
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      newton.saber wrote:

      Have any of you read the book?

      Haven't, and probably won't, or if I order a copy, probably won't finish it. I doubt it'll help me, I've got so much else to do already, I don't have the patience to read a whole book for a few gems of wisdom, besides, my concentration keeps getting interrupted by other tasks, and being 50+ years old, I'm not sure my thinking is flexible enough anymore. ;)

      newton.saber wrote:

      Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project?

      All kidding aside, years ago I discovered the solution to feeling overwhelmed on large projects, and it's this recursive process: 1. Break the project down into smaller, well defined pieces 2. Is the smaller piece small enough? By "small enough", what I mean is, can I accomplish something meaningful in a very simple way? (Sort of the other side of the coin of the Insider News' post about writing stupid code.) If not, recurse, breaking the piece down even further. > Action is the essential ingredient to success. Absolutely. By the way, the beauty that I find in my approach is that it typically spawns numerous cool (what I think is cool) pieces that I then pick from and write articles about! One other thing that I do, and this is really to avoid an aspect of my personality--I can imagine the end result so well that I discovered, years ago, that just in the imagining of the end product, I'm deriving so much emotional gratification that I never actually start the project! Sounds crazy, right? So, the other "trick" that I do is to stop myself from investing emotionally in the imagination and instead focus on the doing. (I can just imagine, haha, the innuendo's that my comment will result in!) Marc

      Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

      N K A 3 Replies Last reply
      0
      • M Marc Clifton

        newton.saber wrote:

        Have any of you read the book?

        Haven't, and probably won't, or if I order a copy, probably won't finish it. I doubt it'll help me, I've got so much else to do already, I don't have the patience to read a whole book for a few gems of wisdom, besides, my concentration keeps getting interrupted by other tasks, and being 50+ years old, I'm not sure my thinking is flexible enough anymore. ;)

        newton.saber wrote:

        Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project?

        All kidding aside, years ago I discovered the solution to feeling overwhelmed on large projects, and it's this recursive process: 1. Break the project down into smaller, well defined pieces 2. Is the smaller piece small enough? By "small enough", what I mean is, can I accomplish something meaningful in a very simple way? (Sort of the other side of the coin of the Insider News' post about writing stupid code.) If not, recurse, breaking the piece down even further. > Action is the essential ingredient to success. Absolutely. By the way, the beauty that I find in my approach is that it typically spawns numerous cool (what I think is cool) pieces that I then pick from and write articles about! One other thing that I do, and this is really to avoid an aspect of my personality--I can imagine the end result so well that I discovered, years ago, that just in the imagining of the end product, I'm deriving so much emotional gratification that I never actually start the project! Sounds crazy, right? So, the other "trick" that I do is to stop myself from investing emotionally in the imagination and instead focus on the doing. (I can just imagine, haha, the innuendo's that my comment will result in!) Marc

        Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

        N Offline
        N Offline
        newton saber
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        Marc, Great nuggets of wisdom here. I've found these to be the keys to getting going too. Especially...

        Marc Clifton wrote:

        Break the project down into smaller, well defined pieces

        Also, you are so right about:

        Marc Clifton wrote:

        I find in my approach is that it typically spawns numerous cool (what I think is cool) pieces that I then pick from and write articles about!

        And this does seem to be a key to the issue with being done before even beginnning...

        Marc Clifton wrote:

        imagining of the end product, I'm deriving so much emotional gratification that I never actually start the project!

        Great stuff, thanks.

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • N newton saber

          Have you ever thought about creating some piece of software but then you "design" it and "code" it in your mind and then think, "eh, why even put fingers to keyboard?" It's an odd thing, kind of a Programmer's Block. I think of the brain as the First Tool of Code Creation and if I can get it to work properly then I can do a lot. I try to keep things simple: 1. decide what I want 2. make a plan 3. take action 4. adjust where necessary. Sometimes you need some different ways to think about why your brain is trying to stop you. I stumbled upon this book (BrainBlocks: Overcoming the hidden barries of success -amazon[^] ) recently and it has given me some new angles on why I get stuck. I like it because it breaks different blocks down into specific challenges and how to overcome them: 1. self-doubt 2. procrastination 3. impatience 4. multitasking 5. rigidity* 6. perfectionism 7. negativity *Edit: had 8 blocks listed because I had typed rigidity block twice. There are only 7 blocks described. Have any of you read the book? Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project? Just curious. Also, this is a great quote from the book:

          Action is the essential ingredient to success.

          The book is focused on getting you to move, create, do it!!

          K Offline
          K Offline
          Ken Utting
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          Thanks for an interesting post. I looked at the list, though, and you've got rigidity listed twice... what's the correct list?

          N 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • K Ken Utting

            Thanks for an interesting post. I looked at the list, though, and you've got rigidity listed twice... what's the correct list?

            N Offline
            N Offline
            newton saber
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Oops, sorry about that. There are actually only 7 blocks listed in the book -- instead of 8. I edited the original post and removed the duplicate. Thanks for spotting that.

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • N newton saber

              Have you ever thought about creating some piece of software but then you "design" it and "code" it in your mind and then think, "eh, why even put fingers to keyboard?" It's an odd thing, kind of a Programmer's Block. I think of the brain as the First Tool of Code Creation and if I can get it to work properly then I can do a lot. I try to keep things simple: 1. decide what I want 2. make a plan 3. take action 4. adjust where necessary. Sometimes you need some different ways to think about why your brain is trying to stop you. I stumbled upon this book (BrainBlocks: Overcoming the hidden barries of success -amazon[^] ) recently and it has given me some new angles on why I get stuck. I like it because it breaks different blocks down into specific challenges and how to overcome them: 1. self-doubt 2. procrastination 3. impatience 4. multitasking 5. rigidity* 6. perfectionism 7. negativity *Edit: had 8 blocks listed because I had typed rigidity block twice. There are only 7 blocks described. Have any of you read the book? Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project? Just curious. Also, this is a great quote from the book:

              Action is the essential ingredient to success.

              The book is focused on getting you to move, create, do it!!

              M Offline
              M Offline
              MikeTheFid
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              At one point in my career, fear of doing the wrong thing and desire to do the right/elegant thing (perfectionism) tended to either stop me in my tracks or make me take far too long. Then a very wise person told me, "if something is worth doing, it's even worth doing poorly." I haven't suffered from brain block in a very long time because of that.

              Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright "I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.

              N 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • N newton saber

                Have you ever thought about creating some piece of software but then you "design" it and "code" it in your mind and then think, "eh, why even put fingers to keyboard?" It's an odd thing, kind of a Programmer's Block. I think of the brain as the First Tool of Code Creation and if I can get it to work properly then I can do a lot. I try to keep things simple: 1. decide what I want 2. make a plan 3. take action 4. adjust where necessary. Sometimes you need some different ways to think about why your brain is trying to stop you. I stumbled upon this book (BrainBlocks: Overcoming the hidden barries of success -amazon[^] ) recently and it has given me some new angles on why I get stuck. I like it because it breaks different blocks down into specific challenges and how to overcome them: 1. self-doubt 2. procrastination 3. impatience 4. multitasking 5. rigidity* 6. perfectionism 7. negativity *Edit: had 8 blocks listed because I had typed rigidity block twice. There are only 7 blocks described. Have any of you read the book? Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project? Just curious. Also, this is a great quote from the book:

                Action is the essential ingredient to success.

                The book is focused on getting you to move, create, do it!!

                M Offline
                M Offline
                Member 11369863
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                Trick yourself into the state of mind you had at the beginning - review motivation for original project....

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • M MikeTheFid

                  At one point in my career, fear of doing the wrong thing and desire to do the right/elegant thing (perfectionism) tended to either stop me in my tracks or make me take far too long. Then a very wise person told me, "if something is worth doing, it's even worth doing poorly." I haven't suffered from brain block in a very long time because of that.

                  Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright "I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.

                  N Offline
                  N Offline
                  newton saber
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  Great story of how overcoming that block has made you more successful. Thanks for sharing. I've found that I often get stuck when I think about what I don't know too much. For example, yesterday I was thinking about trying to figure out how to do a particular piece of functionality related to authentication on an Android Project I'm working on. I thought about how difficult it might be more than I thought about the solution. Then I started trying to implement a solution, just as a prototype, and the "movement" made me discover the real solution.

                  M 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • N newton saber

                    Have you ever thought about creating some piece of software but then you "design" it and "code" it in your mind and then think, "eh, why even put fingers to keyboard?" It's an odd thing, kind of a Programmer's Block. I think of the brain as the First Tool of Code Creation and if I can get it to work properly then I can do a lot. I try to keep things simple: 1. decide what I want 2. make a plan 3. take action 4. adjust where necessary. Sometimes you need some different ways to think about why your brain is trying to stop you. I stumbled upon this book (BrainBlocks: Overcoming the hidden barries of success -amazon[^] ) recently and it has given me some new angles on why I get stuck. I like it because it breaks different blocks down into specific challenges and how to overcome them: 1. self-doubt 2. procrastination 3. impatience 4. multitasking 5. rigidity* 6. perfectionism 7. negativity *Edit: had 8 blocks listed because I had typed rigidity block twice. There are only 7 blocks described. Have any of you read the book? Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project? Just curious. Also, this is a great quote from the book:

                    Action is the essential ingredient to success.

                    The book is focused on getting you to move, create, do it!!

                    D Offline
                    D Offline
                    Daniel T Barnett
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    As a software engineer/programmer/designer in a large company working on large projects, I found that sometime I just had to do a project that could be finished to renew my focus on the larger job.

                    Dan

                    N 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • N newton saber

                      Great story of how overcoming that block has made you more successful. Thanks for sharing. I've found that I often get stuck when I think about what I don't know too much. For example, yesterday I was thinking about trying to figure out how to do a particular piece of functionality related to authentication on an Android Project I'm working on. I thought about how difficult it might be more than I thought about the solution. Then I started trying to implement a solution, just as a prototype, and the "movement" made me discover the real solution.

                      M Offline
                      M Offline
                      MikeTheFid
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      There is something to be said for adopting the (reported) attitude of native Americans going into battle, "Today is a good day to die!". A related more contemporary sentiment is, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" I have confidence that if I just start, it will all work out. There is no shame in honest failure. There is always progress because at least we've discovered what doesn't work. ...and if one gets fired after an honest effort fails to produce the objective, that is likely a blessing in disguise. All mental tricks of the trade methinks. :)

                      Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright "I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.

                      M N 2 Replies Last reply
                      0
                      • M Marc Clifton

                        newton.saber wrote:

                        Have any of you read the book?

                        Haven't, and probably won't, or if I order a copy, probably won't finish it. I doubt it'll help me, I've got so much else to do already, I don't have the patience to read a whole book for a few gems of wisdom, besides, my concentration keeps getting interrupted by other tasks, and being 50+ years old, I'm not sure my thinking is flexible enough anymore. ;)

                        newton.saber wrote:

                        Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project?

                        All kidding aside, years ago I discovered the solution to feeling overwhelmed on large projects, and it's this recursive process: 1. Break the project down into smaller, well defined pieces 2. Is the smaller piece small enough? By "small enough", what I mean is, can I accomplish something meaningful in a very simple way? (Sort of the other side of the coin of the Insider News' post about writing stupid code.) If not, recurse, breaking the piece down even further. > Action is the essential ingredient to success. Absolutely. By the way, the beauty that I find in my approach is that it typically spawns numerous cool (what I think is cool) pieces that I then pick from and write articles about! One other thing that I do, and this is really to avoid an aspect of my personality--I can imagine the end result so well that I discovered, years ago, that just in the imagining of the end product, I'm deriving so much emotional gratification that I never actually start the project! Sounds crazy, right? So, the other "trick" that I do is to stop myself from investing emotionally in the imagination and instead focus on the doing. (I can just imagine, haha, the innuendo's that my comment will result in!) Marc

                        Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                        K Offline
                        K Offline
                        kerem ispirli
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        Hi Marc, This:

                        Marc Clifton wrote:

                        I'm deriving so much emotional gratification that I never actually start the project! Sounds crazy, right? So, the other "trick" that I do is to stop myself from investing emotionally in the imagination and instead focus on the doing.

                        This has been my second biggest stopper in my life, ever since I was a kid. I feel like not only getting the satisfaction from my imaginary success, but also consuming all my energy that drives me towards that achievement. And I still dont have a solution for it, except "be aware, stop thinking/dreaming, find something else to focus". Do you have any tips on how to "stop investing emotionally in the imagination and focus on doing"? I would love to hear! Kerem

                        "The primary trait of a good programmer is laziness. Nobody works harder to do nothing than a good programmer." - MehGerbil

                        M 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • N newton saber

                          Have you ever thought about creating some piece of software but then you "design" it and "code" it in your mind and then think, "eh, why even put fingers to keyboard?" It's an odd thing, kind of a Programmer's Block. I think of the brain as the First Tool of Code Creation and if I can get it to work properly then I can do a lot. I try to keep things simple: 1. decide what I want 2. make a plan 3. take action 4. adjust where necessary. Sometimes you need some different ways to think about why your brain is trying to stop you. I stumbled upon this book (BrainBlocks: Overcoming the hidden barries of success -amazon[^] ) recently and it has given me some new angles on why I get stuck. I like it because it breaks different blocks down into specific challenges and how to overcome them: 1. self-doubt 2. procrastination 3. impatience 4. multitasking 5. rigidity* 6. perfectionism 7. negativity *Edit: had 8 blocks listed because I had typed rigidity block twice. There are only 7 blocks described. Have any of you read the book? Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project? Just curious. Also, this is a great quote from the book:

                          Action is the essential ingredient to success.

                          The book is focused on getting you to move, create, do it!!

                          C Offline
                          C Offline
                          Charles Programmer
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          I have a problem opposite what others seem to have. Every time I've finished accomplishing what my employers have been told was impossible for less than a million bucks (for far less,) I've been let go. Do that a few times, and you get to the point that you're not motivated to even trust an employer.

                          N 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • M Marc Clifton

                            newton.saber wrote:

                            Have any of you read the book?

                            Haven't, and probably won't, or if I order a copy, probably won't finish it. I doubt it'll help me, I've got so much else to do already, I don't have the patience to read a whole book for a few gems of wisdom, besides, my concentration keeps getting interrupted by other tasks, and being 50+ years old, I'm not sure my thinking is flexible enough anymore. ;)

                            newton.saber wrote:

                            Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project?

                            All kidding aside, years ago I discovered the solution to feeling overwhelmed on large projects, and it's this recursive process: 1. Break the project down into smaller, well defined pieces 2. Is the smaller piece small enough? By "small enough", what I mean is, can I accomplish something meaningful in a very simple way? (Sort of the other side of the coin of the Insider News' post about writing stupid code.) If not, recurse, breaking the piece down even further. > Action is the essential ingredient to success. Absolutely. By the way, the beauty that I find in my approach is that it typically spawns numerous cool (what I think is cool) pieces that I then pick from and write articles about! One other thing that I do, and this is really to avoid an aspect of my personality--I can imagine the end result so well that I discovered, years ago, that just in the imagining of the end product, I'm deriving so much emotional gratification that I never actually start the project! Sounds crazy, right? So, the other "trick" that I do is to stop myself from investing emotionally in the imagination and instead focus on the doing. (I can just imagine, haha, the innuendo's that my comment will result in!) Marc

                            Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                            A Offline
                            A Offline
                            Azat Shagiakhmetov
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            Quote:

                            I can imagine the end result so well that I discovered, years ago, that just in the imagining of the end product, I'm deriving so much emotional gratification that I never actually start the project!

                            You are probably a mathematician: :) An engineer, a mathematician, and a physicist are staying for the night in a hotel. A small fire breaks out in each room. The physicist awakes, sees the fire, makes some careful observations, and on the back of the hotel's wine list does some quick calculations. Grabbing the fire extinguisher, he puts out the fire with one, short, well placed burst, and then crawls back into bed and goes back to sleep. The engineer awakes, sees the fire, makes some careful observations, and on the back of the hotel's room service list (pizza menu) does some quick calculations. Grabbing the fire extinguisher (and adding a factor of safety of 5), he puts out the fire by hosing down the entire room several times over, and then crawls into his soggy bed and goes back to sleep. The mathematician awakes, sees the fire, makes some careful observations, and on a blackboard installed in the room, does some quick calculations. Jubliant, he exclaims "A solution exists!", and crawls into his dry bed and goes back to sleep.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • N newton saber

                              Have you ever thought about creating some piece of software but then you "design" it and "code" it in your mind and then think, "eh, why even put fingers to keyboard?" It's an odd thing, kind of a Programmer's Block. I think of the brain as the First Tool of Code Creation and if I can get it to work properly then I can do a lot. I try to keep things simple: 1. decide what I want 2. make a plan 3. take action 4. adjust where necessary. Sometimes you need some different ways to think about why your brain is trying to stop you. I stumbled upon this book (BrainBlocks: Overcoming the hidden barries of success -amazon[^] ) recently and it has given me some new angles on why I get stuck. I like it because it breaks different blocks down into specific challenges and how to overcome them: 1. self-doubt 2. procrastination 3. impatience 4. multitasking 5. rigidity* 6. perfectionism 7. negativity *Edit: had 8 blocks listed because I had typed rigidity block twice. There are only 7 blocks described. Have any of you read the book? Do you find you are blocked at times when you go to create a large overwhelming project? Just curious. Also, this is a great quote from the book:

                              Action is the essential ingredient to success.

                              The book is focused on getting you to move, create, do it!!

                              L Offline
                              L Offline
                              Lost User
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              One gets to the point where the actual implementation becomes more of a chore (that one would like to delegate) than the “high” one gets from simply coming up with a feasible solution (in one’s mind) to a particular problem. It may take years for a project to be “ready” before it feels “right”. I have a project like that. I first toyed with it in Paradox back in the 90’s. Now with .NET, C#, Web Services, 3rd party libraries, cross-platform IDEs, etc.; the project is back in active development (with enthusiasm). See if you can find more tools to help you along. Modify them for your own (fair) use. Often that generates interesting and revealing side projects.

                              N 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • M MikeTheFid

                                There is something to be said for adopting the (reported) attitude of native Americans going into battle, "Today is a good day to die!". A related more contemporary sentiment is, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" I have confidence that if I just start, it will all work out. There is no shame in honest failure. There is always progress because at least we've discovered what doesn't work. ...and if one gets fired after an honest effort fails to produce the objective, that is likely a blessing in disguise. All mental tricks of the trade methinks. :)

                                Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright "I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.

                                M Offline
                                M Offline
                                Marc Clifton
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                MikeTheFid wrote:

                                "Today is a good day to die!".

                                I thought the Klingon's originated that expression! Marc

                                Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • K kerem ispirli

                                  Hi Marc, This:

                                  Marc Clifton wrote:

                                  I'm deriving so much emotional gratification that I never actually start the project! Sounds crazy, right? So, the other "trick" that I do is to stop myself from investing emotionally in the imagination and instead focus on the doing.

                                  This has been my second biggest stopper in my life, ever since I was a kid. I feel like not only getting the satisfaction from my imaginary success, but also consuming all my energy that drives me towards that achievement. And I still dont have a solution for it, except "be aware, stop thinking/dreaming, find something else to focus". Do you have any tips on how to "stop investing emotionally in the imagination and focus on doing"? I would love to hear! Kerem

                                  "The primary trait of a good programmer is laziness. Nobody works harder to do nothing than a good programmer." - MehGerbil

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Marc Clifton
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  It's fascinating that something I thought was my own crazy mind turns out to be a lot more common that I thought! And no, other than, as you said, stop thinking/dreaming and start doing, I haven't come up with anything better, it's more the skill of catching myself in the act, as it were. Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" provided some good insights in how to do that.

                                  kerem ispirli wrote:

                                  This has been my second biggest stopper in my life

                                  Dare I ask what is the first? ;) Marc

                                  Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project!

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • D Daniel T Barnett

                                    As a software engineer/programmer/designer in a large company working on large projects, I found that sometime I just had to do a project that could be finished to renew my focus on the larger job.

                                    Dan

                                    N Offline
                                    N Offline
                                    newton saber
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    Very true. The old Nike adage: Just do it!

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • M MikeTheFid

                                      There is something to be said for adopting the (reported) attitude of native Americans going into battle, "Today is a good day to die!". A related more contemporary sentiment is, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" I have confidence that if I just start, it will all work out. There is no shame in honest failure. There is always progress because at least we've discovered what doesn't work. ...and if one gets fired after an honest effort fails to produce the objective, that is likely a blessing in disguise. All mental tricks of the trade methinks. :)

                                      Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright "I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.

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                                      newton saber
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      Absolutely. Baseball : You miss every ball you don't swing at. I honestly coached a kid (12 yrs old) who would step to the plate and would not swing. No amount of cajoling could get him to just move the bat. The paradox? He thought he would someday hit one. Ain't a gonnna happen.

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                                      • C Charles Programmer

                                        I have a problem opposite what others seem to have. Every time I've finished accomplishing what my employers have been told was impossible for less than a million bucks (for far less,) I've been let go. Do that a few times, and you get to the point that you're not motivated to even trust an employer.

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                                        newton saber
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        Charles Programmer wrote:

                                        Do that a few times, and you get to the point that you're not motivated to even trust an employer.

                                        Right. I've worked those kinds of places also. I'm sorry you've gone through that. It's quite terrible. Anyways, I'm not thinking about creativity and employment as being together at all. At work, someone smarter than me always has the answers so I need do very little thinking at all. "But we could..." "Uh...no...We're going to..." "But, if we..." "Well, no. And you're beginning to make the meeting go long." I'll just shuffle back to my cubicle. :D There's coffee there. I'm kidding mostly. Creativity is for the good stuff. The stuff where I'm making the decisions. :)

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                                        • L Lost User

                                          One gets to the point where the actual implementation becomes more of a chore (that one would like to delegate) than the “high” one gets from simply coming up with a feasible solution (in one’s mind) to a particular problem. It may take years for a project to be “ready” before it feels “right”. I have a project like that. I first toyed with it in Paradox back in the 90’s. Now with .NET, C#, Web Services, 3rd party libraries, cross-platform IDEs, etc.; the project is back in active development (with enthusiasm). See if you can find more tools to help you along. Modify them for your own (fair) use. Often that generates interesting and revealing side projects.

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                                          newton saber
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          Gerry Schmitz wrote:

                                          See if you can find more tools to help you along

                                          Those are great ways of thinking to launch other products. I always think like a user to generate ideas. I start thinking, "I wish I had a..." Then I force myself to make it, even if it is impossible.

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