Ask HN: How can I stop switching between projects, and actually deliver?

[iamdistracted]

I am a software developer with a reasonably fulfilling job, which I perform well at.

During the day and evening, I come up with ideas on how to improve OSS software in various ways. All these typically need a prototype, blog post or contributing to an open source project.

I never do, however. Instead I move from idea to idea, never delivering.

How can I be more focused and keep my mind on one OSS project until some fruitful end?

[shubb]

Presumably this 'lack of focus' isn't a problem in your day job.

First of all cut yourself some slack here - it's your spare time, and you hard enough already. You don't need to do more than you are doing, and honestly if you ever don't want to be coding in your evenings you aren't less of a developer or human being if you go and write a book or take a karate class instead.

That said, it's very easy to flit from starting learning one thing to starting learning the next, and it is fun to stay in one place long enough to be able to enjoy some flow in your evening coding.

I recommend that you hook up with someone who needs stuff and go make stuff for them. This can actually be very challenging because maybe what we do day to day as developers at a company is a different skill set to what that person needs. It gives you the chance to try stuff though.

Maybe a local charity needs a nice salesforce setup and some coaching on how to use it and fit its workflow. Maybe some scientists need an app for data collection. Or your local Forrest rangers could do with some custom maps. Once you're committed you're committed, and you'll learn something new for sure.

[iamdistracted]

> First of all cut yourself some slack here - it's your spare time, and you hard enough already. You don't need to do more than you are doing, and honestly if you ever don't want to be coding in your evenings you aren't less of a developer or human being if you go and write a book or take a karate class instead.

I have enough time to contribute to OSS, I just fail to do so, because I don't remain on the same idea for long enough.

> Maybe a local charity needs a nice salesforce setup and some coaching on how to use it and fit its workflow. Maybe some scientists need an app for data collection. Or your local Forrest rangers could do with some custom maps. Once you're committed you're committed, and you'll learn something new for sure.

The idea being that once I have identified a pressing need, I'll be more likely to stay on that idea? That sounds like it could work. Have you any experience with this approach?

[shubb]

Ha, the idea being that once you've said to someone that they you'll do a thing for them, the social pressure will make you complete it.

Recently I hooked up with some friend of a friend students who needed an app. I don't normally do that kind of work so it's been fun. That said, I'm in a non-programming job at the moment so it's easier to have the right kind of mental energy in the evening than it was.

A long while ago I went on a pair programming site and found another programmer who wanted help on their projects, and found the social aspect very focusing. We didn't get on, so that didn't work out, but it could have.

[fadolf]

Stick to a plan and try to gain a broader persepective of what your Company stands for. Break down a bigger goal into small steps.

BTW: For me this sounds like you have many possibilities but no idea what your direct Task is. Why do you go to work every day, what is the greater Goal?

[iamdistracted]

My performance in work is fine. I have ideas that are unrelated to work, that I want to implement in my free time. The problem is that I typically spend my free time just touching the surface of these ideas, rather than actually implementing them.