I build developer tools and services at Microsoft (currently Codespaces, Live Share, IntelliCode) and maintain some OSS projects (CodeTour, GistPad, CodeSwing, WikiLens)
In my case, I tend to procrastinate because I’m overthinking a problem, or worrying about what “perfect” looks like, which makes it really easy to put off getting started. The only thing I’ve found to actually mitigate this is to force myself to just get started, with a focus on completing a “v1”, and therefore, optimizing entirely for progress rather than perfection.
I tend to find that it’s easier to refine something, then it is to create something. So if you force yourself to create something, then you have the luxury of being in a better position to see what’s good/bad about it, and then refine it from there. As long as you create “v1” quickly, you’re likely saving time in the long run, since tangible assets (e.g. code, documents) can be easier to critique than just ideas.
I also tend to find that the refinement process is super enjoyable, and therefore, it’s not only easier to make forward progress based on the existing foundation, but it’s now faster, become I’m more motivated to complete it.
In so many cases, I’ve found that the “v1” thing I forced myself to created, is actually good enough. And therefore, I’ve tried to change my entire mindset to be about making enough progress to get feedback from others (e.g. a WIP PR, a “strawman” product spec, a draft blog post), since it gets me out of my own head, and also, the enjoyment of collaborating further motivates me to make more progress.
At that point, my goal isn’t just to get started, it’s to get to a point that I have something meaningful enough to share. For me at least, that’s a pretty powerful incentive, since I’m naturally pretty social 😁
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In my case, I tend to procrastinate because I’m overthinking a problem, or worrying about what “perfect” looks like, which makes it really easy to put off getting started. The only thing I’ve found to actually mitigate this is to force myself to just get started, with a focus on completing a “v1”, and therefore, optimizing entirely for progress rather than perfection.
I tend to find that it’s easier to refine something, then it is to create something. So if you force yourself to create something, then you have the luxury of being in a better position to see what’s good/bad about it, and then refine it from there. As long as you create “v1” quickly, you’re likely saving time in the long run, since tangible assets (e.g. code, documents) can be easier to critique than just ideas.
I also tend to find that the refinement process is super enjoyable, and therefore, it’s not only easier to make forward progress based on the existing foundation, but it’s now faster, become I’m more motivated to complete it.
In so many cases, I’ve found that the “v1” thing I forced myself to created, is actually good enough. And therefore, I’ve tried to change my entire mindset to be about making enough progress to get feedback from others (e.g. a WIP PR, a “strawman” product spec, a draft blog post), since it gets me out of my own head, and also, the enjoyment of collaborating further motivates me to make more progress.
At that point, my goal isn’t just to get started, it’s to get to a point that I have something meaningful enough to share. For me at least, that’s a pretty powerful incentive, since I’m naturally pretty social 😁