We All Suck At Finishing Projects

We do!

Go @ some of the biggest names out there in the industry. Ask them how many unfinished projects they have. They couldn't tell you. It's an uncountable number! Jobs are lost, families are made, boredom grows, interests change. Whatever the reason, sometimes it's just unavoidable. My point is, don't get discouraged because of this very normal thing that happens to everyone throughout their entire career. Just like imposter syndrome, this is something that will follow you forever. It's as common as weekends, and you have to learn to live with this reality.

Now, I'm not saying you should just give up and accept that you won't ever finish a project in your life, because you will. Out of the sea of ~80% complete app ideas in your private github repos that you'll make in your lifetime, you will look back and revel at the select few you've seen through to the end. Maybe you have one or two already, maybe you don't. The fact of the matter is you'll get there eventually. And when you do, you'll be saying the same thing I'm saying to anyone who needs to hear it.

I have a few bits of advice that I try and keep in mind whenever starting a new project. They help me stay on track and not lose sight of the finish line. I was going to publish one big post about all of them, but 1) I personally wouldn't want to read all of what I wrote in one sitting, and 2) This sort of advice isn't a "complete guide to" sort of thing. I'm always adding new lessons to my mental tool belt, so rather than editing my dumb-huge post every time I learn something new, I'd rather just make a new post about it. I'm starting with this particular tidbit because before even going into tips on staying on track, everyone needs to understand that unfinished projects are inevitable. So don't feel bad if you start to realize that the project you're currently on is not going to be a project you finish. The faster you can get over being disappointed in yourself, the faster you can get back out there and get coding. ✌