Finishing programming projects
Finishing programming projects
How do I trick my brain into completing a project? I'm making an app that shows which voice actor plays a character in the movie and what other movies they act in. It's useful for me personally but I feel like I'm making something that's been done numerous times over and I lost the momentum because I'm on vacation with my family now. I ran into some problems with the project too and getting help takes a ton of time so it's disrupting the rythm too. I really have to put at least 2-3 projects like this for a portfolio;_;
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To engage hyperfocus I have to want to do it. For that the motivation can't be external. It has to come from my own curiosity and desire. To get myself primed for coding hyperfocus I like to read Github repos, search stack overflow, ask GPT. Once I have a good idea of the architecture of the app, then I start building out the skeleton. The hardest part is going back to it each day and starting. But once I have written some code for the day I tend to be able to keep up the focus.
If you get stuck it means your knowledge is missing some crucial peices and you're about to learn something new. If you want a job in this industry then you're going to need to learn a lot (and it never stops). But once you've got some years of experience you get stuck less and when you do get stuck it doesn't interrupt your whole flow so much because you'll be able to pivot and do the thing in a different way instead of waiting for outside help.
Good luck!
It works similarly for me with the motivation thing. I don't have anything against learning things but I wish it was easier to find information about more complex things than just the most basic stuff. It's the problem with all those courses. They're great as a "starter" but after that point, you're on your own in a weird void. The documentation doesn't help much as well. Tutorial hell is a weird place to be in.
Have you tried using chatGPT or GitHub copilot?
It's a last resort. I don't like using it and it's a 50/50 anyway. One time it suggests reasonable things, the other time it totally misses the point. I'm not sure if the suggestions are following best practices too.
I think making effective use of those tools is it’s own skill. They can give you bad results if you ask things too broadly. But copilot chat has become a pretty invaluable part of my workflow.
Oh well, maybe that's true.
I think the actual benefit of ADHD and programming is perseveration. Meaning we struggle to pull away from a task when it's time. Like putting down the video game and going to school.
What happens with programming is getting stuck on fixing a bug. Not being able to put the controller down until you figure out where the missing comma is and why your code won't work.
It's extremely valuable and a lot of people struggle with a bug and give up really easily.
Getting started working on something, or planning out a project on the other hand is the real tough part.