(I’m posting this early to get our Euro/Asia/Down Under friends to comment)
Way back when, I posted about the Nerd Handbook, a must-read article for all geeks and their significant others.
The post starts with the following sentence:
A nerd needs a project because a nerd builds stuff. All the time
So true! However, I’m starting to think that while nerds need projects, they probably don’t feel the need to finish them. Especially when another, sexier project comes along.
I have been an active RPG Blogger for almost 2 years now, during that time I’ve seen the birth of many great ideas among my colleagues. From some of those Ideas, I saw some awesome projects launch. Someone would say ‘hey wouldn’t it be cool if…’ and within minutes I people would chime in with more ideas and soon enough you would have a promising project taking shape.
And then a few days or weeks later…9 time out of 10, Nothing.
I call this Nerd projectitis, the tendency that geeks and nerds have of starting/joining multiple projects without ever finishing them.
I might have blogged about it before, but I think that projectitis is what prevents the great majority of RPG bloggers from making a non-blog contribution to the hobby. We have ideas out the wazoo but we have a hard time seeing them through.
I’m not exempt from this, god knows the chattydm domain is littered with discarded, unfinished projects (Cough, Kobold Love, cough) but this post is not about me.
Yesterday, on Twitter, I asked if people suffered from Nerd Projectitis. The majority said yes. I then asked some industry people about their way of dealing with it and I got some great answers:
Mike Mearls: Sheer orneriness. Every project sucks at about the 60 to 80% mark. Just keep pushing until it’s done!
Wolfgang Baur: Hating your project is normal. Once you accept that, it’s easier to bear down and say “I”m finishing it anyway”.
Michael Brewer: I’d say the virtue is discipline. Discipline has many permutations: determination, self-control, sacrifice… keeps you on track when you’d rather do something else.
Paul Jessup: When someone ponies up cash and a deadline, then I focus. Else, I follow my whim. It’s a time/resource thing. I can’t get caught up in a hobby project if I get a decent offer for a gig.
My friend Eric Maziade said to that effect that you need to go into ‘Warrior mode’ with your project to finish it. Once you’re done brainstorming and have settled on a project with well-defined objectives, you have to stop being a dreamer and start being a warrior. You focus and you slug through the stages of a project, including the ‘but it sucks’ part.
Thing is, as Mike and Wolfgang say, you invariably hit a wall where the project seems too hard or not interesting anymore… That’s when people move on to another one. But we shouldn’t
My own approach mirrors what Paul and Eric said. Once I started getting invitations to submit ideas to magazines and publishers, it forced me to choose good ideas that lead to strong projects and commit to them. When the going got tough, I had to forge on because I had made promises to people who would remember how I handled the project.
I’m happy I did, because now the result is so sweet!
I think I’m cured…. mostly!
What about you? Do you suffer from Nerd Projectitis? Are you trying to cure yourself of it? Did you beat it? If so, what were your techniques and strategies?
oh, that’s me to a tee. I don’t know how many “great ideas” I’ve brought to my friends only to lose steam once the ideas start to solidify. I’m getting better at it, at least.
Some are ideas people. Able to churn more ideas in a day than others do in a month. I’m one such person. However, I must say that it is so much more satisfying to see an idea reach fruition than the little high we get from having the idea in the first place.
I’ve found recently that all my writing ideas seem to stagnate after initial conception and yet I will spend hours upon hours building my new gaming table. I think part of it is what kind of investment you make into a project. As I’ve spent a fair deal of money on all the parts, I’m a lot more motivated to push through and finish it. That and having my D&D group bugging me on when its gonna be ready helps too.
Finishing any project is always tough, for a number of reasons:
First, many people get into projects for the wrong reasons or without understanding the reasons why they are doing it. If you are taking up RPG publishing to be rich, then you are going to hit the first rough patch in your first project, and loose your commitment. So make sure you know why you want to take on the project.
Second, most people don’t consider if they really have the time and resources to finish a project. So they commit to something, only to realize that they don’t have the time to work on the project, to completion, or they lack items that are needed to complete the work. So before agreeing to take on a project, you should really think if you have the time to be working on this, for the duration of the project.
Third, many people do not do a good job of defining what “done” looks like, so they don’t know when they are done. If you don’t do a good job of coming up with the criteria for being done, then you are going to just keep working and working until you burn out. By establishing what done looks like, you will know when you are done with the project.
Finally, there is always a newer shinier project lurking around the corner to steal your attention. The only defense for this, is dedication. If you have done the three things above, then you will know why you need to do the project, how much longer it will take, and when to call it done. That is the best defense against the the new shiny.
For small at home projects, its not really critical to get all of these down, since it often does not matter if you finish the project or not. When a project is more serious, or being done for others, it is important to take a few minutes to define the things above, to help ensure success.
Also, it does not hurt if you know a Project Manager who can help with you with these things.. 😉
DNAphils last blog post..Weekend Update– 08dec2008
I know Phil knows me well enough to figure out how Nerd Projectitis effects me, he probably has an even better idea of it than I do myself!
It definitely happens to me all the time, typically things that I will slump into “real life” get in the way over and over again (wife, family stuff, pets, friends, etc) that things just get left behind. The worst/best part for me is that I genuinely want to complete most of these tasks, I’m sure my own bizarre good but wonky self-esteem factors into it at some point along the lines also.
Introspection: over. 🙂 Thanks for the thought-provoking post Phil!
Bartoneuss last blog post..Put the Phone Away: A call to gamers still in the dark ages of handhelds (Part 2)
This happens to me too. Aggravatingly enough, it has happened while I was GMing a longish campaign. After the initial rush of creativity, getting back into prep mode can be a chore 😉
Shorter projects are easier to focus on though. Two weeks ago I saw Quarantine, and immediately thought “man , i gotta run that!”. Now the mostly-complete notes for a Quarantine-ish horror oneshot are up 🙂
The fact that the setup takes a short enough time that I can finish up in the early creativity surge helps. Also helps that I’ve promised to run the oneshpt in two weeks 😉
The ‘warrior mode’ bit is absolutely true. I constantly work on projects as any good nerd, but learning that bit gives me a near 100% completion rate.
My solution? Self-forbidding myself from starting a new project until the old one is done. While I may hate the part of the project Im on, I also still NEED a project. This may lead to slow periods with the “Sentence a day” mindset for the roughest parts, things always get seen through…eventually.
Zzarchovs last blog post..More people will read if you tell them there is pie
Sometimes all it takes for me is writing down my active projects on a to-do list. I’m loath to cross one out until it’s actually accomplished, and seeing it on the list reminds me of what I should be working on.
I’m not sure that your project-related observations really need to be restricted to nerds.
The truth of the matter is that whether the project is roleplaying-related, about building an engine for a new car, or launching a new type of taco for Taco Bell, projects usually start with energy and brainstorming, and then fall quickly into hard work.
Without people that are committed to (or who can be bullied into) doing the hard work, these projects will fail regardless of their origins. This is why most organisations employ project managers to bully people (who are already being paid) into completing the portion of the project they were volunteered for.
In the online Nerd World, nobody is being paid, so such a role becomes even more important. Everybody likes throwing their ideas out there and tackling the creative side. The hard work side … well, that’s hard work. As such, I believe that Nerd Projectitis is more the lack of appointing somebody to hound everybody else into completing their pieces of the project.
And as DNAPhil points out (or at least implies) above, an informal project often neglects to define what “complete” means for the project itself.
Steves last blog post..The morning coffee and the transparant beauty queen
This is probably why none of my projects ever got finished, up until I entered the 24-Hour RPG contest. Good incentive, I guess.
Nathan Abrahamss last blog post..Rockets: The Secret to Airship Dominance
It bothers me occasionally, but I often see it as natural selection in those situations where multiple more or less equal projects are being developed. e.g. world-building, system-building, and disposing of that damn mouse that’s running through my apartment.
The projectitis bothers me only at my hobbies though; work- and school-related projects are much easier for me to finish (although I might often start later/nearer to the dead-line due to a lack of enthusiasm at start-up).
I must say, though, that if I am not seeing projects through to the end, I get really mad at myself, and I finish most things because I don’t like acknowledging that I am a lazy bastard is all.
My tip: get rid of your television (if you’re an avid viewer), mine’s been gone for two months now; I survived withdrawal effects, and I suddenly started reading more, working more, and going out a lot more; one distraction less and more intellectual engagement means more inspiration etcetera.
Such cool comments, a great start for a Friday talk.
@KaosInc: I think you out your finger on it, peer pressure and financial investment are two incentives that can break the projectitis cycle.
@DNAPhil: Wise words from the Project Manager GMing Gnome! Thanks for the pointers!
@Bartoneus: I think that perfectionist people, like I feel you are, tend to put projects aside because they feel that it will never be good enough. The project sucks’ phase is especially dangerous for them.
@Martin: Welcome to the blog. Having a campaign crash due to lack of inspiration is a possible corollary to projectitis. However I’ve seen it be far more acute in GM with gamer ADD. I’ve heard about GMs never lasting more than 2 sessions before wanting to play another game/campaign.
@Zzarchov : Welcome to the blog! I like your ‘sentence a day’ trick. Establish a bare minimum that you will do on any given project every day. This is a great trick!
@ZedZed77: Yeah, it reminds me of the Get Things Done approach. As long as the list doesn’t explode into a 10 page thing. Then again, if it does, some projects should probably be culled.
@Steve: Projectitis is probably far more encompassing than nerd-ville. But I tend to write about things I know about and the tribes I belong to. You are entirely right that nerd/geeks love to through ideas around and love starting discussions with ‘hey, wouldn’t it be cool if…’
It’s just that I see so many cool RPG projects crash that I think as a community we would gain by more discipline and, possibly, more leadership. I’m curious to see how the new Nevermet Press imprint will tackle this very real issue.
@Nathan: There’s nothing like tacit commitment to kick’s one ass into gear. As long as it’s not promising things on your blogs. Speaking of which, don’t I have a PDF to churn out today?
@Flying: I hear ya on culling projects. I have been known to collect them like they were Pokemons made of Crack cocaine. Good show of getting rid of the TV. Did you chuck it in the street from your apartment’s window?
Haha, I wanted to chuck it out the window, but half-way into it, I though “meh”…
Maybe I’ll finish it someday 😉
Mike Mearls is dead on- there is a part in a project where it’s less shiny. And you’ve got to push on past the non shiny part and say, This Sucks, but So What? and then finish it.
For me, money is the motivator. I know it sounds wrong, but if I know someone is paying me for something then I feel like I HAVE to finish it. Come hell or high water.
Oh- and thanks for quoting me 🙂 It made me feel all shiny. Although in the RPG industry I haven’t made much money (yet) the same thing happens with regular writing. I’ve started so many novels I didn’t finish half way through. But the ones where someone said, “Yeah, I’ll buy it” I’ve finished. Every single time.
@Flying: LOL! Good one.
@Paul: Hey man, glad to have brightened your day. I don’t think money is a bad motivator. You need to eat. Hell, I’m not ashamed of putting ads here because it allows me to go to Gen Con without robbing my family of much needed vacation funds or begging my readers for donations. I think that all motivators are valid to get a project done.
LOL. This happens to me with every software project I work on. By the time I am 80% done, I have made so many compromises with the initial, elegant design, that looking at the mess makes me squirm.
In my case, the solution is to be self-employed, and thus highly aware that if I don’t finish the project, nobody will.
When it comes to fantasy world-building and fiction-writing, I only seem to get to about 2% completion before I run out of steam.
@ Michelle
I used to be a self-employed programmer, one of the things I used to keep me motivated on building an RPG was to put my programming skills to use on it. Yes I too cut down alot of elegance to get it up and running, and now am spending twice as much time revising it to try and do it right…
But when you have something thats “complete” up its a lot easier to keep motivated to “perfect” it, then to struggle to build something perfect to begin with. “The perfect is the enemy of the good” or some such from Voltaire.
So try using your software skills to make an interactive atlas or encyclopedia for your world building, see if the familiar form makes it easier to chug though, its what I did.
Best of luck.
.-= Zzarchov´s last blog ..Schrodinger’s Character =-.
I’m afraid this happens to me all the time. It’s difficult to hold up through the self-doubt that happens in between great idea and final result that most likely barely resembles the great idea.
.-= Heather´s last blog ..D&D Nerdery: Player Questions: Character Back Story =-.
WOW! What a great topic! This one really strikes a chord. I soooo suffer from this malady! I really like the comments and tips and I will definitely attempt to put them into practice.
I am in a rotational DM/GM situation with my gaming group and I had started a home brewed 4th Ed. Campaign and proudly guided my players all the way to 6th Level. Currently we have another one of the guys GM’ing but I have gotten woefully little done for when we pick up my campaign. I have a basic outline of my overall story arch, but I need to get some adventures on paper so I can hit the ground running when we pick my game back up. Like I said, I just haven’t been inspired lately and feel as though I am at that ‘wall’ described by some of the other posters and commentators in your original post. I think I will just swallow and try to push past it and just get it done.
@DNAPhil- It just so happens that I was able to get some training through work in Project Management, and I have a week long course next week. It’s funny but even though I want to learn more for work, I also chose that training to see if I could apply it to my writing/gaming projects. 😀
Sorry to post on an older topic, but wow! I have long known I suffer from projectitis (Also known as Excessive Project Syndrome), and recently started my own blog (www.projectitis.com) just to keep track of them all. I was just searching to find out if google had spotted my blog yet when I came across your post.
In regards to never finishing – I don’t know if this is strictly true. I find many of my projects have a 3 year cycle to them (I return every 3 years or so). I know that its sad that I am old enough, and have enough projects, to know this, but it’s true!
I always try to finish my projects. The question is just whether I will live long enough!
.-= Me (or I)´s last blog ..Classic inspiration =-.
@Me: The irony of Projectitis sufferers is that when we create tools to better manage our projects, we create yet another project. Your blog is a perfect example of that. In fact I now use my urge to create a new blog (or restart one of my defunct webcomics) as a signal that I may have too many projects on my hands.
I now have less and I seem to be able to manage them all right so far. But the beast is lurking at the next corner, with another mind-eating idea.
@ChattyDM. I don’t think I like your tone. Do you mean I should suppress my desire to create projects?! 🙂
@Me: You may not like my tone but I love your Wavatar! Of course you shouldn’t suppress your desire to create project… as long as you see them through.
But what is really important here is that you have to be on the lookout for projectitis in whoever you choose to associate with. It’s okay for you to drop project and pick them up whenever you want but when you collaborate with people it’s another ballgame.
🙂