While a few people have mocked this I think it contains some important ideas.
1) Focus on one project at a time. Resist the urge to get sidetracked.
2) Feel free to take a break from your project if you start to lose motivation.
3) Only change the scope of a project to reduce it. If you have more good ideas put them on a sheet of paper to implement after you finish your project.
These 3 tips will turn you from starter to a finisher. I know a lot of developer's that have started tens, perhaps hundreds of side projects and when you ask how many they have finished there is an embarrassing pause and they point to a couple of projects.
Switching from one project to another is fine the first time. Your new idea might be genuinely better. However if you find yourself doing it again and again it's a sign you are a starter and not a finisher. If you end up with nothing to show for your time what is the point of working on these projects in the first place?
I agree focus is the most important thing but I love having something like a half-dozen projects going on at any time. I can easily procrastinate on not doing one of them when I don't feel like by doing another, and six times slower they all move forward whereas maybe if I had just one it would be six times faster split between my project and idle browsing the web.
1) Focus on one project at a time. Resist the urge to get sidetracked.
2) Feel free to take a break from your project if you start to lose motivation.
3) Only change the scope of a project to reduce it. If you have more good ideas put them on a sheet of paper to implement after you finish your project.
These 3 tips will turn you from starter to a finisher. I know a lot of developer's that have started tens, perhaps hundreds of side projects and when you ask how many they have finished there is an embarrassing pause and they point to a couple of projects.
Switching from one project to another is fine the first time. Your new idea might be genuinely better. However if you find yourself doing it again and again it's a sign you are a starter and not a finisher. If you end up with nothing to show for your time what is the point of working on these projects in the first place?