Projects that get out of control....

[deanb]

What do you do when you are working on something, and the whole idea behind it gets so out of control in your head? I know you guys know what I am talking about. Like I started a rather simple site (I think) that hasn't been really made public yet, and I keep adding all of these things that I want to do to it. At what point do you calm it down a bit, and how do you decide what to add on, and what to just skip for later?

[InsaneSimon]

Do what you it's best to do. It sounds obvious but sometimes some people are afraid to wait some more time.

I'm working on a project where I supposed to invest $15,000. Atm I've put over $35,000 cause it's growing itself even if it's not public. I don't consider it a bad thing.

[deanb]

I agree with you on that. But $$ aside, I am talking about time wise. Like, I already have things going on with this site that others will be doing, and I am just thinking of adding another thing, and the site hasn't even officially launched.

I know everyone has huge dreams, how do you keep them in check, where do you stop? At what point do you think of an idea and say, NO?


Do what you it's best to do. It sounds obvious but sometimes some people are afraid to wait some more time.

I'm working on a project where I supposed to invest $15,000. Atm I've put over $35,000 cause it's growing itself even if it's not public. I don't consider it a bad thing.

[gaydemon]

Often its not a good thing when a project grows out of control and it easily happens.

Staying focused, on target and compeleting the job as planned is the difficult part. The "bigger" it grows, the more things you add on, the more changes you do.. the more likely it is you wont finish it, or end up a failure.

You want to start out small, then if its successfull add on whatever it might be you think is a good idea.

Its very difficult to start a successfull project, let alone one which tries to please everyone or do everything..

And dont forget, the longer time it takes to finish a project, the more money you are loosing.



What do you do when you are working on something, and the whole idea behind it gets so out of control in your head? I know you guys know what I am talking about. Like I started a rather simple site (I think) that hasn't been really made public yet, and I keep adding all of these things that I want to do to it. At what point do you calm it down a bit, and how do you decide what to add on, and what to just skip for later?

[tigermom]

Not sure what the project is, but maybe you need to sit down and actually write a plan with timetables. Maybe having it writing will help you focus.

[HunkMoneyLuke]

Yeah, Tigermom is totally right, writing things down helps keep you on track and focused. And don't fret over releasing a site before you think its perfect, then releasing upgrades as your site naturally develops. Your surfers will see it as improving and will be happy!

[Johnny]

Someone posted a link to a great presentation where someone was talking about new businesses (but it is applicable here). His comment was to not try to build the next Myspace. Instead, start small and try do one thing better at a time. You can add more as time goes on.

[abostonboy]

Dean,

Two points that I consider important:

1. Make it "sticky"
2. Don't spread yourself too thin.

You really need to find the "right" balance.

HTH,
Lloyd

[ucbearcub]

Deanb:

Balance is difficult and hard to achieve for some of us. As a Libra, I know first hand.

I can go from one extreme to another. Sure, I can vascilate between two projects, or even a dozen, but eventually, when I make a decision I fly with it; sometimes to my detriment. The object of my obsession then either fails completely or is wildly successful, but becomes all encompassing.

Everyone that has already given you advice before this post is correct. And not just with projects that get out of hand, but with life in general. That having been said, here's some key points:

1. You MUST strike a balance.

2. You HAVE to step away, sometimes for days if not weeks, so that you can digest the depth of the idea or ideas. If you don't know how to step away, learn. I'm lucky in that respect as my partner is the one that reels me in. He is my anchor, my ball of twine to the kite within me that wants to soar.

3. You MUST keep social activities, friends, family in the picture so that you can give yourself perspective and not be consumed by your project.

4. Surround yourself with people who know more than you. You will learn far better and much more quickly from other people's experiences, both the bad and the good.

5. Remove yourself from negativity and the naysayers; they will only drag you down and you will never get anything accomplished. This one is particularly hard to do.

6. Don't listen to EVERYONE. Just those you trust. And if you close your eyes and listen to your heart, truly listen, you will know who you can confide in. Or at the very least, take those things that ring true to you; a little from column A, a bit from column B, etc.

7. If you have not yet already done so, buy yourself a couple of legal pads, a spiral bound notebook, or my personal favorite, one of those thick, wonderfully chunky small pads that are spiral bound and jot down your ideas as bullet-point items. (eg: things to think about, things to research, possible things to add). And figure out realistic time-lines.

8. Try and get as clear a picture as you can of what you want to accomplish, how you see your project; be as detailed as possible in that image but don't dwell on the details at first as it's easy to get caught up in those details to the point where, again, you will never finish.

9. If you're thinking about forming a business, write yourself a business plan, things you'll need for the business, equipment, people, time, projections, grooming and growing the business, then think about incorporating so you can take advantage of tax breaks; even if you never show it to anyone else. This is for YOU because you must keep your personal finances separate!

10. Execute somewhere. Meaning, after you've done all these things or perhaps as you are doing them, start your project.

I am finding that projects, just like my writing, can take on a life of their own; characters I've created suddenly decide to go their own way and do what they want. But like life, the projects we work on are about evolving, the process, and the discovery of who we are and who we become as we go through that process.

Good luck in your endeavors, but most of all, have fun! Because if you don't have fun, then maybe it's not worth doing.

[basschick]

dean, if you're talking about the site i think you are - and you may not be - the problem is that your site will have several parts and you're trying to do them all at once. they're not all the same and you're only one person, so it might be better to do one part at a time, and to keep your mind fresh, keep a simple but separate project (not the same site) to do on the side.

for example, gaydemon. bjorn didn't start it as all the things it ended up being. it started as a link list. starting a site like gaydemon now, even with the eventual goal of a site with multiple sections, i'd start with one thing. either reviews or the directory, probably. and i'd figure that whatever design i started with would be changing as more parts were added.

i'd probably start with the link list - it's easier to get filled because you can start with sponsor sites as you start taking submissions. that way you'll have a bunch of filled categories, each of several pages. when you're done or mostly done there, you'll have a bunch of pages pulling in search engine traffic and a complete enough site to trade links with well-established sites. you'll have spent time on the boards getting some submissions. then i'd start on part 2 - most likely the tgp section - and maybe write a review a week or 2 a week, or pay to have the reviews done. as i added each review, i'd attach my directory listing for that site to the review, but i wouldn't actually put the review section live till it had a good amount of reviews. and so one.

in the meantime, i'd have a simpler project on the side to play with - a blog, probably. that way, i wouldn't get too wrapped into a single thing and stuff like blogs can be fun to play with and easy to get search engine traffic and trades for.

[samebb]

Patti is right here.

I was getting so busy with multiple projects going on all under the "britishbucks" roof, i made the choice that it was time to spend some time away from all that on projects i had wanted to get started for quite a while now.

Its suprising how usefull it can be to spend a little time away from your "big project" on side projects.

And i need to state the obvious here... Spend some time away from work all together! Get out, have fun and refresh yourself :)