Ask HN: How do you stay focused on one idea?

[bry]

I have been working on one startup or another since I was in my teens. Not one has been super-successful, but that's ok because I expect that as an entrepreneur. I've learned a lot along the way.

What I can't seem to do, however, is stay focused on just one idea. I am a developer and an ok designer. I'm good at what I do (in general, as a developer) and am constantly coming up with new ideas. I have a few that I really like, and I've spent serious time on a few of them, but I find myself becoming bored of each idea before too long, and then I am off thinking about or looking into some other new and exciting idea.

How do you stay focused on just one idea? It feels like any decent idea could be profitable enough to help me leave my job with enough persistence, but I can't seem to stay focused or excited about just one idea. What I want is independence and to build something that other people really love to use. I'm fine with a lifestyle business instead of a home-run, if that means I can work for myself. I'm now in my early 30's, and it feels like time is slipping away. I work on my projects in the evenings, generally around 20 hours per week.

I think of myself as a single founder, not because I don't want to or won't work with someone else, but because I haven't yet found someone who is as dedicated to actually building something, anything, as I am. I've teamed up with people a few times, but they all fizzle out (they underestimated the time involved, got married, had a baby, etc). I'm open to really finding someone else to work with, but I'm not sure that will really fix the problem.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, how do you stay focused on just one idea when its no longer "fun" (for me that would be things like marketing, building the back-end, etc)? What can/should I do?

[dstein]

1) pick a project large and difficult enough that you don't already know how to accomplish it. I certainly will not have fun if I already know how to accomplish the task before I've begun.

2) daily progress. It doesn't have to be consistently a huge amount of progress every day, but it should be enough progress that you could grab somebody and say "hey take a look at what I did today" and be able to show them some new functionality you've added.

3) responsibility. You should feel bad if you are not making progress. If there are no consequences then it's easy to slide off the cliff.

To help myself with #3, two weeks ago I began making daily video logs (like from the movie Avatar). Every day I tell the camera what I have accomplished, and I present a quick 1-2 minute demo of the new code or functionality. But most importantly I tell the camera what I will accomplish tomorrow. And in tomorrow's video log I better either have that task completed or I have to fess up and explain to the camera why I didn't get it done.

[travisglines]

Captains Log March 9th 2011:

"The delete bookmark function of we_made_a_delicious_clone was not complete this morning due to far too much reading of HackerNews"

[devan]

You have to realise if you're not focused on one project your mind is going to be scattered everywhere and you'll end up with half assed products or incomplete projects. I made this mistake when i was trying to start something like 3 companies at the same time when i was 15/16, i wanted to do it all. You just can't.

For example if you had a series of essays to do in a certain amount of time, they'd all probably be mediocre or incomplete. Yet, if you had to do one essay in the same amount of time that one essay would be pretty impressive, you'd have time to proof read, spell check, change areas etc...

Pretty poor example but you get the idea.

Find one and stay focused on it.

When the idea becomes no longer fun get some feedback, nothings more motivational than feedback. There's going to periods were you just can't be bothered or were it tires you out and the next task/step is soo complex you procrastinate for weeks, you have to identify this and the fact that it happens and push forward.

On thing i do, it's pretty weird, start with really small tasks and build up til' you're in a productive state. (do the dishes, reply to emails, make breakfast lol) When it comes to the hard part (opening up the code editor and getting started) what i do is kinda' go consciously unconscious, you phase out everything, the task, every thought in your head (you might even go light headed), complete yet forced zen and just start coding, when you "regain consciousness" you'll have already started the task and it will be less of a mountain.

And prioritise.

I'm currently at university, in my first year, working on my new start up. It's more important than university to me, i haven't been a class all term and only about 2/3 lectures this term because i'd rather be designing/programming. My priorities are with my idea not with this degree, i have a load of other ideas and what i'll learn from this start up with help me with the others later on.

Just shelve the ok ideas and push forward with that one idea you love the most.

D

[mapster]

Good question. Imagine you are the owner of a franchise you admire (i.e 1800-GOT-JUNK). Could you build it and keep it successful?

The issue we face is that our 'ideas' are entirely unproved, while a franchise is proven, so while there is risk, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I think the absence of a 'light' allows us to drop a 'idea' and pick up another one thinking this will be better.

[bry]

I think you hit the nail on the head. So do I just need to take that risk with some idea that may work, rather than keep thinking about other cool ideas that also may work? I'm willing to risk/invest the time. Its just tough to stay focused.

[zavulon]

A good way to stay focused is to quit your job and put yourself in a position where you have to make money in order to survive. Then it's going to be very easy for you to decide what to focus on.

Disclaimer: this is what I did, wouldn't recommend it to everyone, YMMV, etc...

[bry]

Man, I wish I could. I have no savings, a wife, and four kids who depend on a steady salary. You're probably right, and maybe that would be the best thing to do... but I just can't take that leap yet. That's essentially why I work 4-5 hours every evening in addition to my day job - to have some glimmer of hope of being able to some day build something that takes off enough to allow me to leave this place.

[minhajuddin]

I am an entrepreneur and I have run into a similar situation a number of times ( I have about 2-3 partially complete apps lying dormant ). I think this is a problem you face when you haven't had a single successful product shipped. Sure, you might have built a few partially-complete apps, but you haven't shipped anything yet. So your brain starts playing tricks on you, you'll think that your next idea has a better shot at success and that's how you lose interest.

One way to overcome this is: When you have a new idea, 1) Come up with a bare minimum list of features. 2) Give yourself a week or two weeks time to finish it. 3) Once you are done release a free beta and get customer feedback.

The point of this whole exercise being to reduce the window of work to a short period in which you can stay focused. Think of it as some kind of a minimum viable product(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_product).

Hope that helps.

[JonathanWCurd]

Push yourself to stay focused. Do somethings you like and some things you don't each day so that you are not faced with a giant list of things you don't want to do.

Also make sure your not just looking for an excuse to not launch. Tackle something small, get it done and get it out. Then rinse and repeat. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

[HeyLaughingBoy]

Feedback from a real customer.

Nothing has ever given me more focus and motivation that someone saying, "I would pay for that." Especially if it's someone who has paid me for things in the past.

[fjw]

Focus on a project that you love: one that you truly support and one that you truly believe in. If you're 100% devoted to a cause, it will be much easier to continue pushing on even when it is no longer "fun". Remind yourself why you started, what you have achieved along the way, and what you still hope to achieve. Then just work towards achieving your goals - no matter how big or how small. Once again, if you're completely devoted, you'll take pride in your gains and this should keep you motivated.

[vondip]

wow, it's as if you just read my mind and wrote it down here. Do you live in Israel by any chance?

[Kibo]

Same here

[petervandijck]

I don't.