Picking up projects, feverishly working on them, and then entirely forgetting about them weeks later has been an issue for me ever since I started ...
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I agree that it is not helpful to be addicted to novelty, but I feel that kind of addiction is often a sign of deeper issues. Typically when we are not able to stay motivated in programming projects it is because we are not embracing environmental design enough, as explained in the book "Willpower Doesn't Work - Discover the hidden keys to success" by Benjamin Hardy.
Basically I think at the core, our motivation should be purely based on underlying good traits, such as the desire to build helpful products and help your team and company succeed. However, often that is just not enough for some reason, and then we often get a little more demotivated when we don't completely agree with what someone else thinks we should be working on. So there are several tricks you can use to combat that.
First you have to address the part about not agreeing with what "they" want you to work on. You need to actually voice these feelings, and not just in a way where you are venting to someone that can't do anything about it, but actually discuss it with the person who decides what you work on. Even if you are given a certain amount of flexibility, likely on some level your project goals are being decided by someone else. So by discussing what you should be working on with that person, you will get a chance to have your say and have them consider this. If they don't agree, try to get them to explain why they want to prioritize something else. You may end up agreeing with them, and then there is no more problem. But really some level of compromise on both sides is often the best you can do. Try to find something you both agree is important to work on. Then try to negotiate a time based bonus you and possibly the rest of your team will get if you meet the real need in a legitimate way by that time. I know this sounds horrible, but it really will add to your motivation because you are the one who negotiated this bonus. This is not entirely about being motivated by money, and I'm not saying money is the only or best motivator. This is about you being held to your own standards, and making a formal commitment to try to live up to them, and then being motivated by that. You can think of it like this, how many large projects should the team be able to complete per year if they are doing very well professionally and for the company? How quickly would each of these large projects need to be completed on average in order to complete that many per year? Once you have answered that question for yourself, you now you have your deadline for the current large project. It will also help if everyone is very explicit about the fact that the timeline has real world consequences if it is not met. The bonus will really only be given if you actually finish it by the timeline. If you don't get it done by that time, this is not a punishment, you still get paid, you just don't get an extra bonus. If the bonus is still given at that point out of pity or recognition or professionalism, or for any other reason, it will prevent the time element from being a motivating factor for the next project. It is ok for some of the bonuses not be received.
The daily standup is your next motivator. Your standup should be designed to keep everyone motivated and progressing. Everyone should at least try to have some real world progress toward the larger goal they can talk about and maybe even demonstrate quickly every day. If you start making and showing this kind of progress almost daily, it can become quite empowering and addicting, and therefore motivating.
Next you need a healthy work environment that allows for focus when needed. Have some way to visually indicate to your teammates that you are currently in "focused work" mode, and prefer not to be disturbed. Throughout the day transition in out of focused work, where you make progress on just one project for a minimum amount of time. Have a ritual you repeatedly use when starting to hone in on just one task. For me this means I go into a special spot within our virtual Sococo office. By moving my avatar there, I am signaling both to my subconscious mind and others that I need to stay focused for a time. I then change my status to busy, which creates a little red dot next to me. I then change my current Asana task (what I am working on) into full screen mode. I make sure to close all browser tabs that are just news or email or notification based and have nothing to do with what I am working on, and put my phone on silent. I also start up the focus@will application, which plays music that is designed for productivity (not entertainment). I start a timer in that app, which represents the minimal amount of time I will spend on that task before I am allowed to take a break or checking other notifications or switch tasks. I don't have to stop when the timer is done, but I can. I have done this ritual so many times now that it effectively puts me into a trance of instant motivation and focus.
The timer going off and the music stopping is also a good reminder that it might be a good time to take a nice little break anyways, but sometimes it really is better to just keep working with no external stimulation or timers at that point if you extremely motivated. Anyways, the way you take breaks needs to be very thoughtful, especially if the idea is to get refreshed so you can jump right back into what you were just working on. If that is the case, you probably should not check your phone or email or news sites. Those will not help you get refreshed for more focused work on the same project, they will wear you out and demotivate you from staying on track with thoughts of task switching and many other concerns and unrelated ideas. It is better to get up and take a little walk, or use the restroom, or get water, or just sit with your eyes closed for a few minutes, or if you work from home, do a few dishes, or get dressed for the day, or take a quick shower, something that involves your other senses and don't require much analytical thinking or time. If you really need to read sometimes, have a book you keep handy right there next to you. Even if it is a technical book that you are using to learn and improve, there is something about reading an actual book that does much less damage to our minds, compared to reading the latest news or email or notifications, which will only put you into a demotivated, drained, addicted, ADD state of mind.
End your work fairly early in the day every day. Leave yourself plenty of time to do other things other than your job every day. Let's face it, we have needs, values, and agendas that are not fulfilled by our jobs, even if we excel at them. They never will be, they are not supposed to be. By leaving yourself plenty of time every day to get stuff done and experience life outside of work, you will give yourself a chance to live in harmony with your own beliefs. This will fill you with a sense of purpose and meaning that will add to your motivation throughout the day, even while working. By strongly limiting how much time you will work each day, this will make you really want to use your work time wisely, and get as much deep work done as possible each work day, which will help you achieve maximum motivation while working.
+1
Please convert this into a separate post.
I can't promise you that I'll try, but I'll try to try. If only I could find more motivation...
Good article. One core insight for me was recognizing what exactly was exciting for me, and what bored or annoyed me - and then appreciate that some parts will always be cool and other will be boring.
LOVE this! Pulling myself away when I get in too deep is a huge problem for me, I know what you mean by it feeling unnatural. My brain is primed for the problem at hand, WHY WOULD I STOP NOW IF IT'S ALL I'M THINKING ABOUT!
(ahem). Anyway, this is all really good advice that I'll try following ;-)
It feels soooo wrong! I'm pretty sure I made this face at the guy when he recommended it:
I learnt that if the project is really useful, then I'll finish it.
But most of my projects that came up as a cool idea, I eventually abandon, simply because I realised that they wont be as useful, as I first thought they would.
I wish I was more like that! I've abandoned so many projects that would have actually been useful.
Lol and 🤔.
I really like this article. It is hard to let go of the coder's high that you get when you stay up late slamming out an awesome new idea, but over time I've realized, in agreeing with what you wrote, that it's unhealthy for overall motivation.
It's not easy to be introspective about what motivates you, but it is valuable. I think this article gives me a great way to start thinking about my own motivation :)
Interesting article that you didn't want to write :) I still didn't understand what your project motivation was, but as I guess what you called a motivation wasn't really one: does it have a grand purpose, I mean greater than you ;)
Here's my secret:
Have two kids and a family to support, and realize you have to have productive outcomes in your short window of times on your projects.