Thoughts On Completing Projects

(currently working on: STARWHAL: Just the Tip for PC, Mac, and major home consoles.)

When I began what could be called “pre-production” on Marvin’s Mittens many years ago, the very first thing I did is hang a sign on my cork post-board that said “ALWAYS FINISH WHAT YOU START” in large, commanding letters. It served as a constant reminder that my past self is checking up on me to make sure I’m moving towards the finish line.

Finishing anything can be a daunting task at the best of times, and at its worst a terrifying endeavor teetering on precipice of absolute collapse. So far I’ve had the pleasure of working on a number of very large projects that took around 2-5 years to fully complete (current project STARWHAL included, which will probably be around 2 years total). Let’s talk about climbing to heights that at first seem impossible!

Eyes Down

You’ve all heard the old saying “keep your eyes on the prize”. There is something very helpful in this method - it steadies your vision on the big picture and doesn’t let the small bumps affect your your stride. My own problem with this approach, however, is that it often leads to people realizing the summit of the mountain is not moving any closer. Maybe they have trekked for weeks and the summit still appears as nothing more than a small, snowy crest in the distance. Why am I not moving any closer? Will I ever make it?

What I practice instead is focusing on the immediate peaks and valleys and not the summit itself. In practical terms this often means smaller, attainable goals are more valuable than larger ones. This is especially the case when it comes to projects that could be measured in years. Imagine opening a blank page to write what you know will be a 5,000 page tome of a novel. You’d very likely be petrified and locked in indecision. Instead, focus on finishing the few ideas you had in mind for today and tomorrow.

A couple summers ago I biked more than 3000 kilometers across Canadian countryside starting on the west coast. This lead us up mountainsides and through never ending prairies. If I ever took out a map of the country the distance seemed absolutely staggering, but once we zoomed in we saw that our day to day goals of making it to the next checkpoint seemed achievable and (when the wind was at your back) actually fun!

Practice your ABCs

One practical way to go the distance on your project is to always think about what your goal actually is comprised of and how you might be able to reshape it to make your trek easier. This is where I get to drop bullshit buzzword acronyms as if I know what I’m talking about! If you want to make it to the end you can practice the “ABCs” - that is, Always Be Cutting. This is a fun way to say you very often set lofty goals for yourselves when you begin that could possibly stand a bit of trimming.

The act of "cutting" is especially important in the final stages of your project. Many people tend to get attached to attributes of their goals and clutch to them all the way to their project’s grave (or their deadline, if you will). Instead, see your goals as something fluid and worth revisiting for the sake of you and your fellow adventurers. Which leads nicely to...

“Done is better than Fun”

There was an old, almost legendary saying passed around at a now defunct game development house in town (sunny Ottawa, Canada) that said “done is better than fun.” It’s pretty funny for a number of (comically cynical) reasons, but sometimes I can’t deny it contains a grain of truth wrapped inside. Having something finished that you can point to years from now and say “that was something I created!” is sometimes much better than an unfinished project that you hypothesized would be better than sliced bread.

Failure as an option

The anecdote about hanging the sign reminding present-day Jason to always finish what he starts is, in reality, perhaps slightly misguided. In truth, a project that crumbles is a valid and sometimes beneficial outcome - albeit the benefits are often not obvious at first. Sometimes the best way to “finish” a project is to instead halt it entirely and start something new that is more in line with your current inspirations. Don’t feel ashamed! Sometimes it’s best to cut your losses and get air-lifted out of the climb to start fresh on another adventure soon.

Above all…

Make sure you stay inspired, stay happy, and pace yourself. Remind yourself regularly why you are working on this project. If it’s not a project of your choosing, seek out elements that you can say are your personal pet goals to reach within your bubble of influence. For instance, if I am working on a project that I don’t feel is my cup of tea in a general sense, I can still find parts of the technology or design challenging and perhaps even rewarding in their own way.