E5: On Being Stuck

07/08/2024, duration: 10:56

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Welcome to Debugging Dan, where I share weekly my journey, balancing life, a full-time job and side projects. I'm Dan, your host. Let's dive in.

Dan from the future here. The topic today is on being stuck. I recorded this episode before I started the podcast. Really, this is episode 5. And I am editing and adding some older recordings. So, that's why in this recording, I discuss starting with the podcast while you're already listening to it. So, that's what I wanted to explain. Enjoy listening.

Today, I'd like to talk about being stuck. So, I think this is going to be more of a rant-type thing, but I'll be sharing my personal experiences with being stuck. So, being stuck for me is knowing that you have to do something, but not doing it. So, procrastinating with all kinds of other stuff instead of doing the thing that you need to do. For me, that's being stuck because you're not moving forward. You might be completing some things, but you're not moving forward.

For me, currently, I'm on a type of being stuck where I'm hesitant because I'm not experienced with the thing that I should be completing. So, for me, that's currently starting with this podcast. I have never started a podcast before. I do like to start it, but I'm not that experienced with editing and changing audio. And so, I'm doing a lot of learning. So, I don't feel like a pro yet. I'm feeling like an amateur. And for me, that makes it difficult at some point to complete a task.

So, I've already learned some things about improving audio. I know a little bit about editing audio with Audacity, for example. I experienced a little with it already or experimented with it already. But I do need to take the step still to start recording an introduction and to edit what I've already recorded and make that ready for publication. At this point, I don't have a podcast that's not published yet because I'm still hesitant with that because of the inexperience.

So, that's one type of being stuck for me. The solution often is breaking down things in very little pieces. So, I will create a detailed task list. And that's kind of a general advice for me, at least for being stuck, is even in things that I'm experienced with, to break it down in very small tasks so that it's pretty easy to complete the next task and then the next task and then the next task. And I get an overview of what still needs to be done and that only works if it's a complete list.

So, when you're busy with it and you're thinking, oh, I also need to do this and I need to add this and then this, then you really need to add it because else your mind will know I'm working on this list, but it's not complete. And that helps for me in all kinds of being stuck, but when I'm inexperienced, what helps is setting a deadline. And setting a deadline does two things for me. It puts a point when I know that I need to be done. So, I could be procrastinating, but I know, wait, at that point, at that date, I need to have this ready.

And I have all these kinds of tasks that I've written out that I know I need to do. That helps for me getting rid of stopping with procrastinating and working on the task. So, what I'm going to do with this tug that I'm currently in, I'm going to set a deadline for this Sunday to at least have the introduction episode for which I already have the transcript. I just need to record it. Have that out of the door. I think that's a Dutch version to have that ready and published.

And hopefully that will get the ball rolling or I get started on the next task. And that will also help me to continue on my task list. So, also, if the task that is currently scheduled or that I need to complete is kind of boring, that would also mean that I don't like doing it and kind of make me stuck because I'm procrastinating. What helps is scheduling a task that I enjoy or that I like behind it so that I know when I complete this task, I get to do something more fun.

Rationally, I know that I have to complete a boring task and that will help me getting to the next task, which is more fun. So, that will help me with this kind of stuff when I'm doing things that I'm not really experienced with. And what I then also need to do is I need to let go of it needs to be perfect. So, I'm not a perfectionist, but I do like to do things well or right. And what I need to let go at that point is, okay, I'm currently not that experienced. It might not be perfect, but I've set the deadline.

And at the deadline, I need to make sure that the best I can currently do is completed. That's the only thing that I expect from myself. It doesn't need to be perfect. We're still learning. Get it out there. Get the task completed. After that, you'll figure it out. You will get better. Maybe you'll revisit the episode, edit it again. In the case of the podcast or something else, if it's something with visual design, which I'm pretty bad at, is, okay, just get out there what you currently can.

And you can always change thumbnails, logos, things like that. You can always change them later. That's what helps for me for getting stuck when I'm doing things I'm still learning. There's also stuck when there are very different factors of getting stuck. So, I'm only highlighting a few. There's also getting stuck when you're tired or bored. And then it's easier to just pick up something to procrastinate. Procrastination for me is often that I watch some television or gaming.

So, I own a Steam Deck. And that has a lot of games just within my reach, which is very easy to start and play. So, that's something very easy to pick up. So, when I'm doubting whether I should start working on my task, it might be more tempting to play the game on a Steam Deck. And at some points, that's also okay. It's not like I'm a machine. Motivation also needs to be there at least at that day. And if the deadline is not that near, I could start a game or continue one that I was already working on.

And that's okay. And you could even use that as a reward. So, when I complete a task, you can play a game or do something else that you enjoy more than the task that you are currently doing. But that might also help in getting unstuck. There's also the second kind of stuck that I wanted to discuss is when it's too much. So, you have a very big task ahead of you and you're like, oh, I don't know how I can approach this.

It might even be on a topic that you're very familiar with, but you're just, it's just too much to get started. You don't have the overview. You don't see the beginning in the end. You don't know where to start. And then that general advice that I just had applies also. Break it down. Break it down. Break it down in smaller pieces, smaller tasks. Sketch an image, whatever. It depends on what the task is.

When I'm adding a new feature that's very big, then I always draw an image for myself or I create a breakdown of the larger chunks and every larger chunk and then break down into smaller chunks. And I continue with that, with a breakdown until everything is broken down to an atomic level. Basically, I can just decide, okay, I'm going to start with this part of the feature. I start with the smallest task. And then when I complete it, I move to the next one and the next one and the next one.

And for me, that helps a lot with getting unstuck. And that's for that part of stuck, I guess that's the only advice that works. And I guess some general advice also would be to find the fun in things. So it's kind of difficult perhaps to do tasks that are boring or you just don't feel like them or they're too complicated or you need to do. It's an element of the task is calling someone and you don't feel like calling someone or you need to Google a person or, um, and you don't feel like doing that.

Try to get positively motivated. Use mechanisms like the, when you complete it, you can do something fun or you give yourself a reward. And it could be something small, something big, depends also on the task and what you feel like. And that's also a more generic advice that might help. And I think it's also good to remember that it's sometimes okay to be stuck unless you find that you really need to do something or you're disadvantaging, you're disadvantaging, I don't know if that's a word, other people by not completing the task, then you might just get it done.

But it's, if it's related to a side project, for example, it's also okay if that side project doesn't move forward for a while, because a lot of things can be happening in your life. In my life currently, my day job is pretty busy and that means that I don't have a lot of energy left for a side project because family goes first, then work, then side projects. So I'm, I'm dividing my energy currently between work and family and on the side, I'm trying to, to get the first episodes of this podcast going, but there I'm stuck.

And it might also because of energy, it's also because I hadn't done it before. And at the moment that's for the past few week, week and a half, that was okay. I was just doing some random stuff, slightly related to the podcast, slightly related to other things, but now I feel like, okay, I need to get that podcast going so I can continue marketing Observer Lives or marketing the podcast or whatever is next to my to-do list.

So, and now I feel, okay, I'm going to set a deadline this Sunday as father's day that doesn't really relate to the podcast, but I like linking it to a special day in some way. So for me, the deadline for getting the podcast rolling is this Sunday today, I talked to you about being stuck and how the techniques that I use to, um, to get unstuck.

I hope it was beneficial to you also, if you have any thoughts on being stuck or any other tips, just reach out to me on Twitter. This podcast is also available on YouTube, just reach out and, uh, and let me know. Thanks for tuning in to Debugging Dan. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. Stay curious and see you next week.