Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating? - Hacker News

Ask HN: Why is nearing completion so demotivating? - Hacker News

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finishing project = death of a dream, diminition of what is possible

Post-completion depression is a recognised syndrome in the arts. One psychological explanation is that constant pressure to complete maintains a core state of focus and emotional arousal.

When the pressure disappears so does the arousal, and sometimes a sense of purpose and direction disappears with it.[...]

It’s also temporary. A good prosaic but effective antidote is a vacation and/or a change of scene. [..] take at least a weekend off to do something fun in the short term.

It was always much easier to move on to the next dream.

 I think this is why it's super useful to have a cofounder for a side project: there's someone to let down (besides yourself) when you give up too soon.

 in the dream stage it is possible; everything is possible. In the reality stage, it will only be what it is.

perfectionism is very dangerous because, of course, if your fidelity to perfection is too high you never do anything, because doing anything results in... it's actually kind of tragic because it means you sacrifice how gorgeous and perfect it is in your head for what it really is --David Foster Wallace

 In general, I find that the mind doesn't lie when you're stressed out, it just exaggerates a bit. If I had to guess, all of your fears are valid fears and you should sit with each one and address it. However, now is not the time.