For those that do creative projects, how do you get past choice paralysis? If you’re a writer and have 5 book ideas you feel are pretty good, how do you choose the best one to move forward with?
I am a programmer, not a writer, so I’m not sure if my experience is relevant, but my approach is trivial: write all ideas down, because most of them will be inevitably forgotten no matter how cool they are. Then choose the one that looks the easiest to implement.
I do a little writing but the writer example is mostly because its easier to visualize.
The choice paralysis I’m getting stuck on is indie game development - Most project choices I’m looking at are measured in several months to years of effort and that’s even in flux depending on how you approach it.
Pick something you know and enjoy, and what you can make with your current skill set.
Remember that you can always make a different choice next time.
Probably not too helpful as it’s very generic advice but I hope it helps.
YOLO
Lmfao, this is me choosing which psychaitrist to see.
I’d say you just make an amalgamate of them, then see which idea you actually enjoying working on the most.
I tried writing a story and kinda just got stuck and never made it past a rough outline of the plot. (barely even an outline, like just he beginning, and ending, and I had an idea of the middle in mind, but didn’t even write it down before I got bored)
good luck, its gonna hurt you brain a lot just thinking xD
Try the coin flip trick. Use an outside mechanism to choose for you. Then you’ll realize what you actually preferred all along depending on the result. You’ll flip it again if you don’t like it.
Unless of course you’re the type that will literally go for the chosen option no matter what.
For me. I choose what excites me to work on the most. I try to apply it to anything creative. Which of the permutations do I personally want to dive into. Usually that’s all I need. If that doesn’t work I legit just roll dice and whatever number I roll I go with
Whatever holds the most interest/inspiration for me will always be the best choice because that will be the source of motivation and what carries it through to completion.
What if your most interesting choice for you is definitely not the best choice overall, if you knew you had to eventually turn around and sell it?
The only one that will sell is the one that’s finished.
If it’s interesting to you, it’ll be interesting to someone else. Doing something for mass market appeal gets you buried in the crowd. Finding a niche and being excited with that niche crowd is what will get you noticed.
I note that in another reply you say that it’s about programming and not writing, but I think the same philosophy applies. Do something and get past the decision of debating what. Write (or program) as if it’s not for the goal of publication. Work on the side stuff like art or characters or core structures. Then take a break, look back and see if you feel that one is not getting anywhere. Dive into the next if you haven’t found the drive for the first yet.
It “wastes” time if you find yourself having to back out, but it also helps you far more in making such decisions than just looking at the choices and wondering. And at some point the “bad decisions” that you abandoned you might come back to later and continue or restart to become a success.
In short, doing something will get you somewhere. Waiting until you’re sure of a right choice may not get you anywhere.
I think this is solid.
I find myself continually project hopping but I suspect at some point one of these will have a spark.
This is good advice 👆
