How to get over the 8 month hump?

[stigzler]

So, suddenly after 8 months of designing, planning, cutting, swearing and elation I find my first cab build leering at me and sneering that I'm never gonna finish it! It's turned from a dream project into my very own white elephant.

Weird thing is I think I'm on the finishing straight - cab assembled, just needing finish, sideart and then wiring + putting everything together. I...just...can't...do..another..damn..thing..on..it!

Tried taking a break, tried ignoring it (it's a bit too big now to ignore - sits in my porch mocking every time I get home).

It's turned into a monster. Should I burn it?

Am I alone in my cab build hell?

 

[vorghagen]

You are most definitely not alone.
Since starting my cab I've bought 3 cars, moved twice, got married and had a kid. It's been a little over 6 years since starting it. Progress has been sporadic at best. But I'm still keen to finish it, it's just finding the time.
Probably doesn't help that each time I go back to it I have to backtrack a little to remember where I'm up to.

[Malenko]

get it working and playable, then never finish it, just like everyone else.

[thatpurplestuff]

I built a Skeeball machine from the ground up, wrote custom software for it, wired up the switches, built the net, painted it, and yet it's sat for the last 2 years unfinished because I am too lazy to install the PVC sleeve covers on the legs.  Literally all I need to do is finish the legs and swap out a faulty switch and the project is done, yet there it sits while I work on plans for my arcade... so no, you're not alone haha.

I'm sure a therapist could probably provide some insight to our problem.

[BadMouth]

Make a to-do list of very, very specific small things.
If something on the list can be broken down into smaller steps, it should be.
Take it down to the point where gathering each thing necessary to complete one task is a separate step.
Sometimes that helps.

My biggest trap is when a decision needs to be made, there are just too many possibilities, and I want to make the optimum one.
If I put it off, the answer eventually just comes to me.  But I think I've grown to do this too often and as a result end up waiting for the answer to magically appear instead of working on a solution.  Sometimes you just have to pick one option and run with it.
Right now, I'm not making any progress on my driving cabs because I have the parts to do the controls up to four different ways and can't commit to any of them because I'm afraid there might be a better way out there that I haven't thought up yet.   

I also have this thing where once I know something works, I lose interest.  I like the challenge of figuring it out and making it work, not the menial task of finishing it. 

What has helped me recently is dropping the number of projects.  I've sold/thrown away a lot of stuff that was squirrelled away for "someday" projects.  Without all those in my head overwhelming me with things to think about, I've been making more progress on my main two projects (linked in my sig).
 
I'm shooting for having the stand up cab done by the end of the year, which is a year later than I'd planned.
I'd like to have the driving cabs done by spring.  We'll see.

[Ond]

You are not alone,  I am the king of the unfinished project/s.  Actually that's not true (there are others).  I'd echo what BadMouth says, maybe even just this, focus on the main show stopper and progress it, even if its just baby steps.  What is the main thing still to be done on your cab? What do you need?

It either gets down to two things:

1. The remainder of your build is in your own personal "too hard basket"

or

2. You are sick of working on it altogether. (obviously Point 1 can lead to point 2.  )

If its point 2.  then go do something completely different for a while (longer), if you liked the whole BYOAC idea to begin with, motivation will return, if its point 1, then help is at hand.

[chopperthedog]

Lazy asses...  I got 5 projects done in the last 10 months.

Suck it up, throw some dirt on it and get back out on the field.



good day.

[Ond]

Lazy asses...  I got 5 projects done in the last 10 months.

Suck it up, throw some dirt on it and get back out on the field.



good day.

Wow 5 cabs started and finished in 10 months!  Or did you mean 5 'projects'  in that case, yeah same,  I've completed all manner of projects in the last year.

[michelevit]

Just do it.
8 months is too long to build an arcade cabinet. Christmas is coming up. Make Christmas your new deadline.
Make a to do list of what it would take to meet your deadline and whittle it down daily.
Reward yourself as you cross off items on your to do list.

Just do it.

[eds1275]

I am in the same boat, money is not really a problem however it is the time. Even on my days off (I WORK A LOT, multiple jobs overlapping.) However every time I do anything, no matter how smal... damn is it a good feeling. I work al over xmas, including the day of, but in the new year I will be getting down to the nitty gritty. You all saw it here, so get on my case if it doesn't start happening.

[epetti]

I'm at the one year mark, and REALLY REALLY close to being done. Just eventually came to terms with it being a slow burn project. I agree that breaking it down into lots of really small tasks on a list helps -- every time you check off one you know that you've got a finite number left and you're done.

Hoping to finish this week or next (fingers crossed).

[ChanceKJ]

.

[EightBySix]

I also have this thing where once I know something works, I lose interest.  I like the challenge of figuring it out and making it work, not the menial task of finishing it. 

This!

I gave myself an Xmas deadline lst year! When I was working hard to meet it though I realised that it was supposed to be fun. Now I view it as something nice to do when I feel like it. It gets finished when it's finished.

"It's the cliiiimb....."

[05SRT4]

The best thing that happened to my un-finished mame is the PC chip-set blowing up. Now I am actually finishing the marquee and artwork for it.

[emt380141]

I also have this thing where once I know something works, I lose interest.  I like the challenge of figuring it out and making it work, not the menial task of finishing it. 

This as well.  I have been advised by my Doctors that its a symptom of my adult A.D.D diagnosis.  All my energy, focus, reason for living goes into discovering how this "something" works, and I learn an extreme amount from it to the point of it being a fault, and then once the goal of "how it works"  or " how to make it my own", it just fizzles away, and i'm left with,  "what else can I obsesse about?".   It enrages my wife that I leave projects half done once I have that "aha" moment,  but God bless the woman, that she puts up with it and still loves me unconditionally.

[paigeoliver]

Order anything you are missing and just walk up to it one morning that you have the day off and finish it, no excuses, no anything just finish it.

Once around 2 PM on a friday afternoon I thought "Man it would be good if I had a mame cab to sell at that arcade auction tomorrow morning".

I literally started from nothing without a plan at 2PM and had a complete scratchbuilt cabinet ready by midnight, paint and all. It was a red single player layout with a 49 way joystick as some long defunct limited run 49 way encoder was the only encoder I had laying around.

[Donkey_Kong]

get it working and playable, then never finish it, just like everyone else.

[leapinlew]

You gotta grind through it man. I mean, take a break if you need it, but definitely cap the break to a small time frame, like a week. Even if you don't get it perfect, you can always redo it at this point. Don't worry about getting it perfect.

As I've gotten older, I notice my ability to juggle multiple tasks at once isn't as easy so now I focus on one task. I'll queue up my next project, but I try not to start it till I call the project at hand done.

There are so many tasks to do with a project like an arcade cabinet, you aren't going to enjoy them all.

[lcmgadgets]

Wow, it's good to c that I am not alone. My own project has been on for years, & will continue. Stick to it. Break it down into small parts, & focus on those. 1 project at a time. Others have already posted all of these, & its good advice. Post about it. That helps me, even when my posts r 'soldered 2 wires today'.

[stigzler]

Brilliant.

Cheers chaps - good to know not alone in arcade hell.

Suck it up, throw some dirt on it and get back out on the field.

Love it.

Realised that the conceptualisation stage was the most fun. The woodworking was good as learning new stuff, but had my "aha" moment around relaising the finish stage (painting + acrylic artwork) now looms. Spent 8 years totally renovating a house and loved all the learning new skills (plastering, electrics etc.) and would spend 3/4 months on a room. The stage I hated was the painting, cos relative to the rest of the work, was a small amount of time, but soooo crucial!

So maybe that's it.

Or I'm lazy.

Or it's getting cold.

Maybe I need a wife to nag me.

[Steve248]

Wow, I am just one of the boys then!

I was worried starting a thread of my project knowing it would take a long time but maybe I should start?

My issue, like many, is that when I have the money I have no time, when I have the time I have no money...

[CaptainMarvel]

I haven't yet started my project yet and you guys are all scaring me to death.   




just kidding  . . .




These are all great comments .... most of them inspiring and encouraging.



 

[Maximus]

well..... I think.....oh nevermind.

[jennifer]

    Throw a tarp on it (Cause its just not going anywhere) and start a new project.... In the back of your mind you will always know whats under the curtain, always looking for parts, and good deals. and one day, you will finish it. (Most likely with upgrades)

[leapinlew]

    Throw a tarp on it (Cause its just not going anywhere) and start a new project.... In the back of your mind you will always know whats under the curtain, always looking for parts, and good deals. and one day, you will finish it. (Most likely with upgrades)

That's great advice Jennifer. You could also just burn it to the ground. Either or, your choice.

[michelevit]

Hire someone to finish it.

[Dawgz Rule]

1. The remainder of your build is in your own personal "too hard basket"

or

2. You are sick of working on it altogether. (obviously Point 1 can lead to point 2.   )

This.  Some parts are just not as fun or motivating as the others.  When that occurred I did this...

Suck it up, throw some dirt on it and get back out on the field.

[Monkeyvoodoo]

I'm roughly 9 months into my cabinet and all I've accomplished is cutting the wood and acquiring the internals. I do worry about never finishing it but I just keep plugging away at it when I can spare the time. I'm aiming for playable by Christmas since my father is coming out to visit. Hoping to have it completed before I move next summer.

Just take it one day at a time.

[stigzler]

    Throw a tarp on it

It'll still look like an elephant with a sarcastic grin on its face.