How do you motivate yourself to resume working on a project that you haven't touched in some time?

Question

A lot of developers get an exciting idea and they create a project, but eventually life gets in the way and you have to stop working on the project. Some time passes and you know you should probably get back to work on the project, but you just can't make yourself do it.

What do you do to motivate yourself to get back to work on a project you have not touched in a while?

Answer 1

I try out something new on the old project. For example, I tried using LINQ on an old web app, or rewrite it using MVC instead of using web forms. Then it becomes a sandbox for learning new stuff and I gain interest in the project again. Also, one may want to write blog entries on his/her learning, that might force even more commitment.

Oh, another technique, inspired by another answer -- tell everyone that you are finally doing it, announce it to the entire world, and then you are committed. Does not work for everyone though :)

Answer 2

Usually the project scratches an itch. You haven't gone back to the project because the itch isn't itchy enough. So ask your friends if they share that itch. Talk about the project with them, ask their advice, or how they'd address part of the problem the project seeks to solve. That might be enough to get you in your chair.

Once you're sitting in front of your IDE, project open, just start small.

Look over the code to re-familiarise yourself just enough to find something that's not quite right. If there's a missing test, write that. If you already have a decent test suite and a function just looks wrong, refactor it.

Answer 3

If you are no longer excited by the project then it was never meant to be - if you have to force yourself to be interested then all you will produce is average code with no love in it.

Throw it away and start on a new project :) Or rewrite the old one before continuing with it, now that you have had time to think about it you probably have a dozen ways you would like to improve it.

Answer 4

This is what I'm doing:

• I created too much buzz on Facebook, so all my friends got interested.
• I created a group to promote my project on Facebook.

Now, whenever I'm bored, I get messaged by people asking me when am I releasing. :-)

Answer 5

To echo Eugene... commit to a release date for a new version (even if it's a point version) and add in at least one new feature. Repeat as necessary.