find a foothold

22 days ago

when you’re trying to make something you haven’t made before—something well outside your comfort zone—chances are high that the prospect of getting started will feel impenetrable and opaque, like trying to get past a brick wall. this is one of the easiest times to lose motivation and start spiraling into despair.

at this point, don’t think about trying to solve everything at once. your one and only goal should be to find one thing—anything—that you either do understand, or don’t. be able to articulate it as clearly and as specifically as you can. it can often help to anchor on or focus on key words, a command—anything that puts a name onto what you either do or do not understand.

for instance, a piece of networked hardware you want to use might expose a TCP port. you might not understand what TCP is—that is totally OK. what’s more important is for you to have a vocabulary for what it is you don’t understand. you now have something to search—something to learn about. find the right depth of understanding you need to start building, even if it’s something incredibly small, or only a part of the larger project you want to make.