Inability to split problem into smaller parts

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65536
Sea Gull
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03 Jun 2012, 6:14 am

When I was young, I was able to do complex stuff, like a computer game, because I simply made one thing and didn't care about the whole. I didn't plan any game, I just coded something step-by-step, focused on one part of the game. However, I had a general idea about how my game would look like. I just didn't pay attention to it, making realistic trees or bullet physics was more important for me. The general game concept could change at any time and I would be perfectly comfortable with it. The game just "happened".

But now... I feel like my mind has turned inside-out. Now I know that if I don't consider the whole, I would stuck at some design fails. Or my game will be just crap. But complexity of the whole project scares me. All I want is ability to do certain task quickly, but I can't make a complex project like that. I don't know how to start. Is it caused by procrastination? Am I afraid of failure because my mind is more conscious and has more knowledge about what could go wrong? What the hell is that? ADD? NPD, because I don't like to compete with anyone? Or is it just related to Aspergers?

How to don't give a f*** about a whole project again and just enjoy doing stuff?



btbnnyr
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03 Jun 2012, 2:22 pm

I don't know what the whole is until I have the parts, so my projects go like this:
Do part.
Do part.
Do part.
Do part.
Do part.
Do part.
Get idea of whole from parts.
Change part.
Change part.
Change part.
Get bester idea of whole from parts.
Do part.
Do part.
Do part.
Change idea of whole from parts.
Change part.
Change part.
Change part.
Do part.
Do part.
Do part.
Get bestest idea of whole from parts.
Check all.
Check all.
Check all.
Make parts and whole as purrrfurrrt as possible.
Obsess.
Obsess.
Obsess.
Done.



65536
Sea Gull
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03 Jun 2012, 3:43 pm

Well, I did it like you a few years ago (except I had a brief general idea or set of ideas how my project could evolve later), but now I'm afraid to start anything like that.

That's why I only enjoy doing small things now.



auntblabby
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03 Jun 2012, 9:01 pm

btbnnyr wrote:
I don't know what the whole is until I have the parts, so my projects go like this:
Do part. Do part. Do part. Do part. Do part. Do part. Get idea of whole from parts. Change part. Change part. Change part. Get bester idea of whole from parts. Do part. Do part. Do part. Change idea of whole from parts. Change part. Change part. Change part. Do part. Do part. Do part. Get bestest idea of whole from parts. Check all. Check all. Check all. Make parts and whole as purrrfurrrt as possible. Obsess. Obsess. Obsess. Done.

that is truly an excellent description of what i do as well.



Tuttle
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03 Jun 2012, 11:00 pm

I can either look at the tiny details or the overall most general thing for a project, and have major difficulties looking at both at the same time, or anything in between the two.

It's the reason I'm not good at programming despite all my background saying I should be better than I am.



FishStickNick
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03 Jun 2012, 11:16 pm

For me it depends on the problem or project. If I have a large project assigned to me, I can get overwhelmed by it because I don't know where to start, or feel like I have no idea of what I'm doing. Other times, Btbnnyr's modus operandi is how I operate, where I focus on individual parts then see how it all comes together. I may have a vague idea of what I'm doing, but not much more in terms of either the broader scope of the project or the small details, so I kind of make it up as I go along, and adjust as needed along the way.