I've been working on my project for so very, very long. It's not far off now .... really - it should only be a couple of weeks (though I have been saying that for months now). And I've been highly motivated very a very long time.
But it's coming into the final stretch and just as I can see the finish line I am finding that I am fighting against myself to get it finished.
This really isn't like me - I've been hyper motivated for many, many years.
And this time I think my project is the one that will get traction, after so many years of trying and failing with projects that flare out and sink.
So cheer me on. I need some encouragement to put in the final few weeks to get it done. If I keep dragging my feet it's going to take months. I feel like it's becoming a death march that will crush me unless I put in the final spurt needed to get over the line. I'm tired. I feel like every feature I need to implement is dragging me through molasses.
When you finish something you will probably show it to the world. So now that world will judge your talent/abilities and maybe you don't feel ready for it.
Apparently it's a common thing. I think Pressfield wrote about it in the War of Art. And it was in another book about childhood trauma I read recently, though I can't remember the title.
I could be way off. Just saying it's a possibility.
But you need cheering on, because you don't think you're motivated enough.
Think about why you are meta-motivated. Why do you want to have the project finished? If there's a really good reason, and you think deeply about that, maybe that helps your motivation.
> I feel like it's becoming a death march that will crush me unless I put in the final spurt needed to get over the line. I'm tired. I feel like every feature I need to implement is dragging me through molasses.
Or... maybe you need a break?
You wrote that this is a personal project. Ask yourself if the remaining effort is worth it. Don't fall pray to the sunk cost fallacy. If the answer is a resounding "yes", maybe it helps with motivation. If the answer is a "no", well, then you have your answer. Then ask why you feel so strongly about wanting to finish.
1. Have you been getting enough sleep in the past days? I did 90-hour week to finish my doctoral dissertation and much of what I did in the last days of that week was very problematic.
2. Is there some particular doubt about the project that you might have, perhaps even be suppressing in your drive to finish? It can often be wise to take time to write up these doubts. You can likely come back and review them once you are past your finish line.
3. Have the last bits of the project become unexpectedly harder and more time-consuming? This can be a sign that you need to re-evaluate your expectations about what the last steps involve.
That you've been well-motivated until recently is a very good sign. With new kinds of project, it is common for finishing off to be harder than you expect, but from the sounds of it, I think you are close to the end.
Write down everything you planned to do to finish. Cut back everything that isn't absolutely necessary (MVP). There should be a brief feeling of relief once you send out you child into the world. Then there will be much more work with incorporating feedback than you expect right now.
Sorry for the opposite of motivation. There's only one way - forward.
In the meantime you have all the probably most tedious incremental tasks left to finish. Write a list. Scrub out anything that is excess “polish”. Do one at a time.
If you don’t feel like finishing maybe do something else for awhile. Like ask potential customers for feedback, or show trusted friends what you have so far. You may be missing social feedback that can help reinvigorate the purpose of finishing.
Don’t be too hard on yourself if it is a flop. See how it could be changed, or try finding customers before building next time so you are in constant feedback loop.
Some founders on YC are also open to providing feedback- it could be that you need validation or criticism from someone you respect.