How can you overcome giving one more turn of the screw

[jorgeopesi]

I do not know if the expresion is it right on english, but is when you start a neverending process of improvement. On big and medium MOCs there are so many ways to do it something that I can building an axle for days looking for the best way to do it and when I achieve anything I like I think if the first ones would not be bettter and I start again like Sisifo, I am watching Ulises 31 again... 

[Milan]

Some would say you are a perfectionist. Never fully satisfied with a MOC or with a module in a MOC. And when you do make it "perfect", you are content for a bit, but not satisfied, as you know there is at least 10 sections of our MOC that can be improved
Yeah, that makes two of us
And I love it!

[DrJB]

That's truly what a hobby is (by definition) ... I've had many hobbies over the years, and they all have that in common. There is ALWAYS something to tweak, whether it's a lego suspension, a reef tank, or even a vegetable garden ... and now, it's Home Automation (HA). Of all the hobbies I've had, HA is the worst of all, so much learning/reading, so little doing, and always tweaking. 

Edited February 21, 2021 by DrJB

[Mantarri]

I know the feeling all too well. My hobbies are Game-development, and modding, and then Technic.

In all three, I often run into situations where I spend waaay too long making things "just right".

 

Though I do feel that I'm getting better. Finally have a MOC that I've almost finished that doesn't feel hacky on the inside, and works well... mostly.

It's a snow plow truck in the Arocs scale, and I decided to not add the complexity of suspension.

Which means it can't actually plow snow outside, as the ground is bumpy enough that I never have both wheels on at least one drive axle touching the ground, so both diffs engage, and it just sits there.

I decided to just work on finishing it (as the MOC is almost done), and learn from it for my next attempt at a snow clearing vehicle.

[efferman]

4 hours ago, Milan said:

Some would say you are a perfectionist. Never fully satisfied with a MOC or with a module in a MOC. And when you do make it "perfect", you are content for a bit, but not satisfied, as you know there is at least 10 sections of our MOC that can be improved
Yeah, that makes two of us

four with @MisteryMan it is hard to find the point to say "it is done"

[Kostq]

5.

The best question to ask yourself and see if it's done is - Does this MOC still annoy me? 
If the answer is yes, then it's not done yet. The closer you get to no - the more done it is /at least for me/.

SEVERAL OTHER TACTICS

Saying to yourself "It's good enough" is one of the breakpoints at which you give yourself the permission to be OK with the results so far. It will still bug you, I know.

Other way to cope with this is to have several other MOCs in progress. So you don't have one rut, you have several 😁😁😁

Third way is to acknowledge that you need more know-how and buy/download other people's ideas/pdfs/. Basically go get inspiration from the other makers here. And steal their ideas creatively.

Fourth way is to lock the MOC away from your sight - move it somewhere else. I can't work my daily job if my WIP are around...

Fifth way is to just be so tired of this and abandon it for some time 😁

Sixth is - try to make a 3d model of it in stud.io or other program. Something in the rebuilding process just makes you see it with fresher eyes. It also leaves you with a snapshot of the moc in case you go nuts and scrap it. I've done this to smaller mocs. Or picture your progress along the way so you can revert to stuff.

Your future you will be amazed by your past you when seeing old building instructions and decisions. Even one month apart has made me see totally different and clearer ways to build the same stuff from the same bricks...

 

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by GTS
typos, duh

[allanp]

I think the only way to overcome this is when you get board of trying. Until then you might as well enjoy the process of continual improvement. Sometimes the "goal" of Lego isn't the end product but the journey of getting there.

Edited February 21, 2021 by allanp

[sirslayer]

But are you satisfied with your build and did you finished it?  I've never finished any of my models especially when I entered a (TC) contest due to not being satisfied but when I just started to finished my 959 just recently, I said dang, I'm light years on my design and should of finished my entry!! I could of won!!??? So don't be too over bearing or you could of miss sometime that was your best and the design is perfectly original!! 

Edited February 21, 2021 by sirslayer

[zoo]

This is something I struggle with daily at work as a mechanical engineer. There are usually many ways to accomplish one thing. At some point you have to accept that the problem is solved and move on, knowing that you might not have found the ultimate solution but hopefully you have found one that is good enough. I've gotten better at this throughout the years but it takes time. What a joy it would be if time and money was out of the equation, but sadly it is not.

[PangolinBricks]

I find this a lot when I'm building! Although seemingly simple I think just doing something else then coming back is the best policy for me if have no ideas. However I think that the process of continually rebuilding is part of building!

[jorgeopesi]

So the question is look for the balance between have a fun or getting cracy improving, another answer harder to find. Another point is that the more you build the more you hate your old MOCs and every new useful piece that Lego releases does not help at all because your current project sure can be improved using it.

[Gray Gear]

16 minutes ago, jorgeopesi said:

the more you build the more you hate your old MOCs

I  know the feel, but for me it is also kind of a proof that I have improved and refined my technique. The way you look at things makes all the difference.

[Erik Leppen]

2 hours ago, jorgeopesi said:

the more you build the more you hate your old MOCs

Which is good! It means you're improving.

Anyhow. Perfectionism is needed to get closer to perfection, but it also means you're going slower. So I think that's the balance you should strike: do you want to spend a year on one awesome MOC, or do you want to build 3 decent MOCs instead?

Also, I see the exact same thing in game development. I can spend ages tweaking code that noone will ever see. One of the hardest things, in any creative work I'd say, is declaring it finished.

I'm currently doing February Album Writing Month (fawm.org), where the goal is to use the 28 days of February to write 14 songs. The goal is to actively go against the urge to perfectionize, and say: good enough is good enough, and have full focus on the creative side, instead of the more "engineering" side of perfectioning something. It's basically a practice in finishing things, going through the whole creative process in fast-forward. If you're too perfectionistic when, say, building a car chassis, you'll never get to the bodywork. So, to practice building bodywork, you have to let go of the perfectionism for the chassis.

[nerdsforprez]

Second what others have said in terms of getting bored with a build.  If it still invigorates you, who would you quit?  But if it bores you, and you don't see a light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps its okay to leave it alone.   

I have often found the right time to quit a MOC is the same rule I use when I need a nap.  I have found that I actually never take naps, THEY TAKE ME.  Meaning the need is so overpowering I am helpless against it.

Likewise, the time to call an end to a MOC isn't when I quit on a MOC, it is when IT QUITS ON ME....(i.e. stops giving me joy and satisfaction)... 

[doug72]

All MOCs can be improved if left for awhile and then looked at again.

During Lockdown I have reviewed all my TRAIN GBC MOCs,

In most cases just some minor tweaking required & tidying up.
Some others that did not perform have been dismantled to use parts for new builds.

Currently attempting to resurrect two failed builds having now identified the problems they had.

Both are currently being completely re-built from scratch and will fully tested at each stage before moving on.

Major task is controlling them mechanical rather than resorting to using EV3.

One option is to use a supplementary PF motor to drive the module if train does not have enough power to run it.

The train reverser to control all the required actions and stop & start the motor.

Helps pass the time during lockdown no. 3 !!

At least once a week I tidy up my Lego room and return discarded parts but into their correct storage drawers.

[howitzer]

I once read something about painting a picture, which can be extended to many other things too: the painting is never "finished" or "complete" in the sense that there's a final stroke after which nothing needs to be added or changed. At some point the painter just stops working on it, and that's when it's as finished as it ever will be.

With Lego, especially Technic, there's the problem of having to take apart the previous build in order to improve it, so I guess it's finished when you can't be bothered to dismantle and rebuild it anymore to fix or improve something.

[RocketPuppy]

The world runs on F-it and good enough. 

I'll usually give myself a set of limitations to build within before starting a MOC. 

Building at small scales for fun helps a lot, you'll be forced to come up with very creative solutions to make things work. 

Like “I'm going to build a six stud wide pushrod suspension." it's limited in scope, do-able, and you'll learn a bunch from doing it. 

Even building a bunch of smaller scale models with limited functionality before trying to create a custom 1:8 Supercar. 

So build a 1:20 car with working suspension, a 1:20 car with a 3 speed gear box, and another thats RC controlled, put them in the car transporter. Now use what you've learned to build the big one. 

If the goal is to build the best thing possible, set a dead line to achieve it. 

You'll learn more and get better building and finishing imperfect things than you'll ever grow never finishing that perfect thing. 

[Alexandrina]

4 hours ago, jorgeopesi said:

the more you build the more you hate your old MOCs

Useful advice for life in general, and all creative pursuits. I'm the same with my films and my writing: looking back at my work from years ago I cringe, and wonder how I ever came to be proud of it. But that's just evidence of all the ways I've got better at what I do. I'm of the view that the moment you stop wanting your old work to be better is the moment you stagnate.

[DrJB]

One here has to be careful and make sure this 'perfectionist habit' does not 'translate' to their work/livelihood.

I'm an engineer as well, and often (at least in the past) get bogged down by 'needing' to constantly improve my design/solutions ... but one needs to know when to stop.

I'll tell you this, when we hire people, we look typically for 3 attributes:

1. That the engineer/candidate knows their stuff - If I'm hiring a DSP engineer, he better knows everything about the math behind Windows & FFT

2. That he gets along with people - Many engineers are introverts and love to sit at their desk and talk to their computer

3. That he delivers on his promises - Many new hires meet requirements 1 and 2, but fail miserably at 3 ... because precisely of the need for non-stop improvement.

Yes, Lego is a hobby, but in the end, one must know when to stop and say the design is 'good enough' ... The software industry has understood this extremely well: Release the software as is, there will always be time for future versions and bug releases. Also, releasing software enables the company to sell it, and make money to pay for the engineers, so they can work on the fixes.

A bit of a digression, just to say don't let this Lego 'obsession' leak into your real-life job.

Edited February 21, 2021 by DrJB

[dr_spock]

I suppose self-control or self-discipline.  At some point overtorquing a screw or bolt will snap it. 

[jorgeopesi]

25 minutes ago, DrJB said:

One here has to be careful and make sure this 'perfectionist habit' does not 'translate' to their work/livelihood.

I'm an engineer as well, and often (at least in the past) get bogged down by 'needing' to constantly improve my design/solutions ... but one needs to know when to stop.

I'll tell you this, when we hire people, we look typically for 3 attributes:

1. That the engineer/candidate knows their stuff - If I'm hiring a DSP engineer, he better knows everything about the math behind Windows & FFT

2. That he gets along with people - Many engineers are introverts and love to sit at their desk and talk to their computer

3. That he delivers on his promises - Many new hires meet requirements 1 and 2, but fail miserably at 3 ... because precisely of the need for non-stop improvement.

Yes, Lego is a hobby, but in the end, one must know when to stop and say the design is 'good enough' ... The software industry has understood this extremely well: Release the software as is, there will always be time for future versions and bug releases. Also, releasing software enables the company to sell it, and make money to pay for the engineers, so they can work on the fixes.

A bit of a digression, just to say don't let this Lego 'obsession' leak into your real-life job.

Well now I know why I would not be a good engineer and I am a pipefitter, I know the just maths for my job and I often like more pipes than people, I am good at the point 3 but only in my job... I have never been able to meet a deadline for a drawing, without time I do it soon when I hear a date good bye, I suppose it would be the same with a Lego MOC for someone. 

[Erik Leppen]

This is also by the way why I love the EB Technic competitions. They force you to build within a time constraint, eliminating this whole perfecting thing.

By the way, super interesting post by @DrJB While too much perfectionism can be a real problem, too little of it is bad as well. In my experience in the software world, I often tend towards perfectionism, because if you do it quick, oftentimes it will need to be modified later, and time spent redoing things often exceeds initial savings. Doing less work now often means more work later.

Of course, this problem usually doesn't play within the world of Lego MOCs. Those kind-of sit in a vacuum, and imperfections won't harm other MOCs, so you can be more lenient. I often don't "reorganize" a MOC after it's done. If it works, it works. Things like reorganizing the color coding, reducing the number of rare parts, bringing the weight down, improving rigidity or modularity, or "cleanness" in the design are all nice to have, but not doing them doesn't have any side-effects in the future.

[Lipko]

I guess I'm lucky then, I'm no way a perfectionist but rather a prototypist. I' a machine designer by profession, though I program much more than I do mechanical design (and not too much of that either). I can deliver in days, even in hours. Sure, my designs have flaws and far from optimal, but I always had the opinion that early prototyping is much more beneficial in both short and long term, than overdesigning without any physical building. Because even with tons of thought there will be flaws and even major mistakes. With a prototype you can spot many of these issues very early and you even have a chance to have a pretty good product very early. I don't say there is no improvements are made, and of course you can't just prototype anything because of the expenses.

I admit that this method is not sufficient for every task, but for many engineering jobs, I do think it is. And I don't know if I could work the other way.

Edited February 21, 2021 by Lipko

[jorgeopesi]

1 hour ago, Erik Leppen said:

Things like reorganizing the color coding, reducing the number of rare parts, bringing the weight down, improving rigidity or modularity, or "cleanness" in the design are all nice to have, but not doing them doesn't have any side-effects in the future.

One of my problems is that I try to do all you say from the begining when I know perfectly that do the MOC fast and then improve it would be easier, I have to try to do it.

[Jundis]

"A work of art is never finished, merely abandoned." - Leonardo Da Vinci

As I am also rather in the group of perfectionists than the ones who build fast, I feel some times that I can really say to my self: This (sub-)assembly is so good, I leave it this way. This feeling occurs, when both the function and the looks go well together. In an early semester in mechanical engineering, a professor ones said: "what looks good works well" and this really is the top premise when building MOCs. Maybe the perfectionism lies in the perfect balance between looks and functions. Adding to that, this really takes many iteration steps in some cases. If I am really stuck on a model, I start a new one and wait for enough inspiration to go to the older one again.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Jundis