The learning lock-in thing is something I've coached several people through, for both software and literature projects. I've found a very effective tool in getting them out of the lock-in: make a wager with them.
I place a bet of $100 that they won't finish a small project in the next month. The project can be anything. It can be the smallest thing. But they have to finish it and release it in a predetermined, legitimate release channel (app store, website, self-publish on Amazon, whatever).
I've found a lot of people's lock-in comes from a fear of the unknown, of not knowing all the steps to get from 0 to finished, and focusing all of their time on the parts they do understand. They rationaliz the delaying of learning about the others as being pointless until they have the beginning parts "perfect". The bet forces them to make their comfort zone the smallest part of their project.
You can do it with yourself, too. Make a wager with yourself that you won't buy that new toy or have a drink or watch another movie until you finish a small project, completely, with a real release. You definitely need to time-box it, or you'll quit once you decide you'll "never" finish. And you need to setup a negative consequence: maybe get a friend to hold some money in escrow, or schedule a donation to an organization you hate that you can cancel when your project is complete.
Every person I've coached in this way eventually developed a habit of releasing projects. It turns out people grossly over estimate the difficulty of releasing a project. Once you force them through it, it's no longer a scary unknown and it becomes a lot easier to "begin with end in mind".
I place a bet of $100 that they won't finish a small project in the next month. The project can be anything. It can be the smallest thing. But they have to finish it and release it in a predetermined, legitimate release channel (app store, website, self-publish on Amazon, whatever).
I've found a lot of people's lock-in comes from a fear of the unknown, of not knowing all the steps to get from 0 to finished, and focusing all of their time on the parts they do understand. They rationaliz the delaying of learning about the others as being pointless until they have the beginning parts "perfect". The bet forces them to make their comfort zone the smallest part of their project.
You can do it with yourself, too. Make a wager with yourself that you won't buy that new toy or have a drink or watch another movie until you finish a small project, completely, with a real release. You definitely need to time-box it, or you'll quit once you decide you'll "never" finish. And you need to setup a negative consequence: maybe get a friend to hold some money in escrow, or schedule a donation to an organization you hate that you can cancel when your project is complete.
Every person I've coached in this way eventually developed a habit of releasing projects. It turns out people grossly over estimate the difficulty of releasing a project. Once you force them through it, it's no longer a scary unknown and it becomes a lot easier to "begin with end in mind".