5 Programming Projects to End that Creative Rut You’re in

hudbeard
3 min readMar 30, 2024

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Photo by Octavian Dan on Unsplash

Maybe you just got into programming and you are not sure what to do next. Maybe you have multiple years experience and just need some ideas for your next project. Either way, you’re in need of a creative spark. This article can help with that. It contains a couple of projects that I really enjoyed doing recently as well as some general ideas to get you started.

1. Replicate something you are interested in

Build something that already exists to learn more about it. Replicating code is one of the best ways to learn about what you are building. For example, I recently realized that I did not fully understand how computers display things in 3d. So I built a 3d render from scratch in python to see how it works. You can follow along with me here if you are interested:

2. Upgrade your computer

Build an application that makes your life easier or more convenient. It could be as simple as building a custom screen saver or boot screen. The sky is the limit! I built a widget system in python inspired by Apple. Here is the tutorial if you would like to follow along:

3. Create a board game

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Unsplash

Why not create a digital version of your favorite board game that others can play? Code in all of the rules, make a nice UI, and maybe even implement an AI to play against you! You can do something as complicated as chess or as simple as tic-tac-toe. This is a great way to learn a new language or dust off a language that you have not used in while.

4. Enter a coding competition

There are tons of coding websites out there with multitudes of challenges that you can compete in with other programmers. Here are a few:

5. Build an original idea

This is by far the hardest but also the most fun! What is an app that you or a friend has always wanted to exist? Why not take a stab at it? Who knows, it could be the next big thing! Share your ideas in the comments. The community here is outstanding. Plenty of experienced people would love to help you!

That’s all! I hope you leave this article feeling inspired and ready to boot up your favorite IDE and start coding. Make sure to clap for this article and consider commenting more ideas for future viewers. Happy Coding!

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hudbeard

Professional software engineer since age 14. Programming since age 6. Python is my love language. 🐍