Ask HN: How Much Effort to Invest in Scratching an Itch?

2 pointscauterized1 comment

When there's a project you want to build that you expect would have a very limited (and likely non-paying) audience outside yourself, how much of your free time are you willing to invest in it? A week's worth of nights and weekends? A month? A year? At what point is it not worth it?

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It really comes down to how much extra time would it save me in the end, or what is the opportunity cost of building the project. If I spend 40 hours building something that will save me 10 hours a month in time it is well worth it to me. However, if I spend 40 hours to build something and it is only going to save me a few minutes each month, that worth really has lost its value to me.

On the flip side, never underestimate that others don't have the same itch. Set up a quick landing page, run a $20 Google ad, and see if others are looking for something similar. It may have more value than you think.

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