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Comment by Carpetsmoker | Hacker News Reader

This sounds familiar, but I don't really see the issue.

Sometimes I get absorbed in a side project, and I'm being creative and having fun. Why put a brake on it? I think that some of the best things I've done (professionally) were when I was in a "being completely absorbed in a project"-mindsets.

Sometimes I don't works on side-projects for months at a time. I just don't feel like it and I'm doing other stuff. That's okay, too. No pressure.

If you're always being absorbed by side projects then there might be a problem, but as long as there's is an ebb and flow to these things I don't really see the problem.

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Sometimes you don't realize how many thing are giving away for those side projects. With those side project don't make you any money, they are pure leisure you should see it like 'playing video games'. When start to refuse go out with friends or make simple home tasks to keep working in this side project, it becomes serious... Of course, those side project allow you to acquire or improve skills which may be useful in your professional life. But the way you balance it is very important.

The analogy of 'playing video games' should help you to see how serious and important these projects are to your life.

I get what you're saying, but don't really like the video game analogy. Video games are about following other people's rules, usually to achieve other people's goals (the exception is "sandbox" games). I don't think of it as a creative act, unless it's something extreme like speedrun glitches and demoscene-like arbitrary code execution.

You've elucidated the reason why I cannot get into videogames, even though I tried multiple times this last two decades.

I love the aesthetics of a well designed game. Pretty graphics are mesmerizing. But following arbitrarily designed rules and solving riddles created for the sole purpose of having an end goal for the game,—especially when one has a teenager-like disdain for authority—is more aggravating than having to follow rules in the real world.

>With those side project don't make you any money

Says who? Plenty of my side projects have made me quite a bit of money.

I'd say your mindset is equally as unhealthy as you'd never put any serious thought into it, making your statement about them not making money a self-fulfilling prophecy.

My problem is side-projects infect my brain and make it impossible to sleep. These days I actively try not to get too sucked in. I try to ride the line of doing interesting things, but not _too_ much that I can't get it out of my head.

> some of the best things I've done (professionally) were when I was in a "being completely absorbed in a project"-mindsets.

I've been surprised at how many employers and engineers scoff at the idea of being "in the zone". Apparently you aren't a "rockstar developer" if the needless distractions in a corporate atmosphere bother you.

Are you trying to say that my 4 hours of meetings a day actually hurt my productivity instead of help it?

We’re always meeting to find out how to be more productive though, discuss the scrum status, update our timelines or a variety of things that give the illusion of things progressing when nobody actually has any time to work.

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