Ask HN: How do I keep side projects productive without it getting annoying/dull? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do I keep side projects productive without it getting annoying/dull?

1 pointdenispal2 comments

I have been recently working on different small side projects for fun. A project that I recently started is a bit more ambitious and also has the possibility of being profitable.

Lately, I have been lacking the motivation/discipline to work on it, even thou I enjoy the process. So I thought about adopting productivity methods (tracking the time spent working, having tasks etc...), but then I started having doubts that this would help.

This is supposed to be primarily a leisure activity, since I follow the "deep work" practice of not doing any work-related stuff after 5:30pm.

So, yeah, I was wondering how you guys deal with it? Am I supposed to go all out and not be afraid of burning out? Should I just allow myself to be apathetic towards the project? (Keep in mind, that the time I'm not spending on this is time wasted on youtube/other mindless stuff)

All side projects suffer from this fate once they get serious enough. Suddenly you can't just do the fun stuff; the other 90% work that's more mundane now needs your attention.

This is where you have to decide if this side project should be: abandoned, continued as a slow burner, or become a real business venture requiring serious work and resources.

As a person who habitually creates new side projects of various complexity and then abandons them equally fast, the only advice I can give is: don't let anxiety get you to you no matter how you decide to move forward with this or other side projects.

I think that it's a general human-nature rule. We love new things but we discount what ever WAS new and become less enthusiastic about it over time. I've had hobbies where, for years, I could not get enough of them simply because I was always asking questions and looking for the answers. They always felt new. I wonder, and I'm thinking out loud, if looking to expand projects with new and ever harder questions will keep the momentum going.

Also, projects have a lifecycle of their own - very few will last a long time. So it's important to note that we need to put a rush on getting them done. Not because someone is waiting for them but because we lose interest, if there is no forward movement.

I'm one that always starts projects but I never give them hard deadlines so they eventually get dropped simply because I don't move them forward.

I think that rewarding yourself by hitting milestones will definitely help.

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