Ask HN: Software/methods to structure time for side projects

Linear is pretty great. They have a lot of more advanced features but the core interface is nice and clean. I like their project view with a nice graph of completed/remaining that gives a nice sense of whether the scope is still expanding or if you're on the other side of the hill and cruising towards complete.

1. For me formal planning is generally a net negative. I avoid it where possible. It's non-productive busywork. A "project manager" is the ultimate bullshit job, IMHO. Script that shit if you really need a schedule, or learn operations research.

2. Clean desk philosophy. At the end of the session, check everything in to git, write notes to help you move on next time you pick it up, and RELAX. Having learned the value of documentation, respect it. Keep it minimal, on point, and discoverable.

3. Work with your metabolism not against it. If you wake up early, knock out a few hours on something that motivates you. If you are disinterested, tired, or lack inspiration then take a break and do something else.

I have two files I use.

1. todo.md

2. scratchpad.md

I put my tasks for each project in the todo file separated by headings. I put random notes in the scratchpad file as they pop (ex, need to update x dependency in project y, etc). I then organize my scratchpad and create new todo items if needed at the end of the day.

My side projects tend to be small and not see the light of day, but for the last year I've been experimenting with daily microtasks. Each month I work out a list of 10-15 bite-sized tasks I want to do daily (sometimes rest days for exercise). Most of them are 5 minute minimum tasks and some are goal-oriented. A little off topic, but one nice thing about the monthly cycle of daily tasks is that I can adjust based on the previous month (maybe a certain task wasn't worthwhile to me or maybe I need to update the task) and it feels kind of like new years resolutions but achievable because of the shorter time scale.

The one I thought I would hate the most was forcing myself to work on a side project for 5 minutes a day because the bar is so low I wasn't sure I'd be able to meaningfully make an impact on a project. To my surprise, it's actually kind of pleasant. Obviously if you want to ship your project in X days it's not really feasible, but I'd be happy to release anything at all even if it takes months or years. Some days I spend the time planning, researching, or reading documentation (something I usually don't do thoroughly because I'm trying to ship something asap). Other days I'll actually write some code or create some content. Often times, I spend much more than 5 minutes on it, but it's comforting to know that it's okay to stop after 5 and do the other things I want.

As other mentioned, being diligent about keeping track of where you left off is important; otherwise you start doubling back which feels wasteful.

My issue/feature/todo tracking is mostly in an Obsidian Markdown file and in my daily notes where I might put more minute TODOs or scratch notes.

For timing tasks, I use a Time Timer, my phone timer, and the Windows 11 focus timer depending on what's closest to me at the time. The Time Timer is kind of neat because you can turn off the beeping sound so even after 5 minutes passes, you can keep going without being interrupted by the timer or feeling anxious about it.

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