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Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#51

Post by wmblaettler »

fookyong wrote: post #4

Don't build in the evening. In the evening, wind down the day, have a beer and plan out how you're going to use two hours in the morning tomorrow most effectively. Set one clear goal. Then... 1) Go to sleep 2) Wake up early (I recommend 6am) 3) Do the work you thought up last night I find myself remarkably productive in this cycle. If you've planned well, you'll whiz through the tasks. Focus on "doing one thing" each…

This is exactly what I do. I spend my evenings relaxing with my family, and get up early when the house is quiet and I am fresh from a night's rest.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#52

Post by frankwiles »

joshfinnie wrote: post #47
wlievens wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True. I suggest: eliminate watching crap on TV and only watch that which is (to you) truly worth watching.

Unfortunately, with Netflix, Hulu, Tivo... I am never in short supply of things to watch on TV that isn't crap. All six seasons of Lost, that's a lot of time gone on!

I hope you realize you just said watching Lost is more important than developing your product. All six seasons will still be there next year, and if your product is a success, you'll have all the time you want to watch them.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#53

Post by clistctrl »

fookyong wrote: post #4

Don't build in the evening. In the evening, wind down the day, have a beer and plan out how you're going to use two hours in the morning tomorrow most effectively. Set one clear goal. Then... 1) Go to sleep 2) Wake up early (I recommend 6am) 3) Do the work you thought up last night I find myself remarkably productive in this cycle. If you've planned well, you'll whiz through the tasks. Focus on "doing one thing" each…

fookyong, you're a genius! My only question, how do you transition? I feel like I have a process before I can write a line of code. I tend to think of it as loading the program into my mental RAM. However "unloading" it, and "loading" my work project is really exhausting for me. Any Tips on forgetting it all when I leave to go to work?

Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#54

Post by AmberShah »

1) I can actually get a lot more done in a 1 hour lunch break at work than a 2 hour session at night. Other people prefer to work in the mornings before work or even work a full weekend day. There's no reason why it has to be in the evening.

2) I'm lucky enough to have a high paying job, enough so that I can afford to have house cleaners, and I also pay my brother to do our laundry every few weeks (this is a win-win, since he gets spending money). Sometimes I feel bad for not doing these things myself, BUT in reality it's working and that's what counts. To be honest, if I made less, I might consider going for funding instead of working, but since I make good money, I consider that to be my investment in my business. That being said, I still have household chores to do, but you just have to get realistic about how much you can really do, whether that means getting help, or just NOT doing chores (sad, but true)

3) Since I know have much more limited time than other people, I really really REALLY need to find ways to keep the product lean and focused. Everyone says they try to do this, but you know, necessity is the mother of invention.

4) Finally, sometimes I'll be in bed, it's midnight and I need to wake up early for work. I'll start thinking about the product and get so excited I have to get up and work on it for an hour or so. And of course, since I'm pumped, I'm much more productive. This is horrible for my sleep, but I think it's a fair trade for starting a startup, in addition to living a full life with family and work.

5) Assuming you have a supportive spouse, he can take the kids for an outing to the zoo, or whatever, on Saturday mornings and you can get a good 6 hours in. We find it to be a win-win, since they get to spend quality time then.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#55

Post by Travis »

I'm the programmer in my startup. I'm also the guy with the day job. We weren't making the necessary progress until we actually analyzed why I wasn't being as productive as we needed in the evening and weekend situations.

Turns out that I basically needed an assistant. Since I was building features for my cofounders, we decided that we should pair program (except they don't know how to program). So they act as the "feature manager" and come up to my apt for 2 hours a nights a week and we work together.

A few key points: the feature managers MUST have their thoughts detailed out. In order for me to crank out code, I need to know exactly what to do. I think there's a cognitive cost when you have to shift from implementation to design mode (and even testing mode). You'll be amazed how much it helps to push those responsibilities out of your brain (and yet still get fast feedback).

Doing this, we've gotten probably 4 months worth of work done in the last month, without me increasing hours. Seeing how efficiently I can implement features made my cofounders realize that it's worthwhile to pay me even 1/4 time, so that I can reduce hours elsewhere. Been a real game changer for our company.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#56

Post by tsycho »

My day job starts pretty early in the morning (need to leave home by 7:30) so working on weekday mornings is pretty much impossible. I manage to get in a 2hr session after dinner on 3-4 weeknights, but doing so consistently requires a lot of discipline, giving up on TV etc., and an understanding wife/girlfriend.

I also try to tackle the larger/tougher parts of my side-projects on weekends instead. To make my weekends more productive, I try to finish the interruptive boring work such as laundry etc on a weeknight when I don't feel like coding. That way, I don't have to worry about it over the weekend.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#57

Post by RDDavies »

iworkforthem wrote: post #2

i suggest u code/build yr biz in the early morning instead, say around 4-5 am, wake up early, code like crazy for e 2-3 hrs. it's super productive when compared to late nites. also, since you have kids, you need to plan out their schedule properly, else they will need yr constant action. automate whenever possible, if u must outsource be sure to review n measure e roi.

I'd recommend studying English around 4-5AM rather than working on whatever the hell else you've got going on.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#58

Post by Mz »

I've gotten a lot out of reading this discussion, but I will toss out the additional suggestion that some tasks you think are necessary may not be. A particular home and/or lifestyle may impose certain tasks and making other choices may reduce those tasks. One obvious example: A house with a large yard requires more maintenance outside than a house with a small yard. But there are lots of things most people take as a given which aren't. If you really just can't find the time, maybe you should track where your time is going and explore the possibility of making some lifestyle changes which might free some of that up. (As for the yard: I recall reading an anecdote once that some guy that had been a devoted gardener discovered golf and basically paved over his yard so he wouldn't have to fuss with it anymore. :-D)

Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#59

Post by iworkforthem »

jarin wrote: post #43
iworkforthem wrote: post #2

i suggest u code/build yr biz in the early morning instead, say around 4-5 am, wake up early, code like crazy for e 2-3 hrs. it's super productive when compared to late nites. also, since you have kids, you need to plan out their schedule properly, else they will need yr constant action. automate whenever possible, if u must outsource be sure to review n measure e roi.

Translation: I suggest you code/build your business in the early morning instead. Say around 4-5 am: wake up early and code like crazy for 2-3 hours. It's super productive when compared to late nights. Also, since you have kids, you need to plan out their schedule properly or else they will need your constant attention. Automate whenever possible. If you must outsource, be sure to review and measure effective ROI.

Cheers Jarin.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find time to code/build your business in the evening?

#60

Post by polynomial »

iworkforthem wrote: post #59
jarin wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Translation: I suggest you code/build your business in the early morning instead. Say around 4-5 am: wake up early and code like crazy for 2-3 hours. It's super productive when compared to late nights. Also, since you have kids, you need to plan out their schedule properly or else they will need your constant attention. Automate whenever possible. If you must outsource, be sure to review and measure effective ROI.

Cheers Jarin.

Meth is a terrible drug.
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