You have to think though, if full time work requirements weren't so demanding (yet so necessary, talking from a rent-paying perspective) then you could work on side projects in a more healthy way and still have some confidence that you could get them done in a reasonable time scale. Finding a work/work/life (duplication intentional) balance is pretty challenging.
Getting too absorbed in side projects
41–50 of 113 posts
Re: Getting too absorbed in side projects
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel like this is an excuse (sorry to be blunt). I’m a new parent and managed to build and release a side project in the first few weeks, as well as keep up with a bunch of other side projects. I’ve just had to adapt the way I work on them. Eg I’m spending significantly more time planning than before, I’m using tools that have been consistently applied to solve similar problems, I’m ruthlessly prioritising features…
I have absolutely no idea how you've managed that, and well done to you, but the judgement at the start is unnecessary. For another perspective, I lose 11 hours of my day with my day job, including commute time. With the 13 hours remaining, I get maybe 45 mins a day to groom myself at start / end, usually interrupted multiple times. I don't tend to get more than 2 hours continuous sleep in any given night, so while I…
> 2 hours continuous sleep
Awch. I've got a 2 month old who, for the moment, is a surprisingly good sleeper. It's still exhausting, getting in from work, trying to spend an hour of quality time with her while helping mum finish dinner before she goes into an over tired 'witching hour'.
I'm much more driven to try some side projects though. The sudden drop to a single salary and the vain hope that one day I could be finically sound enough to take an extended trip with the little one are big drivers.
Re: Getting too absorbed in side projects
#43I feel what’s really intreresting with side projects is momentum and sense of urgency. I rarely have side projects that have a real dead line. However, I image a sense of urgency to build momentum. Once I am spending every free hour outside of work on my side project, it’s really hard to suddenly take one day off. What’s interesting is that this momentum, I think, creates intrinsic motivation. If you want to be productive you should learn to harness this. However, of course balance is always needed, even though I don’t consider all side projects to be part of “work” in the work life balance.
Re: Getting too absorbed in side projects
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel like this is an excuse (sorry to be blunt). I’m a new parent and managed to build and release a side project in the first few weeks, as well as keep up with a bunch of other side projects. I’ve just had to adapt the way I work on them. Eg I’m spending significantly more time planning than before, I’m using tools that have been consistently applied to solve similar problems, I’m ruthlessly prioritising features…
A child really does not do much in the "first weeks". Most of the burden is figuring out all the APIs, but if the child and the mother are healthy, it does not really take much time and attention. This gets worse as the child grows up and gets more active. And there's the extra laundry, dishes and cooking that you need to take care of. And then the second one comes... Parenting is really honestly taking a lot of time…
> Most of the burden is figuring out all the APIs
I hope they’re Restful APIs.
Re: Getting too absorbed in side projects
#45I am a 49, still love my side projects. Yes, sometimes it's hard to listen to the signal your body is trying to send you (e.g. forgetting to eat when you are in flow state.)
One simple view that helped me are the little github green-boxes that show your commits. If it's too full for long stretches, time to take a break so I won't burn out.
Re: Getting too absorbed in side projects
#46> my laundry starts to pile up, my kitchen doesn’t get cleaned, and my social contacts get neglected from any meaningful conversation Yup, that's the sacrifice but worth it for me personally since that side project became a business and enabled me to do a big exit.
This is how I justify becoming so absorbed with my own side projects. Maybe one day it will prove to be a net positive! Congrats on the exit. How long did it take you working on the side until you were able to make it your full time gig?
Thanks.
It was a side project for a couple of years but things snowballed after we reached a certain threshold and it became impossible to keep my day job.
Re: Getting too absorbed in side projects
#47I'm too absorbed by parenting that I dream about side projects I will never do. Enjoy the free time
Enjoy the time with your children too. The memories you build with them today will last a lifetime, and will be much more valuable than any side project you're dreaming of
I've learnt side-projects are possible you only just have... sleep less :) I'm a father of 2 (4yrs old + 6mo old) and I start doing side-projects when kids and wife go to sleep (we spent time together as well, she doesn't go to sleep at the same time as kiddos). So around 22:30 I've work on something for myself for 2 - 3hours. Then repeat :)
But I'm blessed that my kids are sleep through 99% of the night time.
Re: Getting too absorbed in side projects
#48This 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.
Re: Getting too absorbed in side projects
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
You mean the first few months, before they learn to roll-over, are easy; you can just put them anywhere and they will stay there, mostly asleep? When they get older and start rolling around and walking, then the amount of time you have to be watching them increases dramatically. Especially when they go from 3-4 naps a day to 1 or 0. Let alone that sitting around programming all day is probably not what you should bec…
0 naps when it should be 1 or more is always a fun stage for both parent and child. His comment isn’t going to age well.
Fun as in Dwarf Fortress "fun"?
Re: Getting too absorbed in side projects
#50I'm too absorbed by parenting that I dream about side projects I will never do. Enjoy the free time
I feel like this is an excuse (sorry to be blunt). I’m a new parent and managed to build and release a side project in the first few weeks, as well as keep up with a bunch of other side projects. I’ve just had to adapt the way I work on them. Eg I’m spending significantly more time planning than before, I’m using tools that have been consistently applied to solve similar problems, I’m ruthlessly prioritising features…
Thanks for being blunt. I appreciate different perspectives and honest opinions. Don't mind the downvotes, which hardly means anything worthy of attention.