Oddly enough, I still use pen and paper most of the time for smaller/solo projects. I've even written kanban boards and todo apps in the past, and there is a plethora of free ones available, I still prefer paper though.
Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
141–150 of 190 posts
Re: Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
#142As someone who recently started working for a startup with no computer science/coding background, this thread has been insanely helpful and relatable based on my experiences working in accounting/healthcare.
It's almost enlightening hearing similar problems across industries when it comes to task completion and execution of strategies/development ideas. I can't tell you how many times I would update our "tracking log" (a basic-ass Excel spreadsheet with project owner, general information, and date to complete task columns) to no avail. Someone would miss a deadline and tasks were constantly added without dropping off any tasks or moving them to the "complete" stage.
Trello is only as great as the work being done to execute on the assigned tasks. I really think it just comes down to getting shit done.
One technique I found very helpful is physically writing down the tasks you want to complete on a little 1x1 sticky note. This helps you stay concise with what you NEED to get done that day/week and keeps you from adding things you know you CAN'T accomplish within a respectable time period. Once you finish that task, you then cross it off. There's something uber satisfying about crossing things off with a pen.
I think the main goal is to set realistic expectations and hold yourself accountable for those tasks. Try not to overburden and add tasks to the never ending list. It just gets daunting and stifles your creativity or willingness to execute.
Re: Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
#1431. Come up with a feature.
2. Code it.
3. Test it.
4. Release it.
Occasionally: Think if there's any process/code problem you keep running into, and spend some time fixing that.
Don't overthink it. Most of the process ideas that exist out there exist to facilitate communication, which is completely irrelevant if you're the only one.
Also, don't create a process for people who don't exist yet. They may never exist, and if they ever do exist, your process will need to accommodate their needs. Having a process already in place creates a "this is how we do things" that creates opposition to accommodating the needs of new members, and puts them in the position of having to change a process they never agreed to and had no part in creating.
Remember, agile isn't a process, it's a set of principles[1]. "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools" means that you find the individuals first, and collaboratively build a process that works for everyone involved.
Re: Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
#144I use Trello, then it gets messy, switch to Keep to start over, that gets confusing or messy, I have a txt file with my todos, that gets messy, I try a project management tool like Basecamp, doesn't do the trick, start over fresh on Trello, that gets messy.... I think you see where I'm going with this.
Someone else mentioned using a little post-it notes. I do that at work but never considered the extent to which it helps limit how much I can write, forcing me to more pragmatic about my list.
I sometimes try to plan things on a bigger piece of paper or on my computer in txt file but it always gets super messy. I usually prefer to use a post-it note anyway, so I never really thought it about it.
Re: Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
#145I use Clubhouse and follow a modified kanban process. It helps me keep on top of dependencies, blocked work, and whether or not I'm overloading myself in a given week/month/whatever.
I've been using Clubhouse for a new solo project as well. I love it. It's so much faster than Jira. It's refreshing using something that loads so fast and has a UI that is nice to look at.
I migrated from Trello to Clubhouse because I really needed support for blockers and dependencies, but Trello doesn't have a good way to do that without paying for certain integrations.
I still use Trello for my non-project work, though.
Re: Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
#146I have a file called todo.txt, with the current tasks at the top, and everything else below that. It is in version control. As I finish stuff, I delete it out of the file. I add new stuff towards the top if I want to do it soon, towards the bottom if I want to save it for later. For things which are just ideas, I have a second file called brainstorm.txt.
This is what I do too. I tried using things like Trello but found the friction to be too high. I use org mode instead of a regular .txt file though.
More love for org-mode for development. You can also schedule items for major milestones ( or anything ).
Re: Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
#147I just used (and still use) org-mode to track todos & projects, as well as keep time that was spent on each task.
I tried not to over complicate my task keeping, because I've always been more worried about getting the tasks done, than trying to track progress.
Anything that was in planning/needs more info state got a WAIT instead of TODO, with a note on what was needed. And I'd review my list every morning before deciding on what I needed to work on, or if I needed to start pushing for information on other tasks.
I still do all this btw, I'm just not solo anymore.
Re: Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
#148Fancy tools are for teams, because everyone editing todo.txt eventually gets messy. It is not like you can't use the fancy tools, but if you expect them to somehow improve your work flow, prepare to be disappointed.
The thing about working solo is that you can get away with a lot less communication and writing stuff down. Depending on your memory you probably still should put a few core ideas on paper/file. As long as you are prepared to delete as necessary, putting ideas in code right away might work.
Re: Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
#149I write down all my ideas in a Trello board, and make sure that they're either easily actionable (can be done in a couple of days at worst) or tag them to split them up later.
My columns are Todo, In progress, Done and Backlog. Anything that's not a priority right now goes to the backlog. Every once in a while my Todo column gets empty, so I make a release and take stuff from my backlog.
Any time I have an idea, I instantly write it down and stop thinking about it. This lets me focus on my task at hand.
Re: Ask HN: Solo devs, how do you plan your development?
#150There's already extensive commentary on the organizing side of planning, but for my personal projects, much of my planning is thinking through the problem and recording my thoughts.
I've found Inkdrop[1] is quite good for that; there are a ton of them out there, but it has nice tagging and the ability to set a Status so you can have a set of notes "in progress."
I've tried a few mind-mapping tools, and can't recommend them, unfortunately. And none of these tools really talk to each other, which is disappointing.
[1]: https://inkdrop.app/