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A one-side-project-per-month challenge

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Re: A one-side-project-per-month challenge

#31

Post by gooseus »

I think this definitely an interesting idea, I have at least 1 new idea a month but usually just talk to close friends about them and move on with life.

I agree that expecting to create 12 great projects next year is a stretch and odds are that 12/12 will become vaporware, however, the lessons learned and the potential (albeit small) for any one of them to actually become something makes this a worthwhile endeavor to me.

Actually reminds me of something I read from Antifragile[1]:

> Rule 4: Trial and error beats academic knowledge.

> Things that are antifragile love randomness and uncertainty, which also means—crucially—that they can learn from errors. Tinkering by trial and error has traditionally played a larger role than directed science in Western invention and innovation... [2]

Say what you will about NNT's writing style, but the guy makes a lot of sense to me.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Ince...

[2] http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014241278873247351045781209...

Re: A one-side-project-per-month challenge

#32

Post by ianai »

neovive wrote: post #29

I might give it a try, but on a slightly less intensive schedule--maybe one project every two months. It doesn't sound as catchy, but a bit more realistic. Best of luck with this initiative.

I didn't see anything in the premise requiring anybody to actually stick to the timeline. I doubt he/she is going to delink from someone for something like that.

Re: A one-side-project-per-month challenge

#33

Post by franciscop »

I've been publishing around 1 library (some small and some medium for 1 person) every other week. However, most of them are related around building front-ends using ES6[0][1] or building websites with Node.js[2][3]. I am also doing some experimentation with robotics/AI (voice/image recognition) but those are just side projects like [4], not publishing anything.

[0] http://superdom.site/

[1] https://github.com/franciscop/uwork

[2] https://github.com/franciscop/loadware

[3] http://github.com/franciscop/server

[4] http://anchor.science/

PS, I think all of those (and some more) were done within the last 2-3 months.

Re: A one-side-project-per-month challenge

#34

Post by navd »

Seems to be some people that think you can't do something in 1 months time. First of all I think the biggest thing you'll learn is how to CUT features out of something that you're building. Since you have 1 month, you really need to think about what problem you're trying to solve and cut out all the fluff that isn't necessary.

The second biggest thing you'll probably learn is HOW TO ship! A lot of people work on 'side projects' but no one ever really ships them. It's the hardest thing to do honestly. It helps you get over any insecurities you'll have building something. Especially when you release it to the world.

Building and launching is more than just building a product. It's a learning experience.

Re: A one-side-project-per-month challenge

#37

Post by ianai »

exDM69 wrote: post #5

One month projects sound great but with my busy schedule that would be only about 8-16 hours of butt in seat time, which isn't enough for a substantial project. I can think of some "toy" projects in that timeframe, though. And some peripheral utility projects that might be useful in the future. I've been at my "main" side project for more than 5 years with no end in sight. I wish I didn't have to have a day job. I'd…

Can you serialize your long term project into 12 smaller ones?

Re: A one-side-project-per-month challenge

#39

Post by chrismorgan »

Hmm… I like the idea. I think I might take it up, focusing on finishing things I’ve already started but never published, with either prototype implementations or something for which I’ve made at least some progress. I’ll get through half the year on those alone!

Re: A one-side-project-per-month challenge

#40

Post by superquest »

I made a resolution like this a couple years back because I had never completed any nontrivial software projects.

For me, it worked better to start with much smaller projects and scale upwards. I started trying to do a project a day. Initially the scope would always be too large to complete in a day, but with this quick feedback loop I learned to narrow scope. Then I proceeded to week-long, month-long, and one multi-month project.

It's a good method if a one month side project seems intimidatingly large to you — which was how I felt before this exercise, but no longer felt this way afterwards.

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