The Highs and Lows of Side Projects

I did a part-time Ph.D between 2004 and 2009. I had a plan for what I was going to research, but in the end ALL FIVE chapters of my dissertation ended up being work that started out as side-projects. Along the way, I got to name two new dinosaurs (and revise one of the best-known old ones).<p>So needless to say, I am a big fan of side-projects. My experience is that I attack them with an enthusiasm that's rarely present when I am doing scheduled work. Often the momentum that that gives can get them to the point where they have enough substance to be wrestled over the finishing line relatively easily.<p>(Of course that experience won't translate directly to the kind of work you living from.)<p>Details of my dissertation here if anyone's interested: <a href="http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/dino/pubs/#diss" rel="nofollow">http://www.miketaylor.org.uk/dino/pubs/#diss</a>

I think the key to think about side projects, is that they're just that - projects on the side. If it starts taking up full-time hours and responsibility than it's not really a side project anymore. For me, I have my desk job. Then I have my startup I'm trying to turn into my "desk job" if you will. And finally I have my side projects.<p>These side projects are mostly fun, or the fleshing out of an idea. But I really don't undertake any that would take a ton of time or effort - unless I'm really, really interested in the solution (it hasn't been done or a better perspective on an old idea, etc). This way I don't spend a ton of time - maybe a week of a few hours here and there - to launch it.

Interesting thoughts. And it felt like I am reading what I always felt. I have created ,sorry, started many side projects but none of them ended properly. Some left out in the middle, for some after starting I just had no vision what to do next with it.<p>Most of this is due to my day job(full time job). And so lack of motivation or loosing interest was because of the less time I could devote to it.But I still do not agree on :<p>"a lack of commitment to one thing is just as productive as doing nothing at all."<p>When you work on side projects you learn new things or you practice old things which makes you perfect. So keep doing something is always better than nothing. Because of these unfinished side projects I was able to learn python, machine learning, data mining, django and so many other tools and technologies which I would have never learned as these are not related to my day job(all java).<p>So I would still vote for keep doing side projects whether or not you finish it you have something learned in the process.

"a lack of commitment to one thing is just as productive as doing nothing at all."<p>I'd agree with this statement completely. Everything I've built that I'm proud of has always been something where I took my time, had a clear vision, drafted out exactly what I wanted and then didn't just take it on as "just a side project" but when needed, forced myself to see it through to the end.<p>I think he has some really good points about side projects in general. I think we (or at least myself) can tend to view them as things like hey let me build a framework so I know how to do it, without any clear goals in mind (besides the vague one). Then you do it for a while and afterwards maybe you have learned maybe not, maybe you just give up because you never have the time, and then you wasted the 4 hours you spent starting the project. This is more for myself, but I think when I get an idea now or want to make a side project, I'm going to force myself to sit down, spend the half hour and write down a clear set of goals that I want to achieve, and only after this start.

I went through a little bit of the "lows" in the last couple days on my side project, <a href="http://nbaschedules.appspot.com" rel="nofollow">http://nbaschedules.appspot.com</a>. Yesterday, I sat down and made a few key decisions such as:<p>- Cutting planned features/Prioritized<p>- Stay simple<p>- This is a side project, a side project, a side project<p>- [important] Making sure it can run with a very minimum time and money forever so it won't just die (hence using GAE, no domain yet).<p>- Allocate no more than 1-2 hours a day

I don't know what it is about "side-projects". When I think about what I'm doing and why, it is rarely much different than any hobby I've had for as long as I can remember. But hobbies felt much less committal. Sure, I would get consumed by them, but I didn't really get these failure pangs when the plane or rocket sat unfinished for years. Now, it's different. The sludge of half or (worse) almost done projects cluttering my ~/dev folder is a source of some shame, and it can make it difficult to start new things. My best reasoning for why this is: a) there is a constant flood of "Show HN: My Before Morning Coffee HTML5 FPS" type news, which is simultaneously motivating and depressing to read, b) it is very easy to connect the dots between completing a project and some unrealistic outcome, usually involving money or some internet fame.<p>So I guess I'm basically agreeing with the author. If you want to build a salable product, then focus and do it. But if your really just screwing around because this stuff is neat and it's what you like to do, then call it a hobby and don't worry about it. At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself to do.

Depends on what your expectations are. I built <a href="https://www.delayed-tweets.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.delayed-tweets.com</a> for myself and I'm a heavy user of it and I tinker with it when I have time (Heroku + Stripe, if you want to know). If it also becomes a source of income, so be it. Otherwise, it costs me just a little more than using an alternate service to do the same thing (like HootSuite, Buffer, etc). But, I get to tinker with it on the side, learning new things and making little improvements as I have time. So 6 months from now, I don't have to be disappointed that it didn't go anywhere. A side project is exactly that, something that you tinker with while you still have a day job.

I've just completed an Android app on previous weekend. It's hard to find a good solid block of time to get a project done. I found it hard to even start, fearing it would be started and languished. Luckily there was a hackathon on that weekend, and I used that as an excuse (motivation) to start and finish it.<p>Staying simple had helped to get it shipped.<p>Edit: if anyone's interested, here it is. <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mhillsystem.dailybadge" rel="nofollow">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mhillsyste...</a>

I used side projects mostly for idea validation. For example, I am working on an MDSD system that takes a UML or RDFS model and generates a web 2.0 app written in Google Closure and using XMPP to interact with the application layer. All of these technologies show great promise but none of them have really taken off. <a href="http://www.dynamicalsoftware.com/mdsd/closure" rel="nofollow">http://www.dynamicalsoftware.com/mdsd/closure</a> is where I have documented some of my findings so far in exploring the merit of these three technologies.

I just completed a small side project: A little Ruby gem on Github. And when I say completed, I mean it. It's launched, in use in the wild, and <i>not taking up my time.</i> I started the project last week and finished it over the weekend. I haven't put any effort into it since, and that's not a sign of failure or abandonment. It just means the project is done, barring bug fixes, and that's a good thing.<p>Sometimes a side project really is just a side project. You do it, you're proud of it, and you move on. I love those kinds of projects.

Glad to know there's others out there with the same understanding on the subject as me.