The Trap of Side Projects, as Experienced by a Third-Year Backend Developer
I'm now starting my fifth side project, and I haven't properly finished a single one. At first I start with tons of motivation, but every time I add one feature, the scope grows, and before I know it, I start thinking, 'Couldn't I sell this as a service?'
In the end, all that's left is unfinished code, and I move on to the next idea. This time, to really do it differently, I locked the features down to three before starting.
I'm curious how people who actually finish side projects manage them.
3 answers
Damn, that's literally me lol. I'm on my 7th fresh start too, and my GitHub is just piling up with abandoned projects.
I think pinning down three features is good, but for me, setting a release date first was far more effective. For example, if you mark on your calendar that you will absolutely ship in six weeks, from that point on you start removing features instead of adding them. Scope creep isn’t a matter of willpower—it’s a problem that comes from not having a deadline. And for that greedy thought, “Couldn’t I sell this as a service?,” I also recommend just writing it down in a note and pushing it to the next version. You shouldn’t erase it from your mind; you need to take it out and tie it down somewhere so you don’t latch onto it again.
Well, that's a bit... Maybe the reason you can't finish isn't scope, but that your interest in the project cooled off quickly in the first place? I've never seen anyone go all the way just because they cut it down to three features. If anything, isn't it better to pick one thing that feels like, 'This is fun even if it doesn't make money'? And if you're in your third year, aren't your main job and job-search prep more urgent than a side project? Honestly, with that kind of energy, properly refactoring the company code is the better use of your time.