Re:Ask HN: When do you say no to a personal passion project?
by sokoloff on Thursday January 26, 2023 @07:13AM
(#34530741)
I cycle back and forth between “what would the magnum opus in this space?” and “how little can I get away with here?”
After doing some fantasizing about the former, it helps me to switch frames and build the fastest, shittiest version of it. I have a TODO.txt file with what might come later, but I also have something working that I can learn from and/or get utility from. (For me, the alternative is constant anxiety about “what else could I brainstorm here?” (which is fun) and little in the “what did I accomplish?” (which is rewarding in a different way, but isn’t strictly as ‘fun’).
After doing some fantasizing about the former, it helps me to switch frames and build the fastest, shittiest version of it. I have a TODO.txt file with what might come later, but I also have something working that I can learn from and/or get utility from. (For me, the alternative is constant anxiety about “what else could I brainstorm here?” (which is fun) and little in the “what did I accomplish?” (which is rewarding in a different way, but isn’t strictly as ‘fun’).