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Notes on Shipping Side Projects
Side projects die from ambiguity more often than from lack of effort.
side projectsexecution
Most side projects do not need a roadmap. They need a definition of done for the next seven days. The smaller the project, the more dangerous vague planning becomes.
I prefer to define one narrow outcome: launch a landing page, publish the first build, or get five users to complete a flow. That creates a real constraint and makes tradeoffs easier.
A useful rule
- Pick one outcome for the week.
- Remove all work that does not support that outcome.
- Ship before adding optional polish.
A personal site can help here too. If the site shows projects and writing in one place, it becomes easier to tell a coherent story about what you are building and how your thinking changes over time.