What is important to get the side project done near your work to the end without getting tired?



It's tempting to run a personal side project separate from work and present your work away from work, but it's hard to actually keep a strong motivation to complete a side project. .. That's why software developer

Hugo Zapata discusses 'important things to get your side project to the end'.

How to finish your side project.
https://hugozap.com/posts/how-to-finish-your-side-project/

'It's no secret that it's difficult to complete a side project,' says Zapata, who has challenged multiple side projects. It seems that there were successful and unsuccessful side projects that he worked on, but from that experience Mr. Zapata was able to obtain effective methods and hints.



In the first place, everyone has a high motivation at the beginning of the side project, and the priority of the side project is very high. It's also fun to work on side projects, so you can keep working for a long time, and you can immerse yourself in side projects even on weekends.

However, after a while, my motivation diminishes, other work and hobbies come to be prioritized over side projects, and my interest shifts to something new. Zapata pointed out that eventually, the work interval became so long that we forgot what we were doing before, and as a result, the side project was put in storage.

Mr. Zapata cites 'Issues confronting side projects' as 'I am exhausted by frequent task switching and high cognitive load', 'I lose interest and motivation', 'Perfectism', and ' Impostor syndrome (cheater syndrome), 'lack of focus', 'lack of time', 'unexpected events'. To address these challenges and complete the side project, Zapata suggests multiple ways.



◆1: Reconstruction of goals
One of the major reasons why side projects fail is that they didn't know what they initially set. At first I was excited about the idea I came up with, but when I first saw the work, I didn't want to pursue it, but simply ``I wanted to stick to the idea and try new tools. It may be noticed. Therefore, pondering the goals you really want to achieve is important to stay motivated.

In many cases, the ultimate goal is so ambitious that it burns out before it is achieved. If you have pursued many side projects, but none of them have achieved their goals and are suspended, set a 'smaller goal' and complete the project with a reduced load It is also one of the ways.

◆2: Work in small steps
Zapata argues that side projects that go alongside the original work typically have a tight schedule, arguing that “interruptions” should be kept in mind from the beginning. Therefore, when working on a side project, it seems that it is better to divide the work to be done into small tasks and get a sense of accomplishment rather than doing everything in a stroke. It takes a long time to complete a side project, so getting a sense of accomplishment in small steps can help keep you motivated.

◆3: Warm up before work to reduce cognitive load
Before starting the actual work, Zapata recommends writing out a sentence, 'I will finish this work this time'. Writing out tasks in sentences helps you to understand what you should be working on, and helps you to change your mood from the previous work. Also, when the work is finished, put together a current progress status in a log and write down the tasks to be done in the future, so that the cognitive load necessary for the next work can be reduced and the work efficiency can be improved. I will.



◆ 4: Create system users for side projects
If you get a reminder of things that aren't related to the side project while you're working, or find something that's not related to the side project while you're searching for files, you'll lose your focus each time. Therefore, in the side project, the work environment should be switched to the normal time as much as possible, but in order to reduce the mental load as much as possible, the work to switch the work environment for the side project should be minimized.

So Zapata recommends 'creating a system user for the side project on the device.' Only by switching the system user, the calendar, memo, and reminder will be dedicated to the side project, and it will be possible to prepare a state where there is no thing unrelated to the side project on the file on the desktop. In addition, for a side project such as 'writing a book', it may be effective to purchase a device for it and not install unnecessary software.

Obtaining an email account for the side project is also effective because it will not be disturbed by unnecessary notifications. Zapata says he's also using email software as a memo substitute tool, saying that sharing the same email account across multiple devices allows you to write down your ideas wherever you are.

◆5: Change the place to work normally
When working on a side project, it is also recommended to work in a place different from the place you normally use for your work or hobbies. Rather than using the same desk for multiple purposes, deciding a specific place to be the 'place to proceed with the side project' will improve work efficiency.



'The abandoned side project may not ultimately be a failure,' Zapata pointed out after giving tips for completing the side project. The experience of the failed side project can be useful later, because the ideas that I thought about in the abandoned side project will be useful after a few years, or the side project itself has failed but I can learn something new. There are things that happen. That said, it's great to complete a side project and announce the results without giving up as soon as possible.

in Note, Posted by log1h_ik