How do you keep you side project a side project?
Hi all,
I'm Constantin and I'm new on IH.
For those who have a full-time job, how do you manage to stay away from your side project?
Every now and then a thought on how I can make XYZ better comes to mind. I start making sketches/write notes and lose focus on what I'm currently working.
How do you separate your side project from the actual client work?
I tried forcing myself to only work on it on the weekends but that didn't go well.
When I have an idea that might be interesting but I can't do now (for whatever reason) I dump it into my Future Ideas page on Evernote.
Then I can mentally go back to what I'm working on in the moment, and I've slowly generated a long list of good ideas to work on when I'm not sure what to do next.
Hi! It took me a while, but I managed to make it a habit and a schedule. Well, the opposite, create a schedule and train it to the habit level.
Sure, developing these "context switches" takes some time, but then it "just works".
Sometimes ideas related to you project come during daytime and sometimes the opposite, dailyjob-related ideas spark during family dinner. That's how our brain works; I usually right it down so I do not forget it ans force myself to switch to the "required" activity. But having these "frames", anyway, works in at least 80% situations.
Good luck!
It's tough!
Fortunately for me, I work from my home office. I'm free to schedule my day as I see fit (aside from meetings during normal office hours). So if I want to work on a side project during the day and work on client projects at night that's ok as along the work get done on schedule.
Sometimes I've found doing client work is easier/better if I do take a 15-30 minute break to work on a side project. It's no different than standing around the water cooler chatting with co-workers.
I've found it increasingly difficult over the last 12 months. So I'm leaving my job to scratch the itch. Normally from 10pm to 1am is when I work on side projects. Just gonna make it my main thing now and see how that goes.
I don't want to and can't afford quitting my job. I hope your main side project will succeed :)
Yeah if there is one thing I have learned it's that everyones path is very different and all paths have an equal chance of success or failure depending on who you are. The key is to be very self aware about choices you have historically made and been correct about figure out the pattern that you are best at executing.
Really hope you figure out a way to keep yourself focused on the right things at the right time.
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I work in an open space office so recording my thoughts is off the table - would be too weird.
The emails + email folders sound like a great idea though. Thanks!