Focusing on one Idea
So, I have a lot ideas for side projects, but I never get far in them because I always jump to the newest idea. I was wondering if anyone else had this problem, and if so, do you have tips to working around this problem?
As always, thanks for any and all advice
I think you can get around it by focusing on building and finishing the product within a self-imposed timeframe.
Don't create an MVP where the scope of the features is too large -- you'll burn out before you complete the project.
Pick a timeframe... like 1 week or 1 month.
Then launch.
The launch itself is a practice in learning how to launch publicly, on the internet.
When you limit the scope and timeframe, your risk is much more limited and you'll learn from your mistakes quicker.
In terms of whether having paying customers before hand vs finding them later, I've tried both approaches. Ideally you already have a few people lining up to pay you, but products nowadays are so polished that to throw up a landing page and hope you'll get good feedback is harder. I've found that it's become almost necessary to have a relatively polished (but simple) app from the get-go.
I second on the clear and short timeframe.
Especially if you have history of jumping from project to another, try to launch something in two days. Yep, just two days. I've done quite a few 48-hour hackathons and they are wonderful exploits of initial excitement to help you finish and launch. Last time we launched a landing page in few hours and spent the rest of 48 hours trying to get as many people to visit that site as possible.
Usually when I do my own projects, I try to get the initial launchable version in 1-2 evenings. If I get it launched/released and people to try it out, it helps a lot with the motivation to keep going after the first version.
As a reference, I've done a big number of open source projects and got to hn front page twice. Now I'm trying to convert all my knowledge from doing free stuff to start making a few bucks on the way.
Yes! It's amazing how launching often serves as "practice in execution". Looking back over the past several years, I can say that with each launch it's become more routine and refined at the same time.
I know this feeling. My life is a series of unfinished projects.
Now, for the first time, I am finishing a (huge) project.
The reason for the change was the support I got from people in my network. One of them is willing to hand me over dozens of clients. That gave a different kind of pressure, the one I needed.
People are expecting me to fail or not finish an idea, not this time 🙃
Good job on breaking through! That additional accountability of real clients is a great forcing function to help you follow through and deliver.
Yes, I did this so many time before. Normally what I do is make your current side project and spend a few weeks on it and if it doesn't go well, do another project.
List down all your ideas as well so you don't forget them in the future.
I have ideas that have stuck around for years and ideas I built and launched in a week. If you're full of ideas, I believe this pattern will always follow you but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I would focus on simplifying your current idea and trying to launch something quickly. A couple of simple launches may give you the momentum and know-how to handle some of the ideas you snoozed until later.
When do you jump to the new idea? Are you building anything to validate the idea (ie. landing page, MVP, etc)?
If you are purely jumping around from one idea to the next without validating anything...then I'm sorry to break it to you...but you aren't learning anything along the way =(
But if you are testing out ideas, concepts, and landing pages by driving traffic to it and getting feedback from people who sign up...then you are on the right track.
Don't even worry for now whether it'll be a billion dollar idea.
When you find ONE that has some initial traction, move it forward (ie. build out the MVP, launch it, and learn). It might work, or not...but during the process...you'll learn a tremendous amount. And that'll set you up for the next idea you explore.
Good luck!
Jonathan
Thank you for the advice. So far I haven't launched anything, but from all the advice, I am planning on finding a small idea and building it over a long weekend. It should help me get over that first hump.
I have the same problem. Lots of people here suggest working on one, but if you can work on more than one, then you can make that work too! (unless you are working on 15, then may be not...).
I guess these depend on how big and complex the apps are. If you are building basecamp type applications, it is possible to work on 2-3 ideas at a time, if you can manage your time well. I guess it will take that much longer to finish, but it could be a good way to not get bored. For example, you can work 3 evenings on one idea and 3 on another. I don't think there is one solution that works for everyone, each person is different
Build skills around pivoting quickly.
Had the same problem.
Don't start building anything, unless you have paying customers. Then you'll stop jumping to new ideas. My two cents.
This is kinda cyclic, if you don't have anything, you don't have clients, if you don't have clients, you don't have anything. So what comes first, the egg or the chicken?
I think there Is a moment when a leap of faith is required, I'm ok with small mvp's to test the idea and see if it has any traction.