The one you come home to after a long day at work.
The one that you spend hours with and it is still doesn't seem to be enough.
The one that gets you excited and gives you the motivation to keep going.
No, I am not talking about your partner. I am talking about a side project. The work away from work that does not feel like work. Or you become so invested in it that it becomes your work.
Either way, chances are you have a lot of them. I do too. My Github repositories have collected so much dust my profile looks like a haunted house.
**How many side projects do I have going on right now? **
Being at home most of this year, I have managed to add more and more until I became overwhelmed. As a developer, you may also find yourself surrounded by side projects for side hustles, experience, content creation, or other endless reasons. These side projects may also take a lot of time. As we know, time is a limited and valuable commodity.
How do I know which one to prioritize?
To answer my question, I did the second-best thing to asking Google: I asked Twitter.
I must clarify, I am not a regular Twitter user and do not reach more than 2-3 responses on each post. Seeing the amount of engagement on this tweet made me feel that I shared a relatable question. And the developer community shared their insight.
Of the various responses, the following were my favorite:
-
If they are not dependent, don't prioritize them. %[https://twitter.com/reyadussalahin/status/1338165159966085120?s=21]
-
Don't succumb to paralysis by analysis %[https://twitter.com/alexiorodrigues/status/1338267998944194560?s=21]
-
Pick the one that challenges you. %[https://twitter.com/marian_d_dev/status/1338063052365819908?s=21]
-
Pick one - Marie Kondo style. %[https://twitter.com/peppermint_juli/status/1338120903507447809?s=21]
-
Base it on your vibes. %[https://twitter.com/rachael_xx/status/1338072204957917186?s=21]
-
Do all of them. %[https://twitter.com/amilcarcalles/status/1338042627787272193?s=21]
Like most coding problems, there is no single correct answer to the question. The key takeaway here should be that there isn't a right way to prioritize your side projects. Some argue you should not prioritize one at all.
I concluded the best way to manage side projects is to do projects I enjoy doing the most. After all, life may be short, but it is also too long to do work you don't rapture.
Which one resonates most with you? Do you have a different method to manage side projects?
Let me know in the comments.