The latest articles on DEV Community by Tomas Macik (@tomas_macik). https://dev.to/tomas_macik https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3952271%2F7a8c1dec-d660-4d35-85d5-ac4f295851e3.png https://dev.to/tomas_macik en Tomas Macik Tue, 26 May 2026 09:30:10 +0000 https://dev.to/tomas_macik/the-3-track-system-how-i-stopped-my-side-projects-from-exploding-22f4 https://dev.to/tomas_macik/the-3-track-system-how-i-stopped-my-side-projects-from-exploding-22f4 <p>I am a developer with too many side projects and a brain that treats every new idea as an emergency.</p> <p>Standard productivity advice never worked for me. GTD, time-blocking, Pomodoro — each one lasted a week. Then life showed up and the system quietly collapsed.</p> <p>The problem wasn't discipline. The problem was that every system I tried assumed I had a stable, linear brain. I don't. And fighting that assumption burns more energy than the work itself.</p> <p>So I built something else.</p> <h2> The core insight </h2> <p>ADHD brains need multiple stimulation channels. Fighting that need makes things worse. The 3-Track System satisfies it inside a structure.</p> <p>Three tracks run in parallel. Every task belongs to one:</p> <p><strong>Focus Track</strong> — deep work. One project at a time. 60–90 minute sessions at peak energy. No switching. This is where real output happens.</p> <p><strong>Momentum Track</strong> — quick completions. Small tasks, fast wins. Keeps dopamine moving on days when Focus is impossible. Replies, reviews, anything under 20 minutes.</p> <p><strong>Novelty Track</strong> — bounded exploration. 20 minutes per day. One new thing. The rule: explore freely, but don't start building until it survives 48 hours in a holding list. This is the Project Gate — it kills 80% of impulsive commitments before they waste a week.</p> <h2> The rotation pattern </h2> <p>You don't pick a track and stay there all day. You rotate based on energy:</p> <ul> <li>Morning peak energy → Focus</li> <li>Post-lunch slump → Momentum</li> <li>End of day curiosity spike → Novelty (with the 48h gate)</li> </ul> <p>Bad days where none of this works → Emergency Protocol: shrink to 3 tasks, find the startable one, do 2 minutes of it.</p> <h2> What this solves </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Side project explosion:</strong> the Project Gate catches impulses before they become half-built repos</li> <li> <strong>Paralysis on bad days:</strong> the emergency protocol gives a procedure instead of a decision</li> <li> <strong>Guilt about "wasted" novelty time:</strong> the Novelty Track legitimizes it inside bounded time</li> </ul> <h2> The honest part </h2> <p>This works for me. It's built around specific patterns — crisis comfort, scattered interests, executive function gaps. If those patterns aren't yours, some of this won't apply.</p> <p>I wrote it up as a short book (5k words, readable in an afternoon).</p> <p>The emergency protocol section is free: <a href="https://tomasmacik.gumroad.com/l/adhd-planning-preview" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://tomasmacik.gumroad.com/l/adhd-planning-preview</a></p> <p>The full system with all the mechanics is €9: <a href="https://tomasmacik.gumroad.com/l/adhd-planning-book" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://tomasmacik.gumroad.com/l/adhd-planning-book</a></p> <p>Source on GitLab if you want to read the markdown: <a href="https://gitlab.com/tomas.macik/adhd-planning-book" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://gitlab.com/tomas.macik/adhd-planning-book</a></p> <p>Questions about the system welcome in the comments.</p> productivity career mentalhealth discuss