Most side projects fail for one simple reason:
They’re treated like products before they’re treated like questions.
A side project shouldn’t answer:
“What can I build?”
It should answer:
“What am I trying to learn or prove?”
Here’s a simple framework to use before writing a single line of code.
Step 1: Define the question (not the feature)
Bad:
“I’m building a task app.”
Better:
“Can I get 10 people to care enough to give feedback on this problem?”
Your first job isn’t to build.
It’s to reduce uncertainty.
Step 2: Shrink the scope until it feels uncomfortable
If it takes more than:
- One screen
- One core action
- One clear outcome
It’s too big.
Constraints don’t kill creativity.
They force decisions.
Step 3: Build the cheapest version that still teaches you something
Not:
- A full auth system
- Perfect UI
- A scalable backend
But:
- A landing page
- A form
- A script
- A fake door
The goal isn’t polish.
The goal is signal.
Step 4: Ship it before you feel ready
If you’re proud of it, you waited too long.
Early feedback feels uncomfortable because it’s honest.
That’s the point.
Step 5: Decide, don’t drift
Every experiment should end with a decision:
- Double down
- Change direction
- Kill it
No zombie projects.
No “I’ll come back to this later.”
The shift that matters
Stop asking:
“What should I build next?”
Start asking:
“What’s the smallest thing I can ship that moves me closer to the truth?”
That’s how side projects turn into products.
And products turn into leverage.
Top comments (0)