Discussion on: What do you do if you're in the middle of a project and you realize it already exists in the world?

[Robin Victorino]

Good point!

I usually follow this rules:

• Do I feel like I can do something better in any of those dimensions regarding to the time I plan to allocate to it?
• Am I really close to achieving something that can teach me a lot / would clarify something I never understood / anything in that spectrum

If one of those rules is met, then I'd continue working on it, even if I drop it later.

If others (by contributing/publishing) or me (by learning) have earned anything, it was not vain.