Mindful, joyful building

After a brief hiatus for about a month, I’m back to building Lifelog on weekends. And it’s been a joy.

It’s easy to think I got to spend every waking minute behind my computer pushing my main project of the season. Try to milk it for what’s its worth, optimize every minute towards some ambitious goal.

But too much haste, too little speed, they say.

That’s why side projects are so helpful and important.

When I build for Lifelog, I feel I can do it without haste.

Without feeling like every minute has to matter.
Without worrying about monetization and growth.
Without grand ambitions and big plans.

I just build what I like, what I think will be helpful to folks here, what they will enjoy using, what I will enjoy using.

I get to code mindfully, and joyfully. Take my time to code properly, style things nicely. Come back to a feature if the initial release doesn’t sit right.

Basically, indulge a little in my craft. In art. Versus commerce.

I always always underestimate how much being able to do this fulfils me. Tops my creative tank back up. Makes me feel a deep sense of satisfaction with my work, which leaks to other projects, and even other parts of my life. The motivation from a side project, fuels me for the main project.

It’s wild to think that I could get far just from hunkering down on my main project.

Time and again, I relearn this lesson.

And I’m glad.