🛠️ Side Project Tracker

You don't find time — you protect it. Block 30 minutes in your calendar at the same time each day, ideally in the morning before decision fatigue sets in. Thirty minutes daily is more effective than occasional weekend marathons because you maintain context and momentum between sessions.

Choose something you can ship in under 30 days. The goal of your first project is to complete something, not to build something perfect. A simple tool, a short essay series, a small app — scope it down until it feels almost too easy, then build it. You can always iterate after launch.

Track inputs, not outcomes. Your habit is 'work on the project for 30 minutes' — not 'finish the project.' Progress compounds invisibly for weeks before becoming visible. Looking at your streak of completed sessions in Rise provides concrete evidence of forward momentum even when the end feels far away.

Research by Peter Gollwitzer suggests that premature announcement can substitute for actual work by giving you a false sense of accomplishment. Share progress and milestones, not intentions. Build in public if you want accountability, but only share what you have already done, not what you plan to do.