✦Business · 10 recordsShip a side project

Most side projects die of scope, not of interest. This assumes a handful of hours a week and asks you to cut before you build, then sets a date so it cannot drift forever.

Install this templateSee the others

Free on any plan. You will see this list again in the app, and nothing is created until you press install.

✦ Everything it creates

The whole plan, before you install it

Goal

Finish the side project and put it out Month 2

Finished and public. An unfinished thing on a laptop is a hobby, not a project.

Cut it down Week 2

Decide what it is not, before building what it is.

  • Write the one sentence it has to earnDo firstDay 2
  • List everything I want, then delete two thirdsDo firstDay 5

Build and ship Month 2

The remaining third.

  • Get the smallest working version runningWeek 3
  • Use it myself for a weekWeek 6
  • Put it somewhere other people can see itWeek 8

Routines

  • An hour on the projectweekly
✦ It comes with a note

The scope rule

If it will not ship in eight weeks of evenings, it is not the project — it is the second version of the project.

When something new occurs to you mid-build, it goes on the list for that second version. It does not go into this one.

✦ Questions

Ship a side project, answered.

Because scope is what kills side projects, and it is far easier to cut on paper than halfway through. The plan spends its first fortnight deciding what the project is not, which is the only cheap moment to do it.
Write it down for the second version. Every good idea that arrives during the build is a reason the first version does not ship, and treating the list as a queue rather than a plan is what keeps the date real.
A handful — one protected weekly session rather than a daily commitment. The eight-week shipping date is set against that, so it survives the weeks where nothing happens instead of collapsing on them.
✦ More templates

Other systems you can install

Business

Solo founder

One goal, the two projects that actually move it, and the weekly review that keeps it honest.

Business

Start a small business

The legal and financial setup, and the first customers — running at the same time.

Business

Freelance client work

One project per client, and a separate one for the work that keeps clients coming.

Business

Run a sprint

A goal for the fortnight, work that fits it, and a review that is honest about what did not land.

Install it and start this evening

It takes one press. Everything it creates is tagged, so if it turns out not to suit you, it is easy to find and remove together.

Install this template