Based on a journal entry written on August 21st, 2020.
Sometimes I imagine a world where I focus on projects for a couple months at a time and build a usable product. It would be a prototype most of the time, but it would be something new. I’d take shots at creating new products at a regular pace. They could be simple game ideas, CRUD apps, CLI tools, or art projects. As long as I would put around 20 hours per week into it, something would form.
I could do this four times a year and still have some breaks between projects. It would satisfy personal interests and solve problems. I would build a portfolio of projects over time. I could show projects to potential employers. I would improve my skills. I would learn technology. I would learn what I like.
Any project could become something bigger. I’m not able to predict what I’d discover along the way. Constantly making new things is the best way to stumble across a great idea. The more shots I take at creating, the better the odds of finding something awesome. Even if nothing big happens, I’ll have useful projects and knowledge gained.
Every project that I work on builds pride and confidence. I could do retrospectives about what builds pride. Pride should drive me forward ever faster, along with new knowledge and tools. I would create better projects in the future.
I can’t plan everything upfront. I will learn more during the journey than during planning. Consider what will help me maintain the constant creator’s attitude. I don’t want to lose projects accidentally, so consider how to host my creations. I don’t want to forget how to build projects, so consider build automation and CI services.
There are a lot of reasons to get into the mindset of constantly creating things. Solving my problems, curiosity, learning about technology, learning about interesting domains, helping the world, showing off my work, and building pride. So start creating.