Happened: that was close
This is the fifth project update for my project “Happened” and participating in the One Side Project challenge. You can find my previous posts here.
This month was overshadowed by enormous personal and professional upheaval. There was also opportunities that are the precise thing that gets side projects set aside. Combined, there was no motion on Happened, which was really disappointing after the success of last month.
My employer is going through a large reorganization, reduction in force, and change of direction. I was not laid off, though many people I work with were. There is a lot of reflection, planning, and hard choices to be had, and the past weeks have been full. I’m not sure how close I was to losing my job, and what I’d be doing instead if I had, but it certainly makes one reevaluate things in that context.
I’ve also continued to write more Python web services for work. It’s fun, I feel productive, it’s a language that my colleagues understand, and I’m close to launching an internal product. I’ve spent personal time working on it because it’s that fun. I hadn’t planned on that issue when I started One Side Project — in fact, I was sure I was going to continue doing one thing for work and another for personal time.
The good news is that things will settle down soon. The bad news is that with summer coming, home projects and camping trips are on the rise. Good to fight burnout, bad for programming-based side projects. I’ve done all the thinking activities I can do right now for Happened; I must write code to make any progress on this project.
This month I completed:
- Wrote a lot of similar API elements for my other projects.
- Encountered several times I wish I had Happened to use right then.
Next month I will
- Code out the remaining API endpoints. I must, I must.
No more promises, this is a time for actions and proof. I’m glad to revisit this and be honest about my lack of progress, but I’m even more thankful to the support of the One Side Project members to help me be gentle with myself about it and to understand that this is normal. Check back next month for some real stories.
And as always, give this article a 💚 recommend if you enjoyed it, and follow One Side Project Challenge for my future updates and other inspiring side projects.
