Tips for maintaining motivation for side projects
My story - Finding time for a side project was really challenging for me. Here is this great project I’m interested in — Startup Data Science! I have my ongoing life — a full time job, a child… How do you really find the time? Well, I tried a lot of the things listed below and I’ll say there’s no one true solution, and sometimes you even have to try the same thing twice until it works. But here I am, 3 months later, with 6 podcasts under my belt and learning something beyond what I thought was possible. Read below for what I did.
- Add it to your agenda
Similar to the weekly team meeting or your after-work gym session, set a time and day for your project, especially in the initial stages. It will help you stay motivated until you fall into the habit of working. It will also allow you to evaluate how much time you really can, or need to give weekly.
- Have a starting routine
Instead of jumping right into your project, buffer it by doing something mildly related to what you’ll be doing. Like listening to a podcast or reading an article related to the subject.
- Join a group of people with similar interests
A Meetup group can do wonders if you’re experiencing a set back or simply feeling demotivated. Ask around or look for Slack communities or a subreddit that caters to your interest.
- Experiment with your routine
It’s not necessary that the routine you’ve stuck to will always work. For example, you may want to learn early in the morning, whereas you can code on your daily commute. Knowing what works comes through experience and keeping an open mind. If it’s not working out, try doing it another way.
- Let it go!
Unforeseen circumstances are what they are: unexpected. Your child may be sick or you may have extra work load. Don’t stress if you’re not able to meet your personal-project deadlines. Think why you chose to do this project, make an action plan and take a deep breath.
