Unlock Your Side Projects: Strategies to Overcome Inertia and Start Building

Many of us harbor a list of "someday" projects – an app to build, a novel to write, a creative endeavor to launch. The weight of these unstarted dreams can be a heavy burden. But what truly stands in the way, and how can we overcome these common hurdles to make meaningful progress?

One highly effective approach to tackling this involves decluttering your mental landscape of ideas. Start by taking all your nascent concepts and dumping them onto paper. This externalizes the mental load. Then, critically evaluate each idea: are you still genuinely excited about it, or has the spark faded? Keep the exciting ones, and consciously discard the rest. For the projects that ignite your passion, break them down into the smallest possible first steps. This granular approach makes starting less daunting. Finally, commit to these steps by scheduling them into your actual week, transforming abstract intent into concrete action. This method not only fosters progress but also significantly reduces the guilt associated with a backlog of unfulfilled ambitions.

Common Obstacles to Starting

The journey to starting a side project is often fraught with various challenges:

Time and Energy Constraints: A prevalent barrier is the sheer lack of time or energy after daily work and life obligations. Many prioritize spending time with family, friends, exercising, traveling, or learning new skills unrelated to computer-based work. As one participant noted, "Nothing about spending extra time at my computer where I’m not exchanging labor for money improves my quality of life," highlighting a desire for non-digital pursuits. Older individuals also cite decreased energy levels and increased obligations compared to their younger years.
Lack of Sustained Focus and Excitement: Some struggle to maintain long-term focus and enthusiasm for projects, leading to an endless cycle of starting and abandoning.
Financial Incentives (or lack thereof): For some, the driving force behind a side project is the potential for financial gain. If a project doesn't seem likely to generate income or requires significant stamina to do so, it might never get off the ground.
Resource Limitations: Simple lack of funds can be a genuine impediment to starting certain projects.
Genuine Desire: A fundamental insight suggests that if you're struggling to start, it might be because you don't actually want to work on that particular project. When there's true enjoyment, starting becomes effortless.

Strategies for Initiating and Sustaining Projects

Beyond the initial idea-dumping method, several other valuable strategies emerged from the discussion:

The "3 Projects" Rule: To avoid overwhelm and maintain focus, consider committing to a maximum of three projects at any given time. Typically, two would be actively progressing, while the third remains aspirational. This system helps balance tangible progress with future ambitions.
"Finish What You Start" Mindset: Embracing a Kanban-like philosophy for creative projects can be highly effective. The emphasis here is on closing the "start-finish gap," ensuring that ideas move from conception through completion. This is particularly relevant in creative fields where the "shooting" (starting) part is easy, but the "developing" (finishing) often lags.
Prioritize Intrinsic Enjoyment: If a project doesn't genuinely excite you or align with your passions, it's likely to languish. Choosing projects you inherently enjoy, regardless of external validation or financial incentives, dramatically increases the likelihood of starting and continuing.
Integrate Hobbies with Work: For those who struggle with long-term focus, pursuing a job that aligns with a hobby can be a powerful motivator. Even if the professional context changes the hobby's dynamic, the skills developed can still accelerate other related interests.
Leverage "Forced Commitment Devices": Structured activities that require your presence or output, such as teaching a class or having paid deadlines (like a photographer with quick turnaround expectations), can act as external motivators, turning a hobby into a commitment device that ensures progress and even provides social benefits.
Embrace "Good Enough": Sometimes, existing tools or projects "work great," and the urge to constantly improve them isn't always necessary. Accepting functional solutions can free up mental bandwidth for new endeavors.
Automate When Possible: For repetitive tasks, like posting creative work to multiple social platforms, identifying opportunities for automation can free up time for core project work or other creative pursuits.

Ultimately, overcoming inertia requires a combination of self-awareness about your motivations and obstacles, coupled with practical strategies for breaking down tasks, managing commitment, and aligning projects with your deepest interests and life priorities.