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Is your product going according to plan? 6 months by yourself without releasing is a very long time without feedback or validation of any sort. That kind of un
by sharmi 9y ago
Is your product going according to plan? 6 months by yourself without releasing is a very long time without feedback or validation of any sort. That kind of uncertainty can wear you down.
Is it possible to release a cut now? Actually meet people or customers for feedback before going further?
On the other hand, if it is not going as per plan, may be it is time to let go. Try to tell to yourself it does not matter anymore and spend a few days away from screens and keyboard. Sleep well and eat healthy. Once you are well rested, go out and meet friends or strangers, who will not remind you of your project. Take as long as you want as mental and physical well being is so much more important than a startup. At the end of the break, you will be able to decide what direction to take.
It could also be that you have a more lucrative/interesting idea on mind and the current project is a blocker. That can make your current project feel more and more like a dead weight around your neck. In such case, you will need to decide what your priorities are and pivot accordingly.
Sometimes, just doing some market research to validate the need for your product can also do wonders to your morale.
If none of these help, pl consult a professional. Do not be afraid. Burnout, just like any other symptoms of illness, is just another indication that for the time being, we need to bring our focus back to us, in our life.
- mnopqrs 9y agoThank you so much for your words. Project going according to plan ? It has slipped towards no unfortunately. But I keep telling myself that a 'better me' can do it (alas). But I need fresh perspective - agree with your advise.
- sharmi 9y agoHi, I feel you. In my case, a project that was supposed to take 2 months, Took nearly a year to complete. By the time I completed it I almost couldn't stand it. It is not a case of not being a better me/you. That is just the nature of the beast. Each software project/business is unique. So it is impossible to make accurate estimates. New features will keep cropping up. An integration that was supposed to be straight forward would fail because library A does not play well with library B. To hold yourself responsible for something beyond your control will obviously hurt you. This is just an experience for you to learn that feature creep is real. Working alone is different from working in a team. In a team, gathering requirements, making estimates, development, marketing, sales, support are each shouldered by different teams. Each team would have multiple people. So any individual ends up with a small share of the responsibility pie. They have the luxury to draw a line on how much stress they would like to handle or move out. In a single person company, one person gets to handle all the responsibilities and there is no way out short of giving up. The way you manage it is entirely different and that is what you really learn the first time you start a company. It took me nearly 3 projects to understand this. This is the rite of passage for Everyone who goes the solo route because there is nothing in the corporate/employee world to prep us for this. Nowadays, I try to keep the features as minimal as possible. Everytime I ask, is this truly needed for the first release. I go to local meetups when ever possible to be among like minded techs. Happy Producing.