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Exactly. I have a lot of the same feelings, so 6 weeks ago I wrote a similar blog post, "Why I prefer making making useless stuff". I haven't quite figured out

Exactly. I have a lot of the same feelings, so 6 weeks ago I wrote a similar blog post, "Why I prefer making making useless stuff". I haven't quite figured out how to convert my "useless stuff" into a company yet though... Blog post: https://web.eecs.utk.edu/~azh/blog/makinguselessstuff.html https://web.eecs.utk.edu/~azh/blog/makinguselessstuff.html HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27256867 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27256867 Reddit discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/njcpxt/why_i_prefer_making_useless_stuff/ https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/njcpxt/why_i_p...

_benj 5y ago
I loved that article!! Ever since then I've been playing with some techs that I've been curious since forever but without a "project" to try them I hadn't... The notion of doing something for which I don't care about github stars or readability or even good programming practices (1000L files!) it's SO FREEING! Thanks for that article, it has helped me found the joy I had when I was just poking around on the computer, which I've missed now that I'm a "professional"...
- Nathanba 5y ago
  I noticed the same about myself but I still wonder if this isn't just a character weakness. Why exactly can't I be just as careless and free about a project that I'm serious about in the sense of its potential to make money if executed fully? I do think it's a weakness.
  - _benj 5y ago
    Interesting take. I used to think that but looking at psychology, things like the "flow" state or the book "Deep Work" there's something to be said about out enjoyment of something and the motivations for why we do them. When my motivation to do something is money, even if I find whatever I do interesting, I'm only doing it for money. Looking at it differently, if I wouldn't do what I'm doing if I wasn't being paid for it there the motivation is not the activity itself but the result. Doesn't "careless" and "serious" are opposite to each other? I find that when I'm working on a project that I'm "serious" about the focus/motivation/purpose is not the project but the result. The "serious about it" is usually something outside of the project. You know, intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation. On the other side, I'm right now working really hard to be careless an free about a new project that I'm actually serious about, even as I'm working for it to make money, but the only way that I can accomplish that for myself is by approaching the project as an experiment/adventure and after exploring the worst case scenario realizing that even if I lose $x finite amount, I'm fine with that. It's quite hard for me tho, maybe you have stronger character than I!
deleted 5y ago
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akharris 5y ago
Fantastic post. You say "haven't quite figured out" - does that imply there are things you wanted to convert but didn't see the path for, or that the question hasn't truly come up?
49yearsold 5y ago
Here is some useless stuff that I built to learn React. Backend in Spring Boot. https://www.everysportinfo.com/ https://www.everysportinfo.com/

_benj 5y ago

I loved that article!! Ever since then I've been playing with some techs that I've been curious since forever but without a "project" to try them I hadn't... The notion of doing something for which I don't care about github stars or readability or even good programming practices (1000L files!) it's SO FREEING! Thanks for that article, it has helped me found the joy I had when I was just poking around on the computer, which I've missed now that I'm a "professional"...

Nathanba 5y ago
I noticed the same about myself but I still wonder if this isn't just a character weakness. Why exactly can't I be just as careless and free about a project that I'm serious about in the sense of its potential to make money if executed fully? I do think it's a weakness.
- _benj 5y ago
  Interesting take. I used to think that but looking at psychology, things like the "flow" state or the book "Deep Work" there's something to be said about out enjoyment of something and the motivations for why we do them. When my motivation to do something is money, even if I find whatever I do interesting, I'm only doing it for money. Looking at it differently, if I wouldn't do what I'm doing if I wasn't being paid for it there the motivation is not the activity itself but the result. Doesn't "careless" and "serious" are opposite to each other? I find that when I'm working on a project that I'm "serious" about the focus/motivation/purpose is not the project but the result. The "serious about it" is usually something outside of the project. You know, intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation. On the other side, I'm right now working really hard to be careless an free about a new project that I'm actually serious about, even as I'm working for it to make money, but the only way that I can accomplish that for myself is by approaching the project as an experiment/adventure and after exploring the worst case scenario realizing that even if I lose $x finite amount, I'm fine with that. It's quite hard for me tho, maybe you have stronger character than I!

deleted 5y ago

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akharris 5y ago

Fantastic post. You say "haven't quite figured out" - does that imply there are things you wanted to convert but didn't see the path for, or that the question hasn't truly come up?

49yearsold 5y ago

Here is some useless stuff that I built to learn React. Backend in Spring Boot. https://www.everysportinfo.com/ https://www.everysportinfo.com/