I don't know what it is about "side-projects". When I think about what I'm doing and why, it is rarely much different than any hobby I've had for as long as I c

I don't know what it is about "side-projects". When I think about what I'm doing and why, it is rarely much different than any hobby I've had for as long as I can remember. But hobbies felt much less committal. Sure, I would get consumed by them, but I didn't really get these failure pangs when the plane or rocket sat unfinished for years. Now, it's different. The sludge of half or (worse) almost done projects cluttering my ~/dev folder is a source of some shame, and it can make it difficult to start new things. My best reasoning for why this is: a) there is a constant flood of "Show HN: My Before Morning Coffee HTML5 FPS" type news, which is simultaneously motivating and depressing to read, b) it is very easy to connect the dots between completing a project and some unrealistic outcome, usually involving money or some internet fame. So I guess I'm basically agreeing with the author. If you want to build a salable product, then focus and do it. But if your really just screwing around because this stuff is neat and it's what you like to do, then call it a hobby and don't worry about it. At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself to do.