Well, I guess since it's one's own project you can do whatever you want with it! And I think your point is fair: there's certainly merit in training oneself to

Well, I guess since it's one's own project you can do whatever you want with it! And I think your point is fair: there's certainly merit in training oneself to write "beautiful" code. But I guess then your goal is simply different, your focus would be on improving your architectural skills rather than finishing the project. There's nothing wrong with that. And of course if you can manage to reach both goals at the same time, you win double.