Expense tracker app, side projects
You stopped at
Found the bug: the login token expires during sync
Next step
Write a failing test for the token refresh
Done when: the test fails for the right reason
30 days of side projects
Build the side project one thing at a time.
After work you open the repo, three tabs of half-fixes stare back, and you close the laptop.
Start your 30 daysFree 30-day pilot. No card required.
What you'd see when you come back. Illustrative example.
The Rule of One.
Every switch between tasks leaves attention residue that slows the next one. One block, one bug, one feature, and the rest waits in your task list.
From the book: Chapter 3, The Myth of Multitasking.
- 1
Close the tabs you don't need. Visual clutter competes for attention.
- 2
Ask: what's possible with exactly what I have right now?
- 3
Write where you stopped before you close the laptop, so tomorrow starts there.
“Depth creates speed, not the other way around.”
Start smaller than feels impressive.
Resistance is your brain protecting its energy, not a flaw in you. Tap “Start smaller” and the task becomes one step you can finish in 15 minutes, with a clear line for when you're done.
- The task you keep putting off
- “Fix sync”
- The smaller first step
- Add a log line printing local and remote record counts, trigger one sync.
- What you write down when you close the loop
- Found the expired-token bug; failing test written.
How each of your 30 days works.
- 1
Arrive
Open to the next step you saved. If your mind is loud, take the one-minute reset.
- 2
Set up your focus zone
Phone out of reach, tabs closed, notifications off.
- 3
Choose one task
Too big to start? Start smaller: a 15-minute first step, ready in a tap.
- 4
Work one focus block
One thing and a calm timer. Wander, notice, come back.
- 5
Close the loop
Write where you stopped. Then take a real break.
For side projects, something to show means a feature done, a page published, a listing live. You keep a dated list of it, so a slow month still shows how far you came.