Out of the side projects that I know of which made it past the MVP stage most had one thing in common: they solved a problem that the person who came up with the idea had.
Sounds obvious, but I've seen a few projects fail because the developer couldn't relate to their users.
Side note: quite often this lack of motivation is simply a matter of impostor syndrome.
The other day I managed to break out of that by looking at a "how to" of something from a field foreign to me.
It was a step-by-step demonstration of how a certain drawing was created.
My first reaction was: "this is amazing - I wish I could create such awe-inspiring things".
Then I remembered that I've been programming since I was twelve and am fully capable of creating things that might be as impressive to people who are not in my field as that artwork was to me.
This reminds me of something that happened to me the other day. We hired a developer to work with me, and he said he was excited to have a chance to work with a ‘brilliant engineer’ like me. I was at a loss for words and thought about it a lot for a couple days. I almost worried he’d be disappointed to find out how mediocre I am. I came to the same conclusion though, really - I feel like an imposter, and after 15 years or so I probably do seem competent to people with less experience.
I’m not a brilliant engineer but yeah, he will probably learn a bit working with me. A lot of us probably need to give ourselves more credit.
It’s hard not to think so much about how our work is only possible on the shoulders of giants. I don’t spend enough time thinking about what I can do, and too much thinking about what I can’t.
Sounds obvious, but I've seen a few projects fail because the developer couldn't relate to their users.
Side note: quite often this lack of motivation is simply a matter of impostor syndrome.
The other day I managed to break out of that by looking at a "how to" of something from a field foreign to me.
It was a step-by-step demonstration of how a certain drawing was created.
My first reaction was: "this is amazing - I wish I could create such awe-inspiring things".
Then I remembered that I've been programming since I was twelve and am fully capable of creating things that might be as impressive to people who are not in my field as that artwork was to me.