Side Projects

Over the weekend, I decided to stop working on my side project, Mapform. A big part of this decision is that my partner and I are expecting a baby in about a week — the project is large enough that supporting it no longer feels realistic. But beyond that, the project had started to feel less like a side project and more like a side hustle. Until recently, I hadn't really considered the difference, but browsing /r/SideProjects and related communities suggests many of us conflate the two.

We can tease them apart.

Side hustles are work outside your main job to make extra income. In some cases, if you're lucky, you can turn it into your main job. It might align with your interests, but the main goal is always income.

Side projects are different. Some may generate income, but the intent is to satisfy your own interests; to scratch an itch your job can't. Even if it makes money, profit can't be the main motivator. Getting paid ties you to your customers' needs, which defeats the original purpose.

Looking back at Mapform, I can see how I blurred these lines. I started it in good faith as a side project, but over time it began to feel like a startup. I became preoccupied with launching, marketing, user needs, and pricing. The project became less fun, and I realized it now existed more for others than for me. By the end, I started to feel trapped by the amount of work I had already sunk into it.

Deciding to let it go was initially hard, but was actually quite a relief. It also came with an important realization: I don't want a side hustle! I just want to follow ideas that feel true to me, without the weight of income goals or outside expectations.

For my own future side project ideas, I've created a simple litmus test to avoid falling into the same trap:

• Do I want to do it?
• Can it be built in under two weeks?
• Does it require users?

If the answers are yes-yes-no, then it's a go.