On Chasing New Ideas

I have a few active projects. I'm working on Deco, I'm tinkering on Cortelou (haven't talked about this one yet), as well as Interweave and this personal website. All while searching for a new job.

Yet, today I had a new idea. And I built a rough version of it.

It's tough working on so many different things concurrently. I'm extremely focused when I work, which means focus is a limited resource that I spend sparingly. That also means that projects not in the spotlight will not get the attention they deserve.

At the same time, new ideas are always flowing in, filled with all of the excitement that are inherent with new ideas: potential riches, respect, and regard. We see new ideas explode overnight all the time. Maybe this new one is the one?

Unsurprisingly, this creates a natural tension in my life between new ideas and old ideas. The prevailing question seems to be: how do we know when to switch focus from an old idea to a new one? Sometimes businesses take years to develop. Sometimes the business would never work, no matter how long we spent on it. And sometimes, maybe it was just passion-driven, and never was meant to be a business.

I don't have an answer to the question of when to switch. Before the ideas I'm working on now, it was all about BarHop, Gatsby, Arcade, Pluto, HotTub, and even more before that. Switching focus was not always easy, sometimes some are harder than others.

In the end, I do what feels right. I produce my best work when I enjoy it, and if it's a new idea, who cares? Nobody really uses what I build anyways, so might as well have fun building it.

I'm reminded of a post I wrote a few years ago: Living For The Journey. Achieving riches, respect and regard may not be all that it's cracked up to be.

Good advice, I think I'll take it.