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Start a Side Project

How to start a side project with a small testable version, protected weekly time, limited tools, and a decision date.

Define the smallest version that can teach you something: one landing page, prototype, customer conversation, or sample deliverable.

Limit the first cycle by time and tools. Reserve a realistic weekly block and write the next visible output before each session ends.

Do not build infrastructure for imagined scale before the basic assumption is tested. Set a review date to continue, change direction, pause, or stop.

A side project should fit around essential work and recovery rather than quietly consuming both.