Why you should start a side project as soon as possible

*or “why you should stoping watching TV in your free time”.

why youshould start aside projectas soon as possible.*

but first, a quickstop.

what is a side project?and what is thedifference betweenside projects andhobbies?

requires previous knowledgemedium dedicationindefinite frequencyno obligationno final product“I surf to have fun andonly if there is sun”

requires previous knowledgemore dedicationdefined frequencymore responsabilitycould have a final product“I’ll weekly post my photosin a blog to see if someonelikes”

“ok but, could you explain side projectsto me in one tweet?”

1. They don’t have to provide you with a living. You can still eat if they fail.

*https://medium.com/small-giants/why-side-projects-matter-a024eddad60c

2. They don’t have a deadline. And as there is no time pressure, you don’t revert to your usual formula. You try new things. You experiment. You take risks.

3. This is a Labour of Love. You provide the ‘Labour’. And you provide the ‘Love’. So when you spend time on it, it is because you really want to.

*http://open.bufferapp.com/side-projects-creative-hobbies/

“tks”

ok then, lets get it started.

why youshould start

a side project.

Whatever your job may be right now, you're probably getting paid to do only a single task at a time.

In a side project though, you have to do everything by yourself: marketing, PR, meetings, social media, design, coding, accounting, and so on.

It doesn't mean that you'll be good in all of those tasks, but it will certainly serve as a great learning for you.

And by doing things that we are not used to (or never got paid to do it), we end up crossing the limits of our comfort zone.

Over time, we create new habits and increase the list of things we can do without fear or shame.

In a side project, the path we choose to take is not defined by a boss or memo, only by ourselves.

We choose what to do, how to do it and with whom. Therefore, knowing your tastes, goals and passions is very important at this time.

And even if you don't know much about yourself, walking through this road will help you find some answers.

In our day-to-day job, the lack of motivation sometimes be a trap for creativity. By not being 100% inspired, we end up doing a less innovative work.

In a side project, motivation is constant, because we're doing what we like the way we like it. This context leads us to put a little more energy and achieve unexpected results.

Besides that, the side project depends only on our ideas to stay alive.Thinking about how we can reinvent ourselves from time to time helps expanding our mind to new ideas.

Have you ever heardabout Innovation Time Off?

Innovation Time Off (ITO) is a policy adopted by

companies which realizedthat motivation is

essential to generateinnovation.

In ITO, employees are encouraged to spend

20% of their work time on projects that

interest them.

Google does that. Gmail and Adsense are

results of that policy.

*quote by John Hegarty

The more things you do right now, the bigger the list of possibilities to your future. Staying home watching Friends every night won't make someone knock to your door asking if you're a good designer or if you know how to sing.

Create something. Practice it. Show the world what you know. Get out of your comfort zone and the opportunities will come. In consequence, your life may become more interesting.

P.S.: watch the movie "The Secret Like of Walter Mitty". It's all about that.

When we start a side project, we usually create something that we like to do. It would be dumb using our free time, effort and money to build something which we don't have any passion or affinity.

From the moment we start doing what we like and that project starts giving a financial return, it's only a matter of time to it become the job of your dreams.

what are you waiting for?

all pictures by unsplash.com(which is a side project, by the way)

other people who are talking about it:

Jessica Hische / Paul JarvisJi Lee / Caio Andrade

Hiut Denim Co / Kevan LeeMikael Cho / Mark Hendrickson

Tina Roth Eisenberg / James Victore

questions?sugestions?

@lucianohbraga