I build a lot of side projects - but I have way more project ideas than I can ever build (3381 at time of writing). Choosing a "bad" idea means less resources to devote to "good" ideas.

Here I'll share my simple validation framework for choosing side project ideas that are worthwhile - and avoid sinking resources into ones that aren't.

Goals of a Side Project

It's important to take into account the goals of a side project to make sure the validation framework filters to project ideas that align.

Typically my goal with a side project is to:

• Build something useful / interesting
• Learn about a technology / domain
• Have fun

This differs a bit from a project you might pick up to turn into a business as it doesn't really take market size, profitability, etc into account.

This usually means my side projects also have some unique constraints on them:

• Resources - Can't cost that much to build / maintain otherwise unsustainable
• Energy - Can't sap my energy or else it leads to burnout across my entire life
• Time - I don't have 40 hours a week to work on this (usually closer to 4) so if I can't do it in a couple hours, unlikely it will get done

Related - How to Find Fulfilling Work as a Software Engineer and Achieve more Impact with Less Stress

Side Project Validation Framework

My side project validation framework is a lightweight way to check that a given project aligns with my goals. It is not perfect but it filters down my ideas enough to filter out the ones that don't so I can take a closer look at the ones that do.

I like to focus on projects that build something:

• People want / I want - If people don't want it, probably not useful. If I don't want it, probably not interested in doing the work to build it.
• I am good at - I want to be able to build something reasonable within 1 week (often a few hours). If not, unlikely to get finished and thus unlikely to be worthwhile.
• I enjoy - At the end of the day this is a hobby so if I'm not enjoying the process, what's the point?

I validate each project before I take it on. Not all projects hit all buckets but most do.

For a deeper dive into each of these validations including examples that pass / fail, check out my longer post: How to Validate Side Project Ideas - and Build Projects You’re Proud Of

Prioritizing my List of Side Projects

I have way more ideas than I could ever build in this lifetime so I use my validation framework to help bubble up projects that fit my values - and stay away from projects that don't.

I keep all my project ideas in a Trello board:

• Custom fields (checkboxes) for each validation
• Custom sort to move cards with more validations checked to the top
• Each month I sort the ideas, create a new list, and move the best ones over - selecting a few to prioritize

For a deeper dive into how I organize my backlog: How I run my Project Backlogs with Trello

Next

I love creating stuff so this validation framework helps me create more things that align with my values and stay away from those that don't. Your values may differ from mine so this one might not work for you but hopefully it gives you some ideas for validations you can use on your own project ideas.

Q: How do you organize and validate project ideas?

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