For the past 11 days I’ve been working on a small project.

I do one hour coding sessions after work to focus on something I’m passionate about. The current project I’m working on is nearing its completion, and I’ve learned a lot. But there are things I wish I did differently.

Here are three things I want to do for my next project:

1. Identify the primary goal of the project⌗

I don’t want to be stuck in development hell.

I noticed my current project’s scope is growing bigger and bigger as I think of new features to add. But how do I know when a project is complete? Setting a project goal should help me stay on track and be an indicator for when I’m done.

Once I’ve reached the project goal, I can either set a new goal or move on to a new project.

2. Break down the project into smaller tasks⌗

I can create smaller goals out of the project’s primary goal.

Every smaller goal will represent a mini-project. These mini-projects, or tasks, should be super specific on what I need to get done. This should give me a complete overview of what I need to do to satisfy the primary goal.

But now that I have a bunch of small tasks, how should I organize them?

3. Create a project timeline⌗

I can organize my smaller tasks into a project timeline.

This will help me understand how much time each task should take. I can also give a priority to each task. A project timeline will help me stay accountable on completing the primary goal.

And I love having a visual overview of my progress.

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