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1900

Abstract

ecmae my primary dopamine factory. And just like watching 10-second shorts videos on Instagram, it became very addicting very fast.</p><h2 id="0d47">Building apps felt like watching a long Christopher Nolan movie (but more like Tenet than Inception)</h2><p id="0937">Compared to freelance work, building my own apps never came with any clear direction or checklists that ensured success.</p><p id="9965">Starting a new project was relatively easy — I just needed to follow my heart, and it felt like my vision would take me straight to the finishing line.</p><p id="8c31">Having been addicted to getting instants rewards, I would work hard on my apps for just a few days, and end up feelings like I didn’t get anywhere.</p><h2 id="73b9">So me, a mere mortal, took the path of least resistance</h2><p id="7ead">The frustrating sensation putting in the same effort over the same timeframe (very short), and getting no results back (obviously… because you can’t just build a good app in just a couple of weeks), discouraged me from focusing on making apps. I would instead take the path of least resistance, which was freelancing.</p><p id="fd70">The 20% of the time I set aside for freelance work became 30%, 50%, and I was soon spending most of my hours on my clients rather than on my own apps.</p><p id="fcf4" type="7">Oh the Irony! I quit my job so I can follow my passion, just to end up working for other people’s dreams yet again.</p><figure id="f19c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*yEsJhsBn8kQmhQUW"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="a86a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*zouz3ie08uCZv2yE"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><h1 id="0b79">Perseverance trumps passion</h1><h2 id="164a">A dream without action is an illusion</h2><p id="0d22">Your passion and interest can only get you so far. Successful products are

Options

built by those who are persistent about their vision, those who put constant actions to support their ideas. But just as I mentioned, I’m only human (a lazy one too), and it’s been difficult to continuously pour effort into something that may only pay off after months of trying, as opposed to almost immediately.</p><h2 id="e3c9">The effort is the prize</h2><p id="b408">So it seems like I need more fuel than just my “dreams and passion” to be as motivated to work on my own apps as I am about freelance work.</p><p id="6ff7">As I was struggling to find a way to turn my life around, I heard this quote from Coach Bennett on the Nike Run app during my 5k run.</p><p id="a1f2" type="7">In the end the great truth will have been learned that the quest is greater than what is sought, the effort finer that the prize (or rather, that the effort is the prize) — Benjamin Cardozo</p><p id="1bb3">The effort it the prize! <b>Anything I do, whether it’s an accomplishment or a struggle is worth celebrating as long as I did my best.</b></p><h2 id="fba3">I’m here to celebrate</h2><p id="b3a2">I’m sharing my daily my celebration in a form of a daily blog. It will be a reminder of my motives and vision. It’ll be a happy place regardless of what comes out in the end, because it will be full of energy.</p><p id="ebe3">Aat the end of 100 days, I’ll be at a position where my prize is all the paths I took and recorded. I will be happy knowing that I’ve finally worked toward my dreams, and that I’m not stuck at the starting line.</p><figure id="77f5"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*2Hsf01o53m9qkuOEd9QGmQ.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p id="77ad">And If there are any measurable achievements, that will be a great bonus. If there aren’t, then I will at least have 100 days of data to model and work towards refining and pivoting my paths.</p></article></body>

Day 0: How many apps can I make in 100 days?

The effort is the prize — and I’m here to celebrate that.

100-day goals: split into “effort” metrics and “accomplishment” metrics.

Over a year ago, I quit my job to work on a lifelong dream — creating a product that 1% of the world’s population uses.

Here’s why it didn’t work out so far, and what I plan to do for the next 100 days to get closer to that goal.

I was supposed to patiently work on my apps

The original plan was to spend just a couple of days a week doing freelance design to keep myself afloat, and focus on my building my own apps for the rest of the week.

In my head, this sounded very doable. I was certain that in no time I’ll have a selection of apps under my belt.

Short-term commissions quickly overtook my life

We are in a “pandemic” where our lives are plagued by instant-serotonin machines like TikToks and Reels.

Freelance felt like Reels/TikToks

I often worked on weekly or even daily commissions, and I would usually get immediate feedback from clients.

Being instantly rewarded for every screen I designed, freelancing becmae my primary dopamine factory. And just like watching 10-second shorts videos on Instagram, it became very addicting very fast.

Building apps felt like watching a long Christopher Nolan movie (but more like Tenet than Inception)

Compared to freelance work, building my own apps never came with any clear direction or checklists that ensured success.

Starting a new project was relatively easy — I just needed to follow my heart, and it felt like my vision would take me straight to the finishing line.

Having been addicted to getting instants rewards, I would work hard on my apps for just a few days, and end up feelings like I didn’t get anywhere.

So me, a mere mortal, took the path of least resistance

The frustrating sensation putting in the same effort over the same timeframe (very short), and getting no results back (obviously… because you can’t just build a good app in just a couple of weeks), discouraged me from focusing on making apps. I would instead take the path of least resistance, which was freelancing.

The 20% of the time I set aside for freelance work became 30%, 50%, and I was soon spending most of my hours on my clients rather than on my own apps.

Oh the Irony! I quit my job so I can follow my passion, just to end up working for other people’s dreams yet again.

Perseverance trumps passion

A dream without action is an illusion

Your passion and interest can only get you so far. Successful products are built by those who are persistent about their vision, those who put constant actions to support their ideas. But just as I mentioned, I’m only human (a lazy one too), and it’s been difficult to continuously pour effort into something that may only pay off after months of trying, as opposed to almost immediately.

The effort is the prize

So it seems like I need more fuel than just my “dreams and passion” to be as motivated to work on my own apps as I am about freelance work.

As I was struggling to find a way to turn my life around, I heard this quote from Coach Bennett on the Nike Run app during my 5k run.

In the end the great truth will have been learned that the quest is greater than what is sought, the effort finer that the prize (or rather, that the effort is the prize) — Benjamin Cardozo

The effort it the prize! Anything I do, whether it’s an accomplishment or a struggle is worth celebrating as long as I did my best.

I’m here to celebrate

I’m sharing my daily my celebration in a form of a daily blog. It will be a reminder of my motives and vision. It’ll be a happy place regardless of what comes out in the end, because it will be full of energy.

Aat the end of 100 days, I’ll be at a position where my prize is all the paths I took and recorded. I will be happy knowing that I’ve finally worked toward my dreams, and that I’m not stuck at the starting line.

And If there are any measurable achievements, that will be a great bonus. If there aren’t, then I will at least have 100 days of data to model and work towards refining and pivoting my paths.