The Side Project Graveyard

I have dozens of unfinished projects. Some guilt, some wisdom, and why that's actually okay.

My Graveyard

Let me be honest about the projects I've started and abandoned:

  • A habit tracker app (2/10 screens built)
  • A Markdown editor (works but ugly)
  • A recipe manager (database schema only)
  • A bookmark organizer (80% done, never launched)
  • Three different "I should really blog" attempts

Sound familiar?

Why Projects Die

Scope Creep

"I'll just add one more feature..." repeated until the project is overwhelming.

Shiny Object Syndrome

New framework drops. New idea pops up. The grass is always greener.

Good Enough Elsewhere

Why finish my bookmark manager when Raindrop.io exists?

Life Happens

Motivation fades. Priorities shift. Sometimes that's okay.

What I've Learned

Ship Small

The projects I've actually finished were scoped tiny:

  • ZipDrop: One feature, well executed
  • TextGuard: Focused demo, not a full product
  • Simple Chatbot: Tutorial scope, not production app

Document the Why

When I come back to abandoned projects, I often can't remember why I started or where I left off. Now I keep a `NOTES.md`:

# Project Notes

## Goal
Build X because Y

## Current State  
- [x] Basic UI
- [ ] API integration
- [ ] Tests

## Blockers
Stuck on auth flow, need to research OAuth

It's Still Learning

Even abandoned projects taught me something:

  • The habit tracker: Learned React Native basics
  • The Markdown editor: Learned about text parsing
  • The recipe manager: Practiced database design

The knowledge stays even if the project doesn't ship.

Permission to Abandon

Not every project needs to ship. Sometimes exploring is the point.

What matters is finishing the ones that matter. Pick fewer things and see them through.

What's in your graveyard?

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