Fumbling Upwards
You know... I've been thinking of myself as an 'indie hacker' since at least December, when I quit my job to focus on it full-time(!!!). But I haven't once posted here. What's that about?
Unfortunately, embracing the pathless path means accepting that you might not know what you are doing and you might look like a fool. This is exactly how I felt in those first few months. But luckily many people have gone before me.
— Paul Millerd in The Pathless Path
Whatever the reason, it's about time I stopped lurking and started contributing!
So I wanted to kick things off with a short post about (a) what I'm up to and (b) some requests for feedback.
TL;DR
I'm building an app and writing about it!
The app is called WattDo?⚡ and it's about helping you do things when the time is right. One concrete problem it aims to solve is the near-uselessness of 'To Read' or 'Watch Later' lists, especially as they grow faster than you can engage with them. One, uh, more life-philosophical problem it's aimed at is the problem of how to 'get things done' by more or less following your moment-to-moment interests.
For a month and a half now I've been publishing a newsletter about/around this app every other Sunday. The newsletter is embedded in a custom Roamblog I hacked together. (Think: a personal wiki on steroids.)
I'm still figuring out how to talk about WattDo?⚡. But the newsletter is helping.
You can read it here: Toward Escape Velocity 🚀
Some open questions...
- I currently spend 3-4 days every two weeks writing the newsletter, which feels like a lot. I expect they'll get shorter and sweeter and easier to write as I go. But does 3-4 days sound about right to you lot? How do you guys think about time spent 'marketing' vs building, in general?
- This two-week groove I've settled into is really nice, but I do wonder sometimes about another balance: between "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" vs "failing fast". Should I be in more of a rush? I only have limited runway, after all. (Unless, say, I try to pad it out with some freelance work on the side?)
- If anyone has any general feedback or questions about the "custom Roamblog", the newsletter, or WattDo?⚡ , I'd love to hear your thoughts!
All the best,
