Every product release our goals are the same: we want to show customers we care about meeting their needs and we want to stay ahead of our competition! So how do we get it all done? We cram as many features and bugs as we can think of. Cutting back is for complainers!
Is it really?
Or… is it hard to estimate how long a feature is going to take to build and a bug to fix? And by not cutting back are we jeopardizing the quality of the product we release and sacrificing the sanity of the team?
We get that this is an age old struggle. It’s hard to challenge business goals, and start a conversation within your team about why you aren’t going to do something without being seen as a slacker.
If you or your team has struggled to figure out what will produce quick wins, what to ignore because there is no value, and what may be too complex to pursue in a single release then you’ll want to watch today’s episode! In today’s Build Tip you’ll learn:
Be sure to share the episode with your teammates to help them understand the importance of cutting back!
Transcript
Poornima: What's the matter? What are you doing?
Ronan: I'm getting ready for the next release.
Poornima: And this is how you get ready?
Ronan: Do you know how many features and bugs we have to get into it? I'm to sure we're going to be able to make the release in time.
Poornima: Have you thought about cutting back?
Ronan: No way. Have you spoken to the customer recently?
Poornima: I think we're going to need to cover how to cut back in today's *Build* tip.
Why People Choose To Cram Versus Cut Back
Welcome to *Build*, brought to you by Pivotal Tracker. I'm your host Poornima Vijayshanker, and today I've got a new *Build* tip for you. I'm joined by Jay Hum, who is a project manager at Pivotal. Now Jay, we run into this issue over and over again where we commit to a lot of features, a lot of bugs, because we want to meet business goals and we want to make our customers happy. But we can't cram it all in. And I know time and time again we tell people to pare back, but they don't, right?
So let's start by talking about why people don't pare back.
Why It’s Hard To Estimate How Long It Will Take To Build A Feature Or Resolve A Bug
Jay Hum: So before I answer that question, I think it's important to bring out that software development's always notoriously difficult. And estimating the amount of effort that goes into any type of release feature or functionality, is even more difficult, right?
So, for example, if a developer comes to me and says, "This is going to take two days," then I multiply that two and then add two days to it, so it's actually going to take six days instead of two days.
Why It’s Important To Cut Back On Features And Bugs For Each Release
Poornima: So why is it even important to pare down a release?
Jay Hum: So customers always ask for a lot of features and functionality, and then even the development teams, the product manager, the designers and developers, they always have their own ideas of what should go into a release or feature. But at the end of the day, until that product is out in the market, you're actually never going to know what features or functionality the customers are actually going to use.
There's lots of evidence out there that when you're dealing with customers, they'll say one thing but you go look at the analytics and they're actually doing something else, right? So the danger in creating this big release that has tons of features and functionality, is that you can sort of create something that's sort of an analysis paralysis in terms of what the user's experiencing, right?
So if they get a new release and there's so many new features and functionality they don't know what to do, so what they end up doing is not doing anything and just going back to what they were doing originally. The second part is that you always want to sort of relate it back to web business goals or metrics that you are trying to achieve, right?
Again, you want to focus on some of the top priority task features that will drive the most business value or move a KPI, whether that is to increase engagement or move people further down the funnel.
What Happens When You And Your Team Commit To Building And Fixing Everything
Poornima: What happens if we commit to everything?
Jay Hum: Well, in Ronan's case where he's all stressed out and it's a big release, I mean I've heard this story before, and essentially the short answer is disaster, right? But let me unpack that a little bit.
So, first of all, you've already seen that Ronan's very stressed, right? So if you don't pare down the release you are effectively going to burn out the team. Not just the developers but the product manager, the stakeholders even, the quality engineers, and the designers.
Poornima: Is there anyone besides the team they're going to upset?
Jay Hum: Yeah, obviously you're going to upset the customer. So generally when the team is overstressed or burned out and really pushing hard and cranking through the night, effectively, they're not going to write good-quality code and they're going to accrue technical debt and it's going to be messy and they're going to cut corners, right? So that means that the product that eventually is going to be shipped is going to be subpar, it's not going to be up to the expectations of the client or customer, and again, they're just going to get turned off and very disappointed.
How To Evaluate What To Work On And Commit To Using A Simple 2x2 Matrix
Poornima: I know there's been a lot of conversation and debate on how to pare down features, what bugs to include or not include. Do you have a simpler solution you can share with the audience?
Jay Hum: Yeah, my go-to solution is a two-by-two matrix. That works very well in helping us prioritize which features should go into a release and which features should fall out. So it's a two-by-two that allows us to rank any features in terms of value to the customer as well as complexity to implement.
And it's great because it actually gives you information on four different things. So it'll give you information on which of the features you should actually be doing or working on, as well as which would we call sort of the quick wins that you can do very quickly and looks like you're making good progress. It'll show you which features that you should ignore because they don't have any value or they're too complex, and other ones that you should debate around in terms of product strategy and roadmap.
Poornima: Now Jay and I want to know do you guys have a go-to method for paring down features at your company. Let us know in the comments below.
This episode of *Build* is brought to you by our sponsor, Pivotal Tracker.
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Build is produced as a partnership between Femgineer and Pivotal Tracker. San Francisco video production by StartMotionMEDIA.
All this month, Joy Dixon and I have been digging into the theme of working on side projects that you’re passionate about. We started out by talking about how to keep your day job and pursue your passion project on the side, and last week we talked about how to keep your passion project moving along when you physically can’t.
In today’s final episode, on side projects for this month, we’re going to talk about how to keep your passion project growing despite challenges.
When we’re just getting started all the passion we have for our side project makes us feel like we can tackle small challenges that come up every day. But over time we start to uncover bigger challenges like funding, dealing with regulations, lacking experience, and missing self-imposed deadlines and milestones.
When we hit one of these challenges we feel stuck. Our side project stops growing, and again we’re tempted to quit.
Instead of giving up, it might be time to re-evaluate the direction and purpose of our side project.
In today’s episode Joy is going to share how she responded to all the challenges she ran into while setting up and growing her side project Mosaic Presence. You’ll learn:
Know someone who is starting a side project? Please share this episode with them!
Transcript
Poornima: Previously, Joy and I dug into why it's totally OK to keep your day job and pursue a side project. We also talked about how to manage your time and your energy. If you missed either of those segments, I highly recommend you check them out. I've included the links to both of them below this video.
In today's segment, we're gonna tackle the final topic: how to continue growing your side project, despite the bumps.
Welcome back to *Build*, brought to you by Pivotal Tracker. I'm your host, Poornima Vijayashanker. Each *Build* episode consists of conversations I have with innovators. Together we debunk myths and misconceptions related to building products, companies, and your career in tech. Thank you, Joy, for joining us again.
Joy Dixon: Hey, great to be here.
Poornima: It's been two, two and a half years since you started Mosaic Presence. Surely you've hit some bumps along the way.
Joy Dixon: Yes.
Poornima: In those bumps, as you were experiencing them, how did you respond to them?
Joy Dixon: I took them all as learning opportunities. There was a lot I didn't know. I was very clear about being in the classroom. Very clear about teaching code. But a lot of the other parts of it—like creating my business, incorporating all those different I's and T's—I did not know about those. I really just took it in stride. I was like, "OK, cool. Now let me jot it down and I can share this with the next person."
Poornima: That's awesome. That kind of answers my next question, which is, what did you learn from that? It sounds like you learned a lot.
Joy Dixon: Totally. I learned a lot, how to actually set your business up, how to establish it, how many, where the offices are in the city of Oakland who are like, "Go and file this paperwork." So I really just took it all as a big learning opportunity and it's just really great. It was really great.
How To Embrace Not Being Ready
Poornima: One of the things we talked early on about was being ready. Since you didn't know all this stuff, it didn't make you feel like you weren't ready to do it?
Joy Dixon: No. That thing called Google has really instilled a lot of confidence in me. I would really just go Google. So many people put out so much great material, like yourself.
Poornima: Thank you.
Joy Dixon: Right?
Poornima: Yeah.
Joy Dixon: So you can just follow along, learn some things. It's really easy to just keep moving forward.
Why You Need To Build A Support System For Your Side Project
Poornima: Nice. When you did hit those bumps, in hindsight we're like, "Oh yeah, it was a learning opportunity." But they sting in that moment, right? It's like, this is really difficult. Yeah, I'm sure I'm gonna look back and learn on this. How did you manage that moment when the bump hits you?
Joy Dixon: When the bump hit me, I leaned on my loved ones. Honestly. My best friend, my inner circle. Because the bump hit, and it was a really big bump. Yes, without a doubt, on this side of it, it's a learning opportunity. But in the midst of, and I remember the exact moment when there was so many things coming at me, but the exact moment is when my MacBook Pro just went blank. And I was like, "Oh my goodness, this is it right?" That was the moment that I pretty much lost it. 'Cause I was like, everything was rolling and even I hit bumps I could still manage. But I was like, "Everything is on this machine." Thank goodness for the people in my life, really.
Poornima: Building a support.
Joy Dixon: I would tell people, have that support system. They don't have to be in the same field you are, they just have to support you. That's really so important.
Poornima: Nice. Again, because we're in that moment, we think, "OK, we can get through this." But there comes a time where we keep hitting those tough bumps. And it can kind of phase us, right?
Joy Dixon: Yes.
Why Keep Your Side Project Alive Even If It’s Not Growing
Poornima: Why did you decide to keep going in spite of?
Joy Dixon: Really what I did, was I stopped and I looked at what was really causing a lot of the pain for me. It was really my timeline. It was my timeline. 'Cause I had said, I wanted this completed by this. When I initially opened up Mosaic Presence and started doing it, I was like, "Oh. Four months. I'll be done. It'll be up and running. I'll have 30 students two weeks after that." Right?
Poornima: Yeah.
Joy Dixon: None of that came to fruition. It was really, "Wow." Sad to learn how to let go and just keep moving forward. Have a direction, but not be attached to the outcome. That was really what made it easier to go through the process, 'cause it was really my struggle and my holding on tight and wanting things to go my way that was really causing all of my extra pain.
Poornima: I like what you said about the timeline, 'cause this is something I talk to a lot of founders about. Those who are both technical and nontechnical. It's just, “We anticipate it taking three months, six months,” it ends up taking—heaven forbid—a year.
Joy Dixon: Yes.
Why Our Self-Imposed Deadlines Slip And Having A Day Job Helps When They Do
Poornima: Sometimes 18 months. I think going back to the overall theme, that's kind of why it's nice to have that day job, to have a little bit of a footing and continue that side, because you don't know how tumultuous it's going to be. I think that's hard for people to wrap their head around, "Why would it take double the time? Why wouldn't it be done tomorrow? Why can't I just fix this thing with one pixel? Why is this not a five-minute fix? Why is this a five-day or a five-month sort of thing?"
Joy Dixon: It really is so true. And that's so good to put that out there for everybody to really understand that. Having a day job made it easier for me to get through those times. Because one of the things I really was concerned about with Mosaic Presence and actually starting it was the energy that I brought to it. I wanted everything to have a certain level of peace and calm. Just to create a great learning environment.
I wanted my students to be my number one. I wanted to serve my students. I didn't want to all of a sudden see them walk through the door, "OK, you're the rent." You know, I didn't want to look at them like that. I really wanted to look at them as, "Well, I'm really trying to expand your opportunities. I really want to be in community with you. That's how I want to see you, and that's how I want you to feel in this classroom." I wanted to talk all that extra pressure off of them and off of myself. That's why I maintain the full-time job.
How To Re-evaluate The Direction And Purpose Of Your Side Project Instead Of Giving Up On It
Poornima: Let's talk about the learnings, 'cause there is that moment where you can look back and you can say, "I learned something." How has that caused you to change course?
Joy Dixon: Really, the timeline is the main thing. The timeline and allowing it to just unfold. Instead as opposed to being super directed about, "I want this to happen, this way, at this time.” Now it's more of an unfolding as I go through Mosaic presence. The amazing parts about this is all these opportunities are coming to me.
Poornima: Yeah.
Joy Dixon: I'm not out there actively seeking. I'm allowing things to just happen and transpire.
Poornima: Sure.
Joy Dixon: It definitely is challenging. It is really challenging. Like I said, I'm Type A.
Poornima: Yeah. I was just gonna say, as a, I shouldn't say recovering, as a present Type A, I think part of the challenge is, and also having been a software engineer, when you see something done and it's shipped, that's when you get this great sense of like, "I accomplished something." But when stuff isn't, then it causes you to, "Oh my God. I gotta do all these other things now to make this thing happen because this deadline has been pushed." There's this level of unease. When you said, learning to sit with it, I think that's the challenge. Learning to let go, that's the challenge. When it doesn't happen, we don't have that nice to-do list checked off. We don't have that thing to show, so we don't have that sense of accomplishment.
Joy Dixon: Yes. That was really it. It's about redefining success. Really. 'Cause is it the journey? Or is it the destination?
Poornima: Yeah.
Joy Dixon: I know people say it all the time, but it really is like, "Oh, with each step. Each step I have a success." Celebrate each and every single step towards your goal. 'Cause otherwise it's gonna be a painful journey. It really is. That has really been the thing that has helped me a lot. It is a big walk of faith.
Poornima: There are obviously times where you felt like you were banging your head against the wall. It wasn't working. You needed to change the timeline. You've kind of kept at it because you've been doing this now for two and a half years. Somewhere in that period of time, there must have come a moment where you felt like, "OK, what I'm doing, it's making an impact. It's actually bringing me joy." Right?
Joy Dixon: Yes.
Poornima: How did that feel for you? When was that?
Joy Dixon: That felt great. That felt really great. Really it was just encountering...It was actually when I started reaching out to former students for testimonials and to see that, "Oh, they're a director of this part. They're a senior software engineer over here." The words that they sent back about the impact that I had on their lives was like, "Oh my goodness." That was an amazing thing. That reminded me that this is why I do what I do. There is no better feeling in the world than being able to support somebody and assist them on their journey in moving forward.
Poornima: How do you continue to keep growing your presence?
Joy Dixon: Yeah. Ba-dump-bump. Actually even meeting young people. Young people are really great and they're super inspiring. People who are like me, who are like, let me transition and acquire some new skills and really kind of show them that, "Hey, I do this. You can do this." And when they see that and they get that light in their eye, then that makes all the difference in the world to me.
Poornima: Any final recommendations you have for our audience when it comes to growing their side project?
Joy Dixon: Yeah. Keep at it. I really do mean that. Keep at it. Every single step counts. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself. That is of the utmost importance. Your self care is number one. Always do something on your project every single day, even if it's some small thing. But just something every single day, that way you'll feel like, "Oh, you're nurturing yourself. You're being and you're nurturing yourself like your project and your baby.” That would be my recommendation.
Poornima: Those are wonderful words to end on. Thank you so much.
Joy Dixon: Awesome. Hey, thank you, this has been so great.
Poornima: For people that want more, how should they get in touch with you?
Joy Dixon: They can reach me at mosaicpresence.com and feel free to send me an email at joy@mosaicpresence.com. I'd love to hear from you.
This episode of *Build* is brought to you by our sponsor, Pivotal Tracker.
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Build is produced as a partnership between Femgineer and Pivotal Tracker. San Francisco video production by StartMotionMEDIA.
In last week’s episode of Build, we began exploring the theme of pursuing a side project while keeping your day job. Jox Dixon and I did some myth busting around the need to go all-in. If you missed the episode you can check it out here.
This week we’ve got a pretty meaty episode for you. We’re going to dive deeper into this theme, and talk about what to do when the inevitable happens: you can’t physically work on your side project.
We thought it was particularly important to tackle this topic because it’s happened to both Joy and myself more than once, and it’s probably already happened to you or you’re thinking about how to handle it when it does.
The common culprits that hold you back from physically working on your side project are burnout and stress. Each is often prompted by teammates at your day job needing you more, you feeling the need to do everything yourself, and not having enough help on your side project or feeling like you can’t ask for help!
People often think it’s the quality of the idea that determines the success or failure of a side project. But really it depends on how you respond each of these issues as they arise. Of course, it can be tempting to just give up and move on, because hey it’s a side project! But if you’re really passionate about your side project, it can be hard to let go, and you’ll want to continue to make progress.
So in today’s episode, you’ll learn the following:
Transcript
Poornima: In today's segment, we're going to talk about how to manage your time and energy around a side project. I know there's been a lot of talk around time management and energy management, so I'm going to dive right into some of the tougher topics.
Welcome back to *Build*, brought to you by Pivotal Tracker. I'm your host, Poornima Vijayashanker. Each episode of *Build* consists of conversations I have with innovators in tech. Together we debunk myths and misconceptions related to building products, companies, and advancing your career in tech.
Why It’s OK To Take Periodic Breaks From Your Side Project
We're continuing our conversation with Joy Dixon, who is a visionary and entrepreneur with 20 years’ of industry experience. In addition to having a day job as a software engineer, she runs a technical training school called Mosaic Presence. I know for myself, Joy, I have recently gone through a tough month, where I had a lot of health issues, and I just couldn't physically be there to nurture all of my side projects. Let's start by talking about how do you keep these projects humming along when you maybe physically can't?
Joy Dixon: Yes, that is a great question. That is a really great question, because that actually happened to me a couple of times last year, major health issues. It was really an opportunity to take a break.
Poornima: Good.
Joy Dixon: I took it as an opportunity to take a break, so I slowed down a little bit. It gave me enough space to refocus and to prioritize. That was something. Instead of trying to do everything, let's actually set up that list where this is number one, this is number two, and if we get those two things done, that's good. We don't need the full 30 done today.
Poornima: Nice.
Joy Dixon: That was really it.
Why It’s Important To Say NO To Things To Avoid Burning Out
Poornima: I remember in last segment, you mentioned that lovely word, which we started this year talking about, that N word. Let's hear it. Saying “no” to things. Right?
Joy Dixon: Yes, yes.
Poornima: What's your magic way of saying “no” to things?
Joy Dixon: I do it graciously. Really. I have said “no” to more things in the past two years, and not just like, "Hey, let's go hang out," but no to weddings. No to graduations. No to major birthday milestone parties. Really just having to make a decision and having to...most people have been receptive, because it's you're like, "Oh, I'm doing X, Y, Z. I'm working on Mosaic Presence. It's really important to me. Can we get together at a different date?"
Poornima: Right.
Joy Dixon: Most people have been more than receptive for that and really super supportive. I think just the practice. It's about practicing and getting comfortable with putting yourself and your dreams and your desires first.
How To Ask Others For Help
Poornima: In addition to saying “no,” I also have to get comfortable asking for stuff. How have you gone about getting help from other people?
Joy Dixon: My network has been really super great. I have really just reached out to them, because I'm very clear about what I know, which means I'm super clear about what I don't know.
Poornima: Yeah, yeah.
Joy Dixon: With that, I just reach out to people. Most people I have found...people have been so super helpful and want to help. Maybe not on the timeline that I have, but they are—
Poornima: That's important.
Joy Dixon: That is very important.
Poornima: I think you should say it one more time. Yeah.
Joy Dixon: Yes, people are very receptive. Maybe not on working on my timeline, but they do come around, and they do help. So just really learning to accept the help when it's available has been really, really good for me.
Poornima: I'm sorry. I had you repeat that, because I think a lot of times, when we get so passionate about our idea, and we want to put in the effort, we think everyone else is like, "Yeah. I can do this, too. I can quit whatever I was doing," but they need a little bit more lead time, because they also have commitments that they want to keep up. We just have to be respectful about that.
Joy Dixon: Really, having my own passion and my own project, really, I have more understanding for people when they have theirs. I'm like, "Oh, OK. We'll do it in two weeks, then."
Poornima: There you go. Now, here's the thing. I think a lot of people...because you mentioned before being type A. We get really averse to asking for help, though...
Joy Dixon: Yes.
Poornima: ...because it's our baby. We just have to figure out a way to get over the hump. How have you gotten over the hump of asking for help?
Joy Dixon: Yeah. That one's a really great question. I love that question, because I still do that. I'm still in process and learning how to do that. Back to knowing what I know and knowing what I don't know and really everything is an opportunity for me to learn. The teaching, writing code, I know all of that. The accounting? Oh, no. I don't know that. It's really just allowing myself to learn. Another thing along with that is being super clear about what I'm doing. When I'm super clear, then it's easier for me to find people and for people to find me who also want to support my project.
Poornima: Yeah.
Joy Dixon: Yes.
Why It’s OK If You Don’t Have Knowledge Or Experience In Some Areas And Can Delegate That Work To Those Who Do
Poornima: You said a couple of things here that were interesting. The first is knowing what you know and knowing what you don't know. That's good. That's the first level. Then the second level you said is getting the help for the things that you don't know. One question I get asked a lot is, "Oh, should I just dive in and learn that accounting?" Especially people in our audience. They might think, "Well, I don't know coding. Should I do that as an entrepreneur instead of hiring somebody?" What's been your response, or how do you handle that? "This is a way for me to learn. Maybe I just want to hire somebody and get it over with?"
Joy Dixon: Yeah. That's really good. Disclaimer. Type A. I actually spend time in each of the areas that I don't know, at least so I can have a conversation, a more intelligent conversation with the people. I can also vet people.
Poornima: Bingo.
Joy Dixon: I don't have to know it all. I'm not looking for a master’s degree in accounting.
Poornima: Sure.
Joy Dixon: At the same time, what I am looking for is a certain sense of, "Oh." When I have a conversation with somebody, I know the questions to pose, and then when they give me a response, I'm like, ‘Oh, that sounds good.’”
Poornima: Yeah.
Joy Dixon: Yes.
Poornima: I like to call that the BS detector.
Joy Dixon: There we go.
Poornima: Yes.
Joy Dixon: There we go.
Poornima: You know just enough to be a little dangerous, but at the end of the day, you don't want to do the work.
Joy Dixon: No.
Poornima: Yeah. You want to get somebody else who has deeper subject matter expertise in it.
Joy Dixon: Exactly.
Poornima: Wonderful.
Joy Dixon: That's great. I like that.
How Find People Who Are Interested And Motivated To Work On Your Side Project
Poornima: Yeah. Of course, there are times where we hire people, and they, for whatever reason, let us down, either because they didn't meet our standards or just things happen. That can cause us to become dispassionate, because you think, "Oh, maybe my idea isn't that great. That's why other people don't want to work on it." How do you stay motivated through those moments where some people just let you down or drop the ball or don't execute quite to the same level?
Joy Dixon: You're the great questioner. OK? Really, that one is back to self. Everything comes back to self for me and self-awareness. Am I super excited and I'm super jazzed? It's really my thing. I really can't hold anybody or put them on a hook to have the same passion about my thing as I do.
Poornima: OK. That's important. Yeah. I think that's a good takeaway.
Joy Dixon: That's really important first and foremost. It's really about just getting super clear about what I'm doing. I call it the lighthouse effect, like shine my message even brighter. For those people who are really attracted to it, it will make them easier to find me. Those people who are kind of like on the fence, then they'll stay away. Then we really won't have too many of these interactions.
How To Set Boundaries With Your Teammates At Your Day Job When They Want More Of Your Time
Poornima: No, that's good. Yeah. I think another issue I've seen that arises a lot is people want more of your time. Let's say at your day job or your side project, and you've got to figure out how to set those boundaries. How have you done that?
Joy Dixon: Yeah, that one is a really challenging one. Really. Like I said before, if you have social events, you have family events, those are really challenging.
Poornima: But even within your existing day job or your existing side where they want more of your time.
Joy Dixon: Yeah. Really, for what I've done with the boundaries is, “this is the boundary,” because I know any overflow will affect everything else. It will have a ripple effect. You might think, "Oh, I'm just going to spend these extra few hours doing this," but it will really have a ripple effect and take away from the other part. It's super important to get very clear and to just maintain those boundaries.
Poornima: What does that look like for you? Let's say somebody at your day job is like, "Hey, Joy. Really could use your help. Could you stay another hour or two to help me out with this thing?"
Joy Dixon: Balance of an hour or two?
Poornima: Yeah.
Joy Dixon: Sometimes it would be “yes,” and then sometimes it would be “no.” Honestly, it's truly contextual. If I have to teach a class, then the answer is “no.” If I'm available, then I can do it. It really is situation.
Poornima: In that moment.
Joy Dixon: In that moment, exactly.
Poornima: OK, got it. Then same thing for your side project. If someone says, "Hey, Joy. I really need you to help us do X, Y, and Z."
Joy Dixon: Yes.
Poornima: The same thing.
Joy Dixon: Yes, because I'm beholden to both, so I have to keep both at the forefront of my mind.
Why You Don’t Have To Respond To Every Improvement Request Immediately
Poornima: Now, there's also times where we want to do more. Maybe that project at work, we want to go that extra mile, or in the side project, it's like, "Ooh, wouldn't it be really cool if I could add this and that? That's going to take another couple of days. It's going to take maybe another hour of staying awake or setting up another meeting. Do I have the room? Does it make sense to do that or not?" How do you manage those...I like to call them requests?
Joy Dixon: Those requests. Are they from...
Poornima: From yourself.
Joy Dixon: Did I initiate them?
Poornima: Yes, yes.
Joy Dixon: OK.
Poornima: Yeah, you just feel so compelled. Maybe it's external, like a customer saying or a student saying, "Hey, it would be really great if you guys also provided Y."
Joy Dixon: Yes. That would definitely have to go on the lovely big corkboard that I keep in my bedroom full of great ideas. It would be in the parking lot, and then I will revisit it in time. There are so many things I want to do. There's so many things. Every time I teach a class, I'm like, "Oh. Take notes on the curriculum. I want to teach it this way next time. I'll say it this way next time." Then I just have to wait for next time. There are just certain times you can't make those changes each and every time. Having that break. Once again, I know I speak about space a lot, because space has really allowed me to decide. Is it something I really need to do, or it's just something in the moment that just felt like a good idea?
Poornima: Ah, that's good. What's your barometer for that?
Joy Dixon: Time.
Poornima: OK. Letting it sit.
Joy Dixon: Time and emotion. Really. There is a part that's like jazzed and this is great, and making it that part, I would move forward with that. If it's like fear or like, "Oh, I need to hurry up and get this to market," then anything that comes from that place is something that I really just sit with for an extended period of time, because if it's supposed to be done, then it will be done.
Poornima: Thanks so much, Joy. This has been really helpful.
Joy Dixon: My pleasure.
Poornima: Yeah. For all of you out there, if you've had a side project that you've been working on for a while, I'm sure you have your go-to for managing your time and energy. Joy and I would love to hear what it is. Please share it with us in the comments below this video.
This episode of *Build* is brought to you by our sponsor, Pivotal Tracker.
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Build is produced as a partnership between Femgineer and Pivotal Tracker. San Francisco video production by StartMotionMEDIA.