Juggling Multiple Projects: The Art of Balancing Time and Passion

In software development, passion projects often pile up as swiftly as the frameworks and languages evolve. We developers love a challenge; each new project is a canvas for innovation and learning. But as thrilling as it is to dive into a new venture, the reality is that time is a finite resource. Let's explore how I've been navigating this intricate balance with three of my latest projects: the Ruby TVDB_API gem, whatisonthe.tv, and api.whatisonthe.tv—all part of the whatisonthe.tv app ecosystem.

Ruby TVDB_API Gem

My Ruby tvdp_api I gem is an unofficial Ruby client for the TVDB API. It's still a work in progress but promises to offer a robust solution for interacting with the TVDB database. My hope is that this gem will become an asset for Rubyists seeking to integrate TV and movie data into their projects.

whatisonthe.tv

The whatisonthe.tv website started as a personal project to track TV and movie consumption but has grown into something more ambitious. The goal now is to create a comprehensive database for TV and movies, driven by the very API that I am building.

api.whatisonthe.tv

api.whatisonthe.tv is the engine that powers whatisonthe.tv. It's designed to serve as a reliable back-end service, fetching and storing data as needed, and communicating with the front-end.

The Challenge of Keeping Momentum

Between these three projects and my day-to-day responsibilities, keeping the momentum going can be challenging. While the excitement is there, aligning that energy with available time requires a nuanced approach. One key element I've considered is creating a changelog app. This would offer a dynamic, easily accessible overview of the most recent changes and updates for each project—a feature especially crucial for open-source projects where community engagement can make all the difference.

Learning From Past Experiments

Initially, I tried keeping detailed logs within each project repository, but this approach proved cumbersome and ineffective. Given time, I plan to phase out this method. The focus now is on a more dynamic way to keep changes updated. A changelog app seems to be the right direction to head towards, allowing me to link to a dedicated area for each project that provides the latest updates in an easy-to-digest form.

The Joy in the Journey

As much as there are challenges, the joy and satisfaction derived from each small win make it all worthwhile. The key is not to put undue pressure on myself. These projects are a labor of love, after all. Enjoying the process, learning from each challenge, and steadily moving forward—these are the markers of progress that matter the most to me.

I'm enjoying the journey while continually moving forward, or at least trying to.