How to Start a Passion Project

Starting a passion project isn’t as simple as having an idea and diving in.

On Craft…

There are many days wherein the only thing keeping me going are my passion projects. The humdrum of work can become tedious, and the world at large is so dreadful and full of ongoing trauma, it’s important to be able to escape away into work that nourishes and fulfills. At present, I’m working on two massive passion projects and their presence brings me great comfort. Of course, starting a passion project isn’t as simple as having an idea and diving in. There are certain considerations to be made, but, as always, I’m confident you can make them.

The very first and most important part of starting a passion project is adapting your life for the project. I cannot stand hustle and grind culture, because they’re toxic and no one is a machine. But I do advocate for the process of making time for your work. You need to, in the reasonable ways, build your life around your projects. Tweak minor details in your day-to-day to accommodate the projects you’re most excited about.

The goal here is not to skip your eight hours of sleep for your passion project, but, rather, to start hanging out a little less and start plotting on your project a little more. Everything can happen in baby steps. I wake up hours earlier than the professional day begins, and go to bed hilariously early, because I want undisturbed time to work on what is important to me. It’s not a question of mindless grinding, but one of a modicum of sacrifice.

Secondly, the execute a passion project, you have to plan extensively. For me, I love a good bit of back-solving. I set a completion target date first, and back-solve all the way to the present. This helps me plan out how much would I should be doing every day, which helps me set boundaries with the work. Do remember, your due date should be flexible, so as not to create any unnecessary pressure for your project. Finally, by back-solving, you’re able to set important daily targets, and you’re careful not to overwork yourself…

…Which brings me to my third point: Pace yourself. It’s so tempting and easy to throw yourself into a passion project, but if you don’t pace yourself, you’re going to burn out. At that point, nothing will get done and your project will just wither away. It’s important to temper your passion and ensure you’re not spreading yourself too thin in the name of excitement. A passion project is thrilling, but if you let the thrill get in the way of effectively working for yourself and your project, you will have a big handful of nothing by the end of your time spent.

Finally, perhaps most obvious, to start a passion project you need ambition. You need an idea that you can’t shut up about, and you need to be dedicated to this idea for years to come. You need to be patient, too, because to be done right, your project could take a long time. Don’t look for validation and comfort in immediate results. Settle into a groove where you’re proud of every step you take instead. Passion projects teach us a lot about ourselves and our creative habits. They are important learning experiences, and they are always, always, always worth the effort.