I usually find it hard to get started working on a project. But once I get going, I find it hard to stop and sometimes have to actually remind myself that the next parts can wait until the next day and it's time to go to bed.

I just finished building a new Shopify app a couple of days ago and now waiting for the Shopify team to review it. It was a project I've been putting off for some time now as it's not particularly exciting but it's something that could be very useful to sellers. It took roughly 80 hours to build.

I started working on it a month ago and decided to put in 3-4 hours a day, at least 5 days a week. There were definitely days I didn't feel like working on it but kept at it anyway. There were also days that I had to do client work all day but I made it up on the weekends instead. I found that you just really need to get started and the motivation eventually comes. Being consistent also helps as it gets easier to get into the flow when you have a routine.

I'm currently in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and working on this project didn't even really feel like work. While I usually prefer big cities, it's a bit easier to get work done in a small one where there are less distractions. My routine usually involves getting breakfast, head down to the beach which is a 5-minute walk from my apartment (almost every other day) to just chill and read for an hour or two, go back to my apartment to shower, get lunch, and then go to one of the Starbucks or Ah Cacao coffee shops in Quinta Avenida. Then I do my long walks at night when it's much cooler and the streets are busy with people getting food/drinks or going to a party. It's actually a pretty nice lifestyle so far, but I can see how it could get boring after while and I already have plans to move to Mexico City a month from now.

I also started tracking my time using Hamster. I've been using this tool for a while now when doing consulting work, but never used it for side projects until this one. Tracking my time kept me focus as well as I want the records to be accurate. This means I'm more likely to avoid checking Twitter/Reddit/other distractions while I'm working. I have the app set to display a notification message every hour, where I sometimes take a short break. Every time I take a break, I stop the timer.

It's always a good feeling to finish a project and get it into the hands of users. The review process could take 1-3 weeks, however, so I'm already researching a new side project to work on. It's good to keep the momentum going.