Enjoying the journey
Before you can call something a product you must journey through hard work and failure. It's tempting to want to skip the journey, but enjoy it in stead.
I have completed my first tiny product. Daily Write Lite is fully functional and ready to be released. I am using it right now, in fact, to write and edit this short article you are reading.
As I reflect on the journey over the past months, a few things stand out to me:
- It takes much work before you can call something a product
- It takes consistent focus
- It's easier when you establish a clear process
- You can't skip to the good stuff
In a few years I will look back at this project and all the decisions I made in the process and I will be amused and slightly embarrassed. I will look at the source code and user interface and figure a hundred ways I could have done better.
However, you can't skip this part. It is integral to the journey.
- You can't be prolific without creating your first work
- You can't create great work without creating bad work in the process
And this is the journey.
My tiny product is imperfect, but I love it and can't wait to launch it soon.