Ask HN: How can I find something worthwhile to do?
A software engineer wondering how to find “worthwhile” side projects prompts broad reflections on creativity, motivation, and meaning beyond work. Many argue there is no obligation to code outside a day job and encourage exploring unrelated hobbies, community volunteering, and offline activities as sources of fulfillment and eventual ideas. Others suggest practical paths—solving small personal annoyances, contributing to open source or climate tech, teaching, or collaborating with more “idea-driven” people—while warning that chasing only grand, obviously meaningful projects can itself block creativity.
Scope of “Worthwhile” and Self-Pressure
- Many argue the premise is flawed: “worthwhile” is subjective and adding that filter too early kills ideas.
- Several say you don’t need to code outside work; your job can just be a means to live and fund other passions.
- Hustle-culture expectations (turning job into identity/hobby) are criticized; competence at work is enough.
Programming as Personal Craft vs Public Impact
- Some enjoy writing small, purely personal tools (scripts, home proxies, custom apps) with no audience or business goal.
- Suggested approach: solve tiny annoyances (“I wish it was easier to…”) rather than chasing big/novel problems.
- Others recommend contributing to open source, documentation, tutorials, or developer tooling instead of starting from scratch.
Look Beyond Software for Meaning and Ideas
- Strong theme: get hobbies unrelated to programming—sports, music, woodworking, gardening, tabletop games, travel, creative writing, art.
- Physical or hands-on activities (building furniture, electronics, Arduino, embedded systems) are described as surprisingly satisfying.
- Non-tech pursuits often later generate authentic software ideas (e.g., dungeon planners, music tools, home automation).
Serving Others and Community Engagement
- Recurrent advice: help people directly—volunteer, support local organizations, schools, scouts, political groups, housing efforts.
- Many suggest asking people around you what they struggle with and using tech to assist them.
- Climate tech and other real-world problem domains are highlighted as rich in meaningful, software-adjacent work.
Creativity, Boredom, and Mental Health
- Multiple comments say ideas come from rich inputs: reading widely, new experiences, movement (walks, hikes), and “doing nothing” without screens.
- Boredom is framed as a gateway to creativity if distractions are reduced.
- One thread suggests considering mild depression when feeling purposeless; others push back against casual “diagnosis” but agree reflection and care are important.
Practical Idea-Generation Tactics
- Keep a notebook of observations and reactions to build a “memory bank” for future projects.
- Start with small experiments and iterate; don’t wait for a perfect idea.
- Techniques mentioned: remove a step from common workflows, be your own impatient customer, partner with more “idea-heavy” people, or use “steal my ideas” lists and structured career-guidance resources.