The Developer’s Dilemma: Managing Too Many Projects at Once

The Developer’s Dilemma: Managing Too Many Projects at Once

As a developer, you might have a dozen half-finished projects lying around, code snippets waiting to become tools, grand ideas gathering digital dust, and GitHub repositories whose README files scream "WIP." If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. This is the chaotic but strangely rewarding world many of us live in: hopping from one exciting idea to the next, leaving a trail of half-baked solutions behind.

But here’s the thing, through the chaos of unfinished tasks, I’ve discovered some productivity hacks that transformed my scattered efforts into an intentional workflow. Below, I’ll share how embracing (instead of fighting) this pattern can still lead to progress, sustainable growth, and meaningful work.

1. Identify the Project "Honeymoon Phase" and Ride It

Every project starts with a honeymoon phase when the excitement peaks. You dive in headfirst, fueled by the thrill of creation. The challenge is that this rush doesn’t last. One minute, you’re pumped; the next, you’re staring at a blank terminal, wondering why you ever thought this was a good idea.

What I do differently:

  • I let myself explore a new idea guilt-free when it excites me, but I set a clear constraint, like completing a functional MVP in a weekend.

  • When the spark hits, run with it. Build the prototype, get as far as you can, and don’t overthink it. You won’t always finish, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t to complete everything in one go, it’s to capture the excitement before it fades.

  • If the energy starts to wane, I pause and document what I’ve achieved so far. This way, if I ever return to the project, I can pick up where I left off without mental friction.

Key insight: It’s okay to start a new idea during peak excitement, as long as you respect that not every project needs to be finished now.


2. Create a Centralized “Projects Parking Lot” or "Idea Graveyard"

One of the most frustrating things about managing multiple projects is the fear of losing track of what I’ve started. Some of my best ideas were sidelined simply because they got lost in the clutter. Now, I maintain what I call a "Projects Parking Lot/Idea Graveyard", a fancy name for a list of ideas I’ve started (or want to start). It's a single place (Trello board or Notion page) where I log every project and its current status.

Notion or Trello work great for this, but even a simple Google Doc will do the trick. The key is knowing where everything lives, so nothing feels lost.

How it helps:

  • The parking lot gives me permission to shelve a project without guilt, knowing it’s documented and can be revived anytime.

  • I organize projects by status (active, paused, abandoned) and tag them by category, e.g., “personal dev tool,” “client project,” or “teaching material.”

Key insight: Knowing that my unfinished projects are safely parked reduces the mental clutter and frees me to focus on the ones that matter now.


3. Rotate Focus Using Time Blocks

Rather than relying on motivation alone, I’ve found that structured time blocks bring some much-needed discipline. I allocate specific days or hours for certain projects, treating it like an appointment. For example:

  • Monday afternoons: Working on the Uber trips visualizer.

  • Wednesday mornings: Planning and refining course material for my coding students.

  • Fridays: Quick sprints on passion projects like my random SaaS ideas.

Why it works: This rotation allows me to progress across multiple projects without feeling overwhelmed. Even a few hours of consistent work per week is enough to keep momentum alive.

This way, every project gets some love, even if just for an hour or two. And honestly, once I start working, it’s easier to keep going.

Key insight: Scheduling work in time blocks helps build progress over time, even if I’m juggling many things at once.


4. Set Micro Goals, Celebrate Micro Wins

As developers, we tend to dream big, we want to build tools, platforms, and entire ecosystems. But when every project feels monumental, progress slows, and motivation takes a hit. I’ve learned to break projects into smaller milestones and celebrate tiny achievements along the way.

Practical example:

  • Instead of saying, “Finish the Django backend,” I set a smaller goal: “Implement user authentication by Friday.”

  • When I reach the goal, I celebrate with small rewards, like a guilt-free Netflix session, grabbing coffee with a friend, or even a quick walk. Small rewards keep me motivated, and before I know it, the pieces start to come together.

Key insight: Micro wins build confidence and momentum, making the larger tasks less intimidating.


5. Stop Aiming for Perfection—Ship It Anyway

One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is that perfection kills progress. I would tweak and polish projects endlessly, waiting for the "right moment" to release them. But that moment rarely comes. So now I embrace the 80% rule, if a project is 80% functional, it’s time to ship it, test it, or share it.

How this shifted my workflow:

  • For coding projects, I now focus on getting feedback early, even if it’s rough. A half-finished product in the hands of users is often more valuable than a perfect product stuck in development.

  • I remind myself that version 1 doesn’t have to be perfect, iteration is part of the process.

Key insight: Getting comfortable with shipping imperfect versions moves the needle faster than striving for perfection that never comes.


6. Use Boredom to Your Advantage

When I start feeling bored with a project, I used to see it as a failure of discipline. Now, I’ve reframed it: Boredom is a signal that I might need a mental reset or a new perspective.

What I do instead:

  • I switch projects deliberately, picking one from the parking lot that excites me again. Surprisingly, this shift often gives me the clarity or fresh ideas I need to return to the original project later.

  • Sometimes, I lean into boredom by automating repetitive tasks, it’s often a hint that some parts of the project can be streamlined with tools or scripts.

Key insight: It’s okay to walk away from a project for a while, sometimes, the distance is exactly what’s needed to finish it.


7. Learn to Let Go Gracefully

Not every project deserves to be finished, and that’s okay. Over time, I’ve learned that quitting a project isn’t a failure, it’s prioritization. Some ideas were great in theory but didn’t align with my long-term goals. I’ve become comfortable with archiving old projects without guilt.

How I approach it:

  • I periodically review my project parking lot and let go of anything that no longer serves my purpose.

  • If there’s reusable code, I extract it for future use, nothing is wasted. Sometimes, pieces of an old project show up in future work.

Key insight: Letting go of unfinished projects creates space for new, more aligned opportunities to emerge.


Finally! Progress in Chaos

If you, like me, find yourself with too many open projects, the answer isn’t to force yourself to finish everything. Instead, it’s about creating systems that let you explore, pause, and resume projects intentionally.

Through this journey, I’ve realized that productivity isn’t about rigid discipline, it’s about making meaningful progress, one micro-step at a time. Juggling projects isn’t always a bad thing if you learn how to ride the creative waves and rotate your focus effectively.

The trick is to stay intentional, track your projects, manage your energy, and let go when necessary.