Post-act clarity
For a long time, I’ve been in what is best described as “idea land,” where I would constantly produce new ideas without much motivation to execute them. As soon as I started, I built a slight resentment towards it.
I don’t feel I always seek novelty, but there is something about starting something new, again and again. I’ve read about this, and it is not that uncommon to be in this state. Some describe it as a lack of commitment, others as a lack of discipline or determination.
It doesn’t really matter. The result is still the same — not finishing what you have started, or, worse, feeling bad about it.
In my case, it’s more a lack of direction when it comes to focus and building the damn thing. I can do anything, yet I haven’t done anything. Paradox.
My way of getting out of it
Starting in 2025, I’ve set a goal to make $1 with a software product. To make a dollar, you need to commit and ship something. There is no commitment, and once I achieve the goal, I can move on.
I heavily constrained myself. I chose a desktop app, targeting only macOS to make the distribution easy through the App Store. I set the price to $2; I was feeling lucky at the time. The last constraint was about time spent. I didn’t want to spend more than one weekend.
The product is Lockboard — lock your keyboard before you start cleaning. I know, there are dozens of these and even free! But it checks all constraints, so I don’t care — let’s make a dollar. The app has one toggle button and that’s it.
Making more than one dollar
I’ve spent most of my time on publishing the app. You need a developer account, and that means you need to have a legal entity to sell on the App Store. I had that, so the next requirements were a website, policy pages, and descriptions. And don’t forget about the icon.
A couple of days after I published it, I got 2 payments. The app has made, to this date, $10.62. Mission accomplished. You are probably asking yourself, who would pay for such software? It seems like there is always somebody if you show to enough people :). Even if I wasn’t able to sell it once, what I left behind is a finished product. I was lucky for sure, but the idea of a finished thing allowed me to go forward.
Post-act clarity
Interesting thing happened after I made my first sale. I started to see options, next steps. There was hope again and a way out of the “idea land.” I’ve heard many times that if you want to overcome procrastination or if you are stuck on something, then just do something small. And after that, you might see more opportunities.
Post-act clarity is a state in which you know what to do next, and you no longer feel constrained or held back.
I will close this with a piece of advice for my future self. If you don’t know where to go, do the damn thing. That’s the only way to move past the fog of opportunities.