Personal projects and that last 10-20% to finish 😩

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Why is it so hard to finish that last little bit of a personal app to get it ready for the store. I’ve worked on multiple person projects throughout my 8+ years of iOS development and only released one personal app. I’ve cranked out probably about 15 apps (with multiple updates) for work/clients. Yet mine I just can’t force myself to polish them up enough to launch.

I trying to change that this year I had the goal of releasing 2 personal apps this year. The first one was suppose to come out in April, but of course hasn’t happened yet, but I am hoping to at least finish it at some point this summer 🤞.

Only time will tell though. If anyone has any tips to help me please share.

2018 Resolutions

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I think I thought up a few items last year, but they didn’t last past February, so this year I wanted to take another swing at them and do them in a different way. So I am setting a goal for each month. Some will be easy and other will take work every month before their goal month to accomplish. Anyways here they are:

January

Use my iPad more

I love my 10.5in iPad Pro  it amazing, but since I got the iPhone X, it’s been sitting in its sleeve. So this month I’ve been getting it out more and more to read, browse and also to write this blog post with. I’ve also been trying to use it more as a second display on my MacBook Pro from time to time. I’m still hoping that one day I can easily develop apps on this device I love its portability and the battery life and would love to be able to use it less as a consumption device and more for creating things.


February

Enjoy Disney w/ family

Excited to go back to Disney mid February. We joined DVC last year. So we are going to be staying at the Polynesian resort for part of our stay. We may attempt driving this time. Plane tickets for the days we need are pretty outrageous and having a car down there this time would be beneficial. Also Hudson is not an easy flyer, even though he loves planes. So even though it’s just a week in February and an easy task. I just want to make sure I fully enjoy trip.

March

Have read 2 books

Last year I think I read a total of 2 books (outside of bible reading). I wanna improve that this year by reading at least 4. Currently I’m about finished with Lessons of a Third Grade Dropout and partially into the Jony Ive book, so those will most likely be the first I finish this year. I’m also reading comics as well 🤓. Mainly just D.C. ones and for free thanks to Hoopla.

April

1st personal app in the store

I have at least 5 app ideas I want to eventually make. None are big money makers, but just apps that I personally want to have so goal is to finish and polish up my Disney app first and get that out by April and then work on another one for the rest of the year. I haven’t had my own app in the store since 2012. So looking forward to getting something out there again.

May

TBall season

Both boys will be in TBall this year, so in May I wanna focus on spending more time with them practicing and having fun outside.

June

Be better at balancing work/life

To go along with May, I want to get a better balance with work and family life this year. I have the privilege of working from home most of the week, but it can make things rough at times, so I am hoping to figure out a better schedule to make sure I am done working and ready for family when they are ready for me.

July

Be Healthier then ever before.

Most of my goals are being worked on outside of there goal months this one more then the others. Back before Hudson was born I had gotten down to the lowest weight I have ever been as an adult (which was 100lbs lost from my heaviest 😬). I want to not only get back to that, but also continue it. Being a nerd I’m obviously using tech to help my on that path. So far the apps/devices I am using to obtain that are the Apple Watch, LoseIt  HealthMate  Nokia(Withings) Scale, Streaks, Zero, and WaterMinder.

August

Have read a total of 4 books

Not sure what other books I’ll read this year I have a bunch I’ve bought. Thinking Becoming Steve Jobs will be one of them.

September

Learn to draw

To go along with using my iPad more, I also want to draw more. I’ve never considered myself as artistic/creative. Even though I have created my own apps and done video projects in the past. In my mind I’ve always linked the word creative with drawling. I know it’s so much more than that, but that’s how my brain sees it. And I would love to learn how draw better. And the iPad and Apple Pencil are great for that.

October

Enjoy Disney with my Wife

Another Disney trip, this one without my kids. As many of you know I love taking the family to Disney, but it’s also nice to get away as adults and go to Disney. It’s just freeing to go there and not have to worry about all the things needed for the kids and doing all the things to keep them happy. So in October we are going without the kids and I can’t wait.

November

2nd Personal App in store

The first app I have planned this year is fairly easy it’s mostly done. This one hasn’t even been started, nor have I decided which of my other ideas this one will be just yet. So I’ll have a lot to figure out and soon to be able to make this one a reality by November.

December

Have all the Christmas stuff done before the 15th

Christmas is way to stressful, wanna try to fix that in 2018 and help out my wife more and plan out better for myself as well.

Working Outside

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The last couple days I’ve been working from a screened in patio of our hotel room in Orlando, Fl. Normally I am stuck in a 12×12 office in a basement with 2 glass block windows. There are definitely some distractions that come with this view (especially on the bottom floor of a hotel room), but having a water view to look up at can be very motivating. Much more then my painted blue walls could ever do.

Time To Make My Own App

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I’ve made one iOS app that wasn’t for a client. It was the first app I created as a way to learn iOS development back in late 2009. It was an app to scare your friends that posed as a simple tap the red dot game (stupid I know). I finally took it off the App Store late last year. I think I made a whopping $1,500 or so off of the app in the two years it was a paid app before making it free.

So the app didn’t make me rich, but it opened doors. Three months after it hitting the App Store, I started getting client work. Not a bunch, but enough to make learning iOS programming more then just a hobby. In 2011 one of those clients was ChoreMonster, which I now have the pleasure to work for full-time.

But it’s been almost 4 years since I’ve created an app for the App Store that was all mine. I’ve created a few little apps here and there to learn stuff or make my own life easier, but nothing that I thought would be App Store worthy.

I (like many others) feel iOS 7 is the best opportunity since the first SDK was released. I’ve been using it since the first beta on my everyday iPhone (stupid I know) and overall I love it and I am ready to make an app that requires iOS 7 from day one.

Sadly, I can’t say anything about the app just yet. I still need to repurchase an Apple Developer Membership so I can secure the name. I will say that I feel the name, I currently have planned for it could ruin it, but it’s direct enough that I am still fighting myself for it. Right now all I have is the domain name and the apps initial structure, but thats more then I had earlier this week. And I (probably) have a couple months to make it great.

Needless to say I’m excited and my goal is to post more about the app as it comes together.

Inadequate Developer

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I’ve been developing for iOS for over 3 years now and there are still numerous times where I still feel like a newbie. Not because I’ve ran into a problem I don’t instantly know how to solve, that stuff I love! It’s just this general feeling I get from time to time.
Maybe it’s because I taught myself iOS development or maybe because my only iOS friend are all online based. I’m not really sure, but if you have any thoughts or have felt the same I’d love to hear about it.