Ask HN: What should I do?

9 points by d43594 10 years ago | 5 comments

I have been considering starting a business (on the side) for the second time. I have previously run a business alongside my full time job, a job which I enjoyed very little. Running my first business offered me some stimulation. I then undertook a part-time undergraduate degree. As I wound my first business down (in order to undertake a second degree) I started to spend more and more time on my degree. All was well. Shortly after this I got married. I moved out of my low maintenance flat with my wife into a new house around 15-20 minutes further afield. I have since acquired a dog (a great source of exercise) and am hopefully going to have my first child within the next year. Shortly after moving I went out and got a new job which I enjoy a great deal more. This has given me some advancement. It is however not without it's frustrations and riddled with management/business types. With all of this my free time has somewhat dwindled - bear in mind that my wife is also a full time professional. This has made it very hard to consistently study (mathematics) in evenings. I find I am able to do things which come more natually to me and which offer the opportunity for creativity - not just absorbing information in order to put it down on an assignment page (which I struggle with). As such I intend to take a break from my degree. I am however acutely aware this may mean I never finish it. I also recently discovered that an idea I had been sitting on for a number of years has been discovered by somone else and proactively undertaken (as was always the risk by sitting on it). I am generally a person who hates giving things up. I am in my late 20s. There is so much I want to learn and a lot which interests me. I am fleeting between too many interests/subjects, I am struggling for a foothold in order to regain focus and I am concerned about long-term career prospects where I am. Can anyone provide advice? How did you decide what to invest your time in? What would you do?

seren 10 years ago |

This is a common trope, but having your first child will likely radically change your priorities in life. So you might want to wrap things up before it happens. But I would not start something that is time consuming just before. Having a child is enough of upheaval in itself and for what it worth, it will give you a very clear focus. In a way having children is already like having a side business.

kohanz 10 years ago |

TLDR: Having kids will develop skills (time management) that will help you achieve your other career goals, in the long run

I don't have specific advice, but can perhaps offer some hope to give you a long-term view on this.

Our first child is now 17 months old. I know everyone says that children will change your life, but you don't realize now how much and it is the magnitude of change that you can't fully prepare yourself for. It is difficult, wonderful, exhausting, and the best thing you'll ever do all-in-one.

Undoubtedly, you will find yourself with less free time. Especially early on. What I found, however, is that my natural adaptation to this was to become more efficient, so that I still had some time to hack or spend on me. Less procrastination and better time management. I'm not perfect, by any means, but I'm a lot better than I was as a non-parent. I believe that with (if I am so lucky) more kids, I will become even more efficient.

This efficiency buys me some time. However, I am hopeful that when the kids are older and a bit more self-sufficient, this efficiency will really start paying off. This is a very long-term view. I'm talking about a decade from now. However that will also be entering the prime of your career. I also think that parents of older children are laughing at me as they read this (and probably rightly so).

vincent_s 10 years ago | |

Awesome.

JSeymourATL 10 years ago |

> How did you decide what to invest your time in? What would you do?

If you believe thinking is an active process-- then think about what is the highest and best use of your time, money, and effort. We waste so much time in our ditherings. Learn to generate the maximum results from everything that you do.

On this subject, Jay Abraham has some excellent advice> http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89969.Getting_Everything_...

totallystupid 10 years ago |

Make a lot of small bets.

The investments are not either or. Spend a little time on each thing, and be open to the ones that work for you, choosing you.

Regarding the idea which now has a competitor, recall Peter Thiel's words, "Aim to be the last in the space, and the first to do something different." Also, their emergence validates your vision.

Watch what these competitors do, let them run the experiments, and contribute what you see to make yours better, if you do it.