Hey, friend!Ā š
Ever since we launched Polar Habits on January 1st, people have been asking for the ability to rearrange their habits. I procrastinated to start this for so long because Iād never built something like it. It was outside my comfort zone!Ā š¬
But last week, I finally shipped it.
It only took me 3 months!Ā š
OK, thatās not entirely true. We felt there were more critical features to ship (like daily reminders), and we had a workaround for rearranging habits, so we decided to put it on the back burner. But, if Iām completely honest, I was also using āhigher priorityā items as an excuse to avoid what I was afraid of.
Building the feature took me 10 days, with half of that time spent silently struggling to implement the drag-and-drop user interactions!Ā š
Struggle #1
Iām not the type of person who frequently asks for help. Iām more of a āstruggle and figure it out on your ownā kind of person. After wrestling with the code for 5 days, I finally shared my struggle in the MegaMaker community, and even then, I wasnāt explicitly asking for helpājust venting!
But, MegaMakers being MegaMakersāsome of the most amazing peopleāthey started sharing their experiences and suggestions to help solve my problem. Bhanu Teja P recommended an open-source library (dnd kit) that hadnāt come up in my searches. It made my eyes light up, but more importantly, it made my biggest struggle disappear!
5 days later, I finally shipped it!Ā š¢
I could have saved 5 days and so much headache if Iād come to the community sooner, but as I mentioned, I tend to go solo before asking for help. While that makes me self-sufficient, it also hurts my productivity and, sometimes, my sanity!Ā š
That trait may have a lot to do with my upbringing, and it happens to be a topic of conversation with my therapist too!Ā š
Maybe I could try a self-imposed rule:
āIf I struggle with something for more than a day, Iāll ask for help.ā
Iām writing out loud here, and Iām already sceptical!Ā š
Sometimes, I canāt even articulate my problem or ask a helpful question.
Is that something you get better at with practice? What do you think? I could use your help!Ā š
Struggle #2
This one isā¦ comparison or impostor syndrome.
We launched Polar Habits over 3 months ago, and even though Iāve shipped some new features that have been outside my comfort zone and a bunch of improvements to the app, I canāt help but feelā¦ slow. š¢
Slow compared to some fellow makers who build and ship entire apps in the time it takes me to create a drag-and-drop interface!
Iām not going to name these fantastical makers, and itās not like I hold them top-of-mind all the time, but there are a few, and if Iām fully honest with myself, they make me feel envious. Dangerous territory, I know! š¬
I feel happy for them, too, so itās a constant battle between envy and happiness. Happiness wins every time, but the fight is never over! š
We donāt control our thoughts, so thereās no point trying to stop my brain from making comparisons. Instead, I choose to focus on my own progress while celebrating my fellow makersā successes.
I also try to remind myself that weāre all on unique paths at different points in our journey, and that Iāll become faster and more productive with practice!
Again, Iād love to hear about your experience. How do you avoid the comparison trap?Ā š¤
I wrapped up my last post by saying that next time (this time), Iāll write about why we donāt have skipped days in Polar Habits. That obviously isnāt what happened hereā¦ Maybe next time!Ā š
Expect to hear from me again by May 4th.
Nice one Merott! So cool to hear about Megamakers. Have you been a member for long?
Iām the same way about asking for help. The thing is that I love troubleshooting. So I literally enjoy the struggle. Asking is too easy sometimes š
Comparison can be helpful in a lot of ways. As long as the aim isnāt to just get down on yourself. Iāve found that a healthy comparison reveals whatās unique about yourself. And that can bolster self-worth.