baobaba's comments

Had the same experience. Solved the CAPTCHA after about dozen tries

I did not see the other submission. I specifically stripped the # piece from the URL in order to not produce duplicates, but I see the other submission's URL has the unique bit at the end.

Kudos for finding the time for your side project, even if during a commute.

I just read your blog post on the topic. We need more voices like yours.

Hi Matt, the second link gives me a 404, but loving the honest writing in the "I'm Scared" post.

1. The most valuable productivity hack I ever learned: facing an overwhelming task, write down all the tiniest steps the task consists of (even if the step is as simple as opening an IDE). Then, do the first tiny step. This goes a long way towards fighting resistance/procrastination. I do this with Trello cards (easy to add checklists to cards).

2. If you want to get a project done, keep your mind in the context of that project at all costs. Simple trick: in the evening, close other windows on your computer except the ones related to the project you want to get done: an IDE, a TODO list, related research. It will be much easier in the morning to kick things off.

3. If a project / work causes a lot of resistance and procrastination, ask yourself if you absolutely must be doing it. Challenge assumptions.

Do you mind sharing what kind of Saas are you thinking of? Who will your customers be?

Unless your Saas requires high-touch sales, the number of leads you are able to reach will increase as your business grows. In the beginning you might be talking to 10 people per day personally, and down the road - your blog/integrations/PR/referrals may bring in dozens or hundreds of leads per day. It's rare for the number of leads to be constant across a lifetime of your business. Similar to a rolling snowball, all your lead-gathering efforts will build up and hopefully produce growing results.

Here's my list for people interested in bootstrapping / side projects:

Startups For the Rest of Us (Rob Walling & Mike Taber) http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/

Tropical MBA podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tropical-mba-entrepreneu...

The Startup Chat by Steli Efti & Hiten Shah https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/startup-chat-steli-hiten...

The Rocketship Podcast http://rocketship.fm/

Some great podcasts that don't come out often or have a limited amount of episodes:

Kalzumeus Software with Patrick McKenzie (wish it came out more often!) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/kalzumeus-software-podca...

Stacking the Bricks by Amy Hoy https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stacking-bricks-real-ent...

The Entrepreneur's Guide to Finding Your First Customers https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entrepreneurs-guide-to-f...

Product People by Justin Jackson http://productpeople.tv/

Not so much about bootstrapping, but some great story-telling:

StartUp by Gimlet Media http://gimletmedia.com/show/startup/

Other:

The Tim Ferriss Show https://itunes.apple.com/id/podcast/the-tim-ferriss-show/id8...

Zen Founder https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/zen-founder-startups.-fa...

There will be plenty of people at the conference worried about the same exact thing you are. So by coming and talking to them, you will likely be doing them a favor. Now they can talk to you and not have to pretend to check email.

Once at the conference, people will ask you what it is you do, where do you come from, and other ice-breaking questions. Think of a longer answer to these questions that give the other party a chance to keep the conversation going. For example, instead of saying, "I am a software developer" you may say, "I work as a software developer in this small agency in Chicago, and in my spare time I am working on a pet project that's going to help developers keep track of bugs." Now people can tell you that they've been to Chicago or how much they hate/love bug tracking tools. And you take it from there.

What I found easiest is try to be a part of group conversations. This way the weight is not entirely on you to keep the conversation going, and you may instead jump in here and there as you feel comfortable.

Good luck!

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." As cheesy as this sounds, it is deeply true. You can choose every day the kind of person you want to be from now on.

I think the psychological baggage of living with your parents, not having a girlfriend and having a degenerative neurological disorder is far greater than the criminal record. There are ways to reduce the implications of the sex offense on your life, as others suggested. But the other things are what will hold you back.

Consider adopting a meditation practice and practice being nice to yourself. Calling yourself "broken goods" isn't helping matters. The way you think of yourself is the way you carry yourself and how other people see you. Seek examples of happy, accomplished people with missing limbs or serious illnesses.

I found that with a decent salary, meaningful remote job, traveling across some of the most beautiful places in the world and eating amazing food, I came to realize I deeply miss my friends, lack having a local community, and a purpose and meaning in what I was doing.

My best advice if for you to seek ways to bring value to other people's lives through what you do. It doesn't have to be selfless, it can be as simple as writing a blog and sharing your journey. It may take a little while to figure out what brings you happiness, but whatever you do, even if you get a freelance/remote job, don't stay inside and work for days without meeting people. Coworking spaces and cafes are a much better alternative in your situation.

Trello, Basecamp, Macbook laptop, The Art of War book.

The best way to start a side project is to pick a tiny one to begin with. Think if you can do something in a weekend. It is important to train your brain into believing you are a doer and a finisher. In my experience, the worst thing you can do is dream up a huge scope, spend months building the project, lose momentum and motivation, get angry with yourself, and generally become miserable. I have been there, and it is not fun at all. Consider challenging yourself to come up with the tiniest fun idea to build in a few days. For inspiration, try producthunt.com. Good luck!

I am using a Trello board to organize my life. The flexibility to define lists freely and quickly add issues is a big win. The lists on my board are: Today's task list, Task list, Friends & Family, Project ideas, Client work.