

Ask HN: What should I do? - d43594

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&#x27;s frustrations and riddled with management&#x2F;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&#x2F;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?
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seren
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.

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kohanz
_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
Awesome.

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JSeymourATL
> 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_...](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89969.Getting_Everything_You_Can_Out_of_All_You_ve_Got)

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totallystupid
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.

