You made the dot in the logo jump! It doesn't jump for monthly and future though. It's amazing how much you have learnt and put to use in such less time. I'm jealous too! Plus the design is simple and gives a pleasant experience.
I have used many to-do lists and liked the way you stated that this is not a to-do list, but a do-it list. This gives a feel that the task won't remain undone. And of all the to-do apps I used, I realized later that the ones I have stayed with for longer times are comparatively better looking than the ones I never cared to give a second visit. So, good looking site is a definite plus.
I think the problem is that there's only one mind on it. As you said the project is quite big with a lot of dependencies, it is quite possible mind becomes numb to the future developments. Here's my advice. Pick the parts that might interest you
* Even if it takes a day, try telling it to a rubber duck. Take it for a walk if you guys get tired at desk.
* Talk it to at least one friend who can try to understand. In my short experience, this helps in realizing how we can or want to proceed. Or even go with the freelancer your thinking to hire, you might succeed. Can't know unless you tried once.
* Stubs and skeletons
* Sequence matters. If it is only you that has to do parallel work, you have to do it anyway. Even with a freelancer, you should decide how to proceed. So, either ways, even though hard, you need to break it up. Try not to multitask if you do it alone.
And, I think more technical details might fetch you better advice. I could be wrong!
Sarcasm? Only from that talk, I don't think he has it that much. It felt like he was talking expecting laughs from the audience, but, he was able to get quite a few towards the end.
I too got the same feeling that who is this guy to tell me not to do a startup? Worse, he also says what I should do(go to banking/finance where I can make money or keep collecting paychecks). Hell, I love writing code and building stuff compared to doing banking. So, if I ever earn something, I will try to get it by building something.
Thinking again - he's had a successful startup and no doubt a hell lot of people ask him advice and all these points he gave are for those kind of people. Though he didn't highlight it, he said not to do it for the wrong reasons. Right and wrong are sometimes relative, right? Anyways, apart from this advice and he calling the Evernote a second brain, the other info about how he saw confidence in his business and how important it is for customers to stay than pay were really useful. Unfortunately people are talking more about the beginnings than endings. May be he's fed up with a lot of people asking for advice and this is how he publicly declared his answers for such people.
It felt like I was a fresher listening to a senior at college doing the raw talk about the truths at college. You might not like them at first, but you will realize utterly that they are the truths and might even find yourself saying the same to another fellow, a different day.
I couldn't agree with everything though - Evernote is second brain of the universe? Is it not under rating the human brain? Human brain is capable of many amazing things. If I am going to hear some one call something a second brain, it should be able to take decisions. Evernote is only a digital notebook that is accessible from many platforms keeping all the users away from a lot of dirty work(copying, syncing, etc.). That's it. I don't think that could ever CHANGE THE WORLD. That will only MAKE MY LIFE EASIER. I could even argue that entrepreneurship is more about MAKING MY LIFE EASIER than about CHANGING THE WORLD.
When I get five minutes of waiting time, I don't open evernote to write something or read something. I open my twitter account and follow up with the links on hackernewsbot and few other tweets from people I like. That makes me feel productive. If I don't feel like reading technical things, I open my facebook and check what my friends are upto and I still feel productive.
I'm not answering your question directly, but instead I am posting my experience that it might help you. Feel free to ignore.
I've stopped collecting my links on Instapaper as I hardly find time to read through all the links I save and never found a single instance where I went back to cherish that stuff(at least in the 3 month period that I archived). Instead, I stopped worrying, and started to enjoy the content: read it and forget it and your brain will take the responsibility to spring it up later in the hour of need.
Here's the four step process I'm currently following.
1. If the post is an experience, well, I read it as-is, comment if I may, form my opinion and forget about it peacefully.
2. If the post contains some detailed how-to's that are hard to remember, I spool it.
3. If the post contains links(generally to tools and open source code) that I might need to find later, I tweet it.
4. If the post is really awesome, I blog about it or add to my to-blog list(another way of bookmarking, time taking, but the impression lasts for a longer time)
I now have 18 articles spooled in the last 2 months that I clearly remember why I bookmarked each of them as opposed to several hundreds on Instapaper.(I'm not comparing Spool and Instapaper, I happened to pick Instapaper first and used Spool later when I changed my tactic). Also, I don't try to bookmark everything I find amusing, only those I might need later. Now, I see myself reading and taking more pleasure compared to when I was worrying about bookmarking most of the things I read. Only time will make selection better!
I haven't used pinboard, but I am considering this strongly if I go back to start keeping all the required and interesting links. This site is a one man show and having read his blog, I find him very honest,open and of course, hardworking! Then, he provides support through twitter plus the pricing's just pay once and use for life time(pay more if you want archival).
Everyone wants to do something to make their life meaningful. The time that takes to discover that something is the most crucial of times and the deciding factor of what we are going to do. For example, I want to invent something that makes life easier and probably do few patents around it. The question is 'where do I start?'. There are innumerable fields that I can choose among and do my research.Having realized that it is a very long term goal, I started to dig to see which field can bring the spark in me. I might probably reach to a conclusion in five years, but I will. That's only an example.
You have mentioned that you would like to start a nonprofit of your own. So do I and most of our friends here. The question again is where do I start? Then, there are innumerable ways that help can be passed. We have to start digging as to what, when existent now, can do the delta the world needs.The simple answer here is to start helping in all ways you can - volunteer and meet people. Charity Water also didn't start within a week. The man left his life and joined a charity organization(Mercy Ships), met people and got to know their problems - It all fit in a line, but took several years of hardship to him, but at the end lies all the satisfaction, right?. Then he has seen a solution and found the best ways to fill it.
One wise man said that "Every great idea is the result of a moment's inspiration". True and in addition I feel that every great organization is the result of hours of hard work on that idea. So, what you have felt is inspiration and what you need is time to find your great idea and then start working on it. Good Luck!
It's a waste if one reads the above and not the paragraph following this one.
The Roman historian Sallust said of Cato "He preferred to be good, rather than to seem so". The lawyer who quits a high-powered law firm to work at a nonprofit organization certainly seems like a good person. But if we define "good" as helping people, then the lawyer who stays at his law firm but donates the profit to charity is taking Cato's path of maximizing how much good he does, rather than how good he looks.