Petros Amoiridis

It’s been a while folks. I’ve always struggled with writing on a schedule vs writing when I really feel like it. With the latter, there are huge gaps between posts. I don’t know what’s better. I guess writing on a schedule can become easier if I insist long enough.

Today I want to talk about focusing. Another huge theme during the past two years. If you remember, I quit my day job as a head of support in 2022 to explore what’s next. I started with trying to go back to software development. Software development was how I started my career back in 1998.

Overall, I spent 2023 and 2024 doing some contract work. I also had long, much needed rests and explored different tech stacks and technology trends.

I started with Rust in 2023, and then continued with Elixir and its wonderful Phoenix framework.

I reached a point today. I am still not capable of sustaining my effort after my decision to quit my job. Yes, I had some revenue from the contracts, but I still have to rely and burn my runway. Essentially, I have been relying on my runway to fund my exploration.

If I look back over these two years, a common theme emerges. I have been jumping from one thing to another.

I have put a lot of effort to learn Rust—notorious for its steep learning curve.

I have let time pass while being undecided on which tech stack to double down on. Would it be Ruby and Rails, or Elixir and Phoenix?

I went through tons of tutorials, courses, articles, and books.

I have explored other tech stacks and verticals in case there’s an opportunity there.

I have had doubts about what I was doing, while having applied to more than 80 jobs openings and contracting opportunities.

The common theme here was not staying focused on a single thing so that I can make meaningful progress.

I don’t regret the way I spent the past two years. I do wonder if I should have decided on what I want to do earlier in the process.

Even while writing these sentences, I am not entirely sure yet. Although I am happy that I have at least decided on what to double down on. And that’s Elixir and Phoenix. I would like to talk about why in another post soon. Let me briefly mention just one thing. The Phoenix framework is, along with LiveView, part of what we have recently started to call one-person-frameworks. It’s quite easy to create a web app. You can cover your needs across all axes either solo or with a very small team. You almost don’t need external dependencies or backend/frontend specialization.

But I still have this big task of deciding what to build. I have so many ideas! But I need to overcome this paralysis state because of the plethora of choices in front of me.

I have a good idea of what I don’t want to do. For example, consulting would be a means to an end. I wouldn’t want to do it forever. Ideally, I want to create products. Small, quality, simple to use, and niche products.

I have this idea that I started calling slowly brewed software. I love the idea, but I am worried I don’t have time for the “slowly” part. 😂. I need to figure out how to stop burning my runway.

In any case, I am now focusing on staying focused.

Here’s what I am doing

At Amignosis, I pour my heart and skill into crafting slowly brewed software, one thoughtful line at a time. I am craftsman in a world of complexity and low-quality solutions. I am a shoemaker. I take the time to create simple, timeless software built to last. Check what I am doing now and talk to me.