The side project was finally close enough to show someone.
I had spent the winter thinking about better tools for work. One-on-one meetings and active management kept pulling me back. The idea was still loose in February. By early April, I had enough built to imagine putting it in front of a few people.
It was not ready that afternoon. I told a friend that we might be able to show something in a few weeks. I also called that schedule ambitious. I thought it was possible, and I knew the estimate could slip.
The project was coming along well, and I wanted to learn whether the platform could get any traction. The first step was smaller than a launch. I promised that this friend would be among the first people to see it.
He asked how he could help. My answer was to wait.
I hoped I would have something useful for him in another couple of weeks. I wanted to get closer before pulling somebody else into an early version and asking for an opinion. I did not ask him to review anything yet. I wanted to put the product itself in front of him when it was ready and learn whether the idea had legs.
The work had moved onto the screen instead of another note about the category. A first outside look was close enough to put on the calendar, even if I left myself room to miss it.
For the moment, I needed another couple of weeks at the keyboard.