I’ve been building software for years now. But I always build for work, for learning or for (unsuccessful) side projects. 

Every side projects started the same way. I did market research, analyze competitors and convince myself that there is a gap or whatever reason it worths trying. Then I spend weeks building only to lose steam halfway. 

It felt like shooting arrows in the dark.

This time I built something that I actually need and it changes everything. 

The problem that I need to solve

Last month, my partner and I got frustrated with managing our expenses. We want to keep track of how much we spend our individual and collective expenses and also how to split. 

There are solutions already for sure. But they are either too simple or too expensive and complex that includes tons of features that we don’t need. 

Why paid for something we don’t need? I can build it in a day or two. 

So I did.

The difference was night and day

This time, I know exactly what I want to build and all the decisions were made effortlessly. 

Before that I would struggle with the UI design, the database and everything because I want to do it right, because I don’t know how it would change in the future. Because I don’t feel the problem.

This time, I just choose the UI that I want and because this problem has been bothering me, I want to ship it quick so I choose to build in the fastest way I can, not the best way. 

The result? We solve the problem. 

Clarity changes everything 

That's the power of clarity. When you truly understand the problem you're solving—not from research, but from living it—motivation becomes automatic.

You keep going when you're stuck because you know exactly why what you're doing matters. Every line of code has purpose. Every feature solves a real frustration you experience.

The obstacles don't disappear, but your reason for overcoming them becomes unshakeable.

The Lesson

I'm not saying you should only build for yourself. But building something you genuinely need teaches you what clarity feels like. It shows you the difference between solving a real problem and building something you think might be useful.

Once you know that feeling, you can recognize it in other projects. You can dig deeper into user research, spend more time understanding the problem. 

The goal isn't to be your own customer forever. It's to never again build something without truly understanding why it needs to exist.

When you have that clarity, everything else becomes easier.