I’m trying to build a product (bootstrapped) and am struggling with all the time commitments. Any advice?

If you don’t have a family cut your living expenses to the bone. Then focus on your startup 100% once you’ve got enough saved up to last you a year at least. That’s what I did.

If this isn’t an option you have to reconsider whether your product startup is feasible given the time you have to spend on it. Maybe you’ve just picked something too large in scope. I gather that you’re nowhere close to done and that you’ve been at this for a while and running out of steam.

There are tons of startup ideas that have a ton of potential and can be prototyped in a weekend. Think of something like a plugin for an already popular service. That’s something you can do in the evenings and weekends.

This approach (a trivial prototype of some sort) may get you to the point where you’re making real money much quicker, after which you can always get back to your current startup product. A large part of success in business is about being able to evaluate the options in front of you honestly. The time you put into your startup so far is a sunk cost so walking away from it — hard as that may be — may be the best option you have.

I’m in the same boat and it’s a hard path to walk. The way I’ve stayed sane is by reminding myself that I’m playing the long game. If I don’t work on it for a week I don’t beat myself up, I take the time to properly relax instead knowing that I’ll get there.

It’s taken me three months working very part time, and with only a few hours a month from a developer helping me, but as of this morning my product’s sign up and log in are working. Nothing big, but it’s a milestone worth celebrating. And this has all been done part time. I’ve got a family, kids, and a dog, and I do my best to sleep at least 7 hours a night. Be smart about how you spend your time and money but don’t suck all the fun out of life either.

It’s also worth pointing out that things will generally be slow while you’re laying the foundation, but will pick up speed over time as your vision becomes clearer and more of the pieces are in place. In the long run it’s patience and determination that’ll get you where you need to go.