Indie Development with FLO.W

AI tools have made indie development easier than ever. You can describe ideas in natural language and let AI generate code. When you encounter errors, paste them to AI for fixes. Building a working product in a weekend is no longer fantasy.

But you've probably noticed: building something isn't hard—making it successful is.

Code errors that AI can't fix, stuck for three days not knowing how to describe the problem. Halfway through, starting to doubt if this direction is right. Finally launching only to find no users, not knowing what went wrong. Working sporadically, spending half an hour each time "remembering where I left off." Seeing someone else build something similar and suddenly losing motivation...

This is the real indie development experience.

This tutorial isn't about "efficient project management"—that "plan first, execute later" approach is too slow for rapid iteration. What we're discussing is: how to maintain direction amid the chaos of building-while-changing, using the FLO.W Notion template.

FLO.W Notion template's core value: it connects your ideas, actions, and learning into one thread. When you're stuck, lost, or want to give up, opening FLO.W Notion template shows the path you've traveled—what pitfalls you've encountered, what assumptions were validated, why you originally thought this direction was worth pursuing. These records aren't for "management"—they're for finding your original reasoning during low points and not starting from zero on your next attempt.

First: Understand What You're Doing in Parallel

Building a product as an indie developer appears to be "coding," but you're actually pushing forward three things simultaneously: product development (turning ideas into something usable), market validation (finding people willing to use it), and learning (filling skill gaps).

These three run in parallel, not "finish development then market." You might fix bugs during the day, post something in the evening, learn deployment over the weekend. They have different rhythms and progress, but all move forward. Managing them together feels like a mess; tracking them separately makes each line's progress clear.

In FLO.W Notion template, these three correspond to three separate Projects, all belonging to one sub-Area (your product name). The benefit: when one line is stuck, you can push forward on others without the whole thing stalling. Meanwhile, all related tasks, notes, and materials converge under the same Area page, where you can see the full picture anytime.

Area: Side Projects
└── sub-Area: AI Writing Assistant (your product)
    ├── Project: v0.1 Core Feature Development  ← Product development track
    ├── Project: Seed User Acquisition          ← Market validation track
    └── Project: Technical Learning             ← Learning track

Recommended Project Structure

Using "building an AI writing assistant" as an example, here's the recommended structure:

Area Setup

FLO.W Notion template uses "Areas" to organize directions you're investing in long-term. For indie development, here's the suggested setup:

Area should be your general direction, like "Side Projects," "AI Products," or "Content Creation"—this depends on where you place product building in your life. Areas exist long-term and won't disappear just because one product fails.

Sub-Area uses your product name, like "AI Writing Assistant." The sub-Area is your "battlefield"—all projects, notes, and materials related to this product converge here. Even if this product ultimately doesn't succeed, these records remain as experience for your next attempt.

For detailed information about Areas, refer to Area Organization.

Parallel Projects

Under the "AI Writing Assistant" sub-Area, create three projects:

These three projects correspond to the three tracks mentioned earlier. They progress independently but connect through the "sub-Area."

Steps to Create Projects

Starting with a Vague Idea

"I have several ideas, don't know which to do first"

Don't choose. Write them all down.

In the 【Note】 module, create a note for each idea:

• What is this idea
• Why do I want to build it
• What problem does it expect to solve
• What would the minimum version roughly look like

After writing, whichever makes you want to start more, do that one first.

Don't spend too much time on "which one to choose." Whether an idea is worth doing can only be known "after doing it." Picking one and starting beats agonizing in place by a hundred times.

"Is this idea worth doing? Will I waste time?"

No one can know in advance. But you can lower the "validation cost":

• What's the minimum version? Can it be built in a week?
• Are there existing tools to quickly cobble together? Don't need to write from scratch
• Can I post something to see if anyone's interested? Don't wait until the product is done

Whether an idea is worthwhile needs validation through feedback after doing it. Rather than agonizing, quickly build a minimum version and let the market tell you the answer.

"What do I need to learn first before starting?"

Don't learn first. Learn what you encounter.

80% of what you learn in advance won't be used. Start doing first, learn when stuck, use what you learn immediately—this is most efficient and sticks best.

Treat "learning" as part of the development process, not a prerequisite.

During Development: Record as You Go

How to Break Down Tasks?

No need to plan all tasks in advance. Add as you go:

• Complete a feature → that's a task, check it off
• Encounter a problem to solve → create a task
• Think of a feature to add → create a task, set status to "Collect" (meaning you haven't decided whether to do it yet)

Task granularity reference: One task = one thing that can be "finished"

Code Errors AI Can't Fix—What Now?

Don't rush to keep trying. Record the problem first:

Benefits of recording this way:

• If you need to ask someone, just send this directly
• After solving it, this record itself becomes a "pitfall note" for future reference

Realized the Design is Wrong Halfway—Start Over?

Don't rush to redo. Write down "why you think there's a problem" as a note:

• What was the original design
• What problem did you discover now
• If redoing, how would you do it

Decide whether to start over after writing.

Often, after writing the problem clearly, you'll find "actually just changing part of it is enough." Even if you do need to redo, this note helps avoid making the same mistake next time.

Features Keep Growing, Don't Know When It's "Done"

This is called "scope creep"—very common.

How to handle:

First, write clearly in the project description "what this version only does." For example: "v0.1 goal: User can input a topic and generate a 500-word article." This is your completion standard. With this anchor, you know when to stop.

Second, new feature ideas go to the task list but with status "Collect." It's not "won't do"—just not in this version. After v0.1 launches and you collect real feedback, then decide what v0.2 should do. Many features you think "must have" now, users might not care about at all.

Third, ask yourself weekly: Can the core feature be used? If yes, it can launch. The "M" in MVP is Minimum—the smallest version that validates core assumptions should launch. Perfection comes from iteration, not behind closed doors.

Market Validation: Don't Wait Until Done

Start Marketing Before It's Done?

Yes. Reasons:

• Marketing takes time to ferment: Posts won't be seen immediately
• Collecting feedback early can avoid building features no one wants
• Finding seed users is itself validating demand

Things you can do (don't need a finished product):

• Post describing what you want to build, see if anyone's interested
• Chat with friends, ask if they'd use it
• See what competitors' users are complaining about

All these can be tracked in the "Seed User Acquisition" project.

What Tasks Go in the Market Project?

Market project tasks differ from development—they're more about "what was done, what were the results." Each task represents one marketing action; the task page records that action's results.

For example, the task "Post on Twitter/X," after completion record in the task page: posting time, post link, views, engagement. This way you can compare different channels and copy effectiveness, finding the most effective marketing approach.

Typical market project tasks include: write product intro copy, post on various platforms (Twitter/X, Reddit, Product Hunt), DM potential users, organize user feedback. Each task is an independent marketing experiment; accumulate enough and patterns emerge.

Posted But No Engagement—Product Problem or Copy Problem?

Likely "distribution channel" and "reach" issues:

• New accounts have no followers, naturally no one sees
• Timing, hashtags, platform all affect exposure

How to judge?

• Post the same content on multiple platforms, compare data
• Record views and engagement for each post
• Draw conclusions after accumulating enough samples

This data can be recorded in the task page or create a dedicated note to track.

How to Quickly Capture User Feedback?

User feedback often comes scattered—might be a DM, comment, or something a friend mentioned casually. The key is to quickly write it down first, don't let it slip away.

Simplest approach: in the market project page, use Notion's callout or toggle blocks to create a "User Feedback" section. Each time you receive feedback, just append a line:

2026-01-27 | Twitter user @xxx | "Took forever to find this button"

No need to create a separate note for each piece of feedback—that's too heavy and you'll quickly find it tedious and stop recording. Centralized storage, quick appending, is what you can sustain.

After accumulating a dozen or twenty pieces of feedback, spend 15 minutes doing a summary: which are feature requests, which are usage problems, which are positive comments. If you find a certain type of issue mentioned repeatedly, then create a dedicated note for deeper analysis.

User's exact words are more valuable than your summary. "Took forever to find this button" is more useful than "user thinks UI is bad." Accumulate enough raw material and patterns emerge naturally.

Learning On Demand: Learn What You Encounter

So Much to Learn, Feels Like It Never Ends

That's right. It never ends. So don't "learn in advance," learn "when stuck."

Need to deploy, learn deployment. Need to integrate payments, learn Stripe. Hit performance issues, learn optimization. This "just-in-time learning" is most efficient—you have a clear goal, use what you learn immediately, and remember it best.

The "Technical Learning" project records what you're currently learning and have learned, not what you "plan to learn." Each learning task corresponds to a specific skill point or problem; after completion, record in the task page what you learned and what pitfalls you encountered. These records become your technical notes for reference when encountering similar problems later.

If a technical topic is complex enough for systematic learning, refer to Course Learning for organization.

Learned Something Halfway But Can't Use It—Wasted?

No.

You learned "this thing isn't suitable for the current scenario"—that's also knowledge.

Record the conclusion in a note: "Learned XX, found it unsuitable for YY scenario because ZZ." Next time you encounter a similar situation, you won't need to research again.

How Detailed Should Technical Notes Be?

The principle is let yourself understand it three months later. Don't need to record every step (that's what official docs are for). What to record: pitfalls you encountered and solutions, why you chose this approach over others.

For example, learning deployment, you don't need to record "which button to click," but do record "initially used approach A for deployment and failed, got XX error, later switched to approach B which worked, because YY." Records with decision-making processes are far more useful than pure operation steps.

For organizing technical notes, refer to Note Properties for FLO.W Notion template's note categorization approach.

After One Iteration Ends

Whether the MVP successfully launched, had no users, or was abandoned midway—all deserve a wrap-up. This wrap-up seems simple, but its value: turning experience into lessons.

Wrap Up All Three Projects

First, update project status. Completed marks "Completed," temporarily paused marks "On Hold," completely abandoned marks "Abandoned." This status isn't for others—it's for your future self. When reviewing an Area, you can clearly see which attempts succeeded and which didn't.

Then, write a few sentences summary in the project page. No need for an essay—answer three questions: What did this round do? Did it achieve the goal (if not, where was it stuck)? What's the next plan?

These sentences take less than five minutes, but three months later when you want to pick up this project again, they help you quickly return to that state instead of starting from "what was this again."

MVP Launched But No Users—Continue Iterating or Pivot?

This is the most anxiety-inducing moment. But anxiety doesn't solve problems—diagnosis does.

First figure out which stage the problem is in. How many people know this product exists? Of those who know, how many tried it? What's the feedback from those who tried? These three data points point to completely different problems: not enough exposure is a marketing problem, seeing but not clicking is a copy problem, trying but not continuing to use is a product problem.

Write this diagnostic process as a note, recording the data you see and your judgment. The significance: decisions have traceable basis. Three months later looking back, you'll know why you chose to continue or abandon, not just "felt it wasn't working so switched."

Even if you ultimately decide to pivot, this diagnostic process itself is valuable—you learned how to judge where a product's problem lies, and won't trip on the same spot next time.

When to Abandon a Project?

No standard answer, but several signals worth noting: haven't wanted to touch it for weeks, every time you think of it feels painful rather than exciting, repeated validation confirms demand doesn't exist, discovered you don't actually care about this problem.

Abandoning isn't shameful. Many successful entrepreneurs have piles of "failed" projects. The key is wrapping up when abandoning: mark project status "Abandoned," write clearly in the project page why. These records will help you avoid repeating mistakes later—"Why did I abandon that idea back then? Oh, because after validation I found XX."

Delete Failed Projects?

Don't. Failed projects are the most valuable learning material.

Why did you think this direction was viable back then? Which assumptions were disproven? What would you do differently if starting over? Answers to these questions are hidden in those "failed" project records.

In FLO.W Notion template's sub-Area page, both successful and failed projects remain. Together they form your "experience map" in this direction. When you want to try a new idea, first flip through past records—maybe you'll find this idea was tried three years ago, failed then because of XX, has that problem been solved now?

Next Iteration

After one round ends, if you decide to continue, create next round's projects: "v0.2 Feature Iteration," "Second Round Marketing." Previous notes and materials are still there—can be associated with new projects or supplemented directly on original notes.

This is the value of FLO.W Notion template's sub-Area: all projects, notes, and materials related to this product converge here. Opening the Area page, you see the complete journey—what v0.1 did, what problems were encountered, what user feedback was, based on what judgment v0.2 made what adjustments.

Each iteration round is an independent project, but knowledge and experience accumulate. This is the difference between a "system" and "scattered notes."

When Losing Motivation

Seeing a competitor launch, encountering unsolvable problems, posting with no response, code still erroring after three days of changes... These moments everyone building products encounters.

At these times, flip through your records. Look at the idea note you originally wrote—why did you want to build this in the first place? Look at the user feedback you collected—which comments made you feel this was worth doing? Look at the pitfall records—how many problems you once thought were "the end" have you already solved?

Sometimes, answers are in your own records. You've come further than you thought. The value of records isn't just "management"—it's giving yourself a foothold during low points.

Reference Daily Workflow

A typical iteration week might look like this:

Monday morning, open FLO.W Notion template homepage, check the three projects' tasks, decide which to focus on this week. FLO.W Notion template's Homepage aggregates all your in-progress tasks together, no need to click into each project separately.

Weekday evenings, push forward development. Jot down problems in task pages as they come, check off completed features. No need to deliberately "organize"—just write it down first.

Find time mid-week to post something, record posting info in market project. Weekend, learn technical difficulties encountered, write notes in learning project.

Sunday evening spend 15 minutes reviewing: what was done this week, what to do next week. Can view on homepage or create a weekly review note. FLO.W Notion template has built-in Periodic Review functionality to help you build review habits.

This is just reference. Finding your own rhythm matters most. The key: every time you open FLO.W Notion template, you quickly know "where I left off" and "what to do next."

FAQ

Indie Development and Solo Business

Indie development is essentially a solo business—you use code to create products that can be infinitely replicated. This is the same business model as making courses, writing books, selling templates: create once, earn repeatedly.

The difference is software products have longer development cycles, higher technical barriers, and faster iteration rhythms. You're not just "building a product"—you're fighting three battles simultaneously: writing code, finding users, learning new things. These three tracks interweave and can easily descend into chaos.

This tutorial focuses on indie developer combat scenarios—how to manage these three parallel tracks, how to maintain direction amid building-while-changing, how to quickly retrospect and restart after failure.

If you want to understand the overall solo business framework—the relationships between Areas, milestones, projects, and tasks, and how to break down a vague idea into executable steps, refer to Build Your Solo Business Operating System with FLO.W. That article uses "making a paid course" as an example, but the methodology equally applies to software products.

Related Tutorials

If your product development involves these scenarios, refer to these more specific tutorials:

• Manage Content Creation with FLO.W — If your product requires continuous content output (tech blog, product docs, marketing copy)
• Master Skills with FLO.W — If you need to systematically learn a technology
• Course Learning with FLO.W — If you're following a paid course to learn

Feature Documentation

• Project Management - Learn complete project features
• Area Organization - Learn how to set up Areas
• Task Properties - Learn about task properties
• Note Properties - Learn how to organize notes
• Web Clipper - Save competitor analysis, technical docs and more