IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

You’re not burnt out, you’re existentially starving

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Burnout from Lack of Deeper Purpose Despite Career Success

Many users share feelings of emptiness after building successful companies, craving passion beyond paychecks.
"This resonates with me right now. I helped build a unicorn startup over the last 10 years but feel empty and burnt out when I’m working now." - justchad
"You burn out creating value for others that you end up either not owning or it not materially contributing to your immediate community." - tsunamifury

2. Family and Kids as a Source of Meaning

A major thread endorses children/relationships for fulfillment, though some note added stress.
"get married and have kids" - antman123
"Children do in a lot of way give meaning to your life, suddenly you have a reason for suffering." - belval
"I have kids, but... having kids led to less burnout for me over time... energizing and purpose-providing." - Aurornis

3. Economic Pressures and Lifestyle Barriers to Purpose

High costs, consumerism, and work demands hinder balance; advice includes structure/hobbies.
"I'm burnt out because my fancy job requires me to live in an area with a cost of living so high that it's a genuine family crisis when the washing machine breaks." - olivierestsage
"gradually add social structure to life... pottery, crossfit, book club... social bonds reinforce discipline." - spongebobstoes
"Everything we want is simply too expensive, our degrees are useless." - llmslave2

🚀 Project Ideas

PurposeQuest

Summary

  • A guided sabbatical platform matching burned-out tech pros with mentors, passion project ideas, and accountability buddies to rediscover purpose.
  • Core value: Turns aimless sabbaticals into structured quests with real progress and social support, preventing "rock bottom" spirals.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Ex-startup founders/engineers on sabbatical (e.g., justchad) seeking hobbies/passion.
Core Feature AI-curated project matches + weekly mentor check-ins + progress sharing in small cohorts.
Tech Stack Next.js, Supabase, OpenAI for matching, Twilio for reminders.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium ($10/mo premium matches).

Notes

  • HN loves self-improvement tools; "I’m hoping to find my passion and follow that. Finding that is something I’m struggling with" (justchad); high discussion on post-unicorn emptiness.
  • Practical for HN's sabbatical crowd; viral via shares like AndrewKemendo's "HMU if you want help."

AccountabilityForge

Summary

  • Social habit app connecting users for mutual accountability in hobbies/volunteering (e.g., BJJ, book clubs, gym buddies) with auto-reminders and "someone notices if absent."
  • Core value: Builds purpose via reliable commitments without parasocial pitfalls, combating isolation burnout.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Burned-out parents/professionals needing structure (e.g., unstyledcontent, bdbdbdb).
Core Feature Geo-based matching for local activities + daily check-ins + streak sharing in pairs/groups.
Tech Stack React Native, Firebase, Mapbox for geo, Stripe for group events.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: $5/mo pro features (unlimited matches).

Notes

  • Resonates with "social bonds reinforce discipline... 'someone will notice my absence'" (spongebobstoes); "commit yourself to something... someone you care about is counting on you" (triceratops).
  • Utility for HN's remote workers; sparks threads on local meetups.

CohesionTracker

Summary

  • Interactive web app expanding AndrewKemendo's Cohesion Matrix into a daily journal with purpose scoring, hobby/job recommendations, and progress visualizations.
  • Core value: Quantifies existential fulfillment to guide from burnout to "highest purpose," with actionable insights.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Tech pros measuring life coherence (e.g., KellyCriterion, empty-nesters like JKCalhoun).
Core Feature Rubric-based scoring + AI insights + weekly reports linking to communities/hobbies.
Tech Stack SvelteKit, Chart.js, Vercel, GPT-4 for recs.
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Directly builds on "I built a measurement framework... Cohesion Matrix" (AndrewKemendo); HN digs frameworks for self-quantification.
  • Discussion magnet: "rate your integration/coherence/cohesion"; practical for tracking post-job purpose hunts.

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