Why I Prefer to Work Alone on My Personal Projects

Open source often comes with an expectation: projects are best built together. And in many cases, that’s true. In my professional life, I collaborate constantly — pair programming, code reviews, team planning. I know firsthand the value of working with others, and I enjoy it.

But when it comes to my personal projects, I prefer a different approach. I like to work alone.

Take Automad, for example. For me, it isn’t just a codebase — it’s the result of years of late-night experiments, side paths, and “what if I try this?” ideas. It’s my creative playground. The moment a pull request appears, that dynamic shifts. Even the smallest change — say, a one-line fix — suddenly gets logged as a contribution next to years of effort. Bigger contributions come with their own challenges: they require discussions, planning, compromises, and agreements. And before I know it, my personal project starts to feel like my day job.

There’s also the personal side of it. I’ve invested so much of myself into these projects that collaborating with complete strangers can feel strangely uncomfortable. It’s not about doubting someone’s abilities; it’s about maintaining a space where I can follow my own instincts without pressure, where I can make mistakes or abandon ideas without worrying about stepping on someone else’s work.

And then there’s the practical side: contributions take time to manage. Even the best pull requests rarely merge themselves. They need to be reviewed, tested, and adjusted to fit the project’s standards. Every one of those steps takes time and energy — time I’d rather spend actually creating, refining, or exploring new directions.

So yes, I choose to work alone. But here’s the important part: I still open-source my projects. Because open source isn’t only about collaboration — it’s also about sharing. A project doesn’t need a hundred contributors to bring value to the world. Even when it’s built by just one person, it can still help others solve problems, spark ideas, or teach something new.

That’s the balance I’ve found works best for me. By keeping my creative process personal, I protect the freedom and flow that make these projects enjoyable. And by open-sourcing the results, I make sure that freedom can still create value for others.

In the end, I don’t reject collaboration — I just draw a line between where it belongs. At work, collaboration is essential. In my personal projects, solitude keeps the spark alive. And thanks to open source, those sparks don’t have to stay mine alone.