[skeeter2020]

I think you have the motivation wrong. The cost-benefit economics work if you want to have fun building something, learn a lot and share it with others. It doesn't work if the goal is to make up to $100/month selling ads; getting a part-time job would be a better path. In this scenario not finishing your side project is the correct decision, and not starting an optimization of that.

[bemmu]

I've noticed it depends on one's personality.

To me, trying to make money with random projects is the most motivating thing. A dollar earned from some little project is emotionally to me worth many times that of the same dollar I'd earn as salary (as long as I don't starve). Most of my friends do not seem to share this feeling.

Also the internet is very big. You can sometimes have success with something, even it's a very silly badly implemented little thing. What people like, how you happen to get traffic, it's all quite unpredictable.

[fm2606]

Lots of truth to this.

However, I have difficulty in doing a personal site just for my own benefit and pleasure.

I enjoy learning, I enjoy the THOUGHT of building and doing but my execution sucks.