[ChrisLoer]

Yeah, the lack of feedback (and not being embedded in a motivated team) is a very big downside. In my case, I responded by distancing myself a little bit from focusing so much on success at the one "big" thing I was working on, and focusing more on enjoying curiosity, exploration, etc. The app I've created probably falls in the "tool" category more than "product", and I spend (waste?) a fair amount of time psychologically prepping myself for marking it as a failure. On balance, I still feel like it's been a good move for my life, but of course the experiment is ongoing...

[neilk]

Oh yeah, let me say, my year+ of trying this wasn't a waste either.

I updated my skills, learned new tech, and tried stuff I never would have got to try in a normal work situation. I got to dick around with pretty UI on Monday and backend performance on Tuesday.

So a sabbatical of sorts wasn't a terrible idea -- I'd just do it differently. Ensuring a good iterative environment (social context, regular advisor meetings, customer contact) would be my #1 priority.